Construction BUSINESS

Iarnród Éireann CEO Jim Meade is the next guest speaker at the Cobh & Harbour Chamber’s Business Breakfast series which has provided a national benchmark in bringing stakeholders together to meet infrastructure challenges, David Keniry writes.

Cobh’s train station and heritage centre will provide the fitting backdrop for the Cobh & Harbour Chamber’s first Business Breakfast meeting on the 23rd February which will feature an address from Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail Chief Executive Jim Meade.

There will also be a briefing from the Port of Cork Company which has sponsored the Business Breakfast series. Following the announcement of the Port of Cork Company’s continued support for the Business Breakfast series, Conor Mowlds, Chief Commercial Officer, Port of Cork Company, said:

“Cobh and Harbour Chamber has worked for 65 years to promote the economic and social development of the Cork Harbour community in order to make it a better place in which to live, work and do business and the Port of Cork is aligned with this goal.

“As we work towards achieving the ambitions laid out in our Port of Cork Masterplan 2050, strengthening relationships with the local community and local businesses is so important to us. Without their support, our work would not be possible and we’re delighted to give back in ways such as this sponsorship.”

Speakers in the series have included Minister Michael McGrath TD, Minister Simon Coveney TD, Michael Mahon (EirGrid) John Mullins (Amarenco), Sean Crowley, (Gas Networks Ireland), and speakers from National Broadband Ireland, Irish Water, and Irving Oil.

Last year the Chamber established an Energy & Infrastructure Committee which includes Conor Mowlds, Adam Cronin (DP Energy), Eoin O’Sullivan (Doyle Shipping Group), Paul Hegarty (National Maritime College of Ireland), and Emma Love (Irish Rail).  

Chair of the Energy & Infrastructure Committee and Chamber past president, Johanna Murphy, will also be providing a briefing during the morning session on the 23rd of February.

Cobh and Harbour Chamber President Toddy Stafford said: “We are immensely grateful to the Port of Cork Company for their continued support. Cobh and Harbour Chamber very much values the longstanding and collaborative relationship we have with PoCC. 

We’re looking forward to holding many more events in conjunction with the Port of Cork Company to inform and advise the local business community and to create networking opportunities for our members to build and maintain connections.”

The Business Breakfast series has provided an opportunity for infrastructure industry leaders and entrepreneurs, local businesses, political and community leaders to discuss all kinds of infrastructure challenges and opportunities from healthcare to housing, transport to turbines.

In doing so it has provided a national benchmark in bringing stakeholders together to move the right infrastructure projects forward to meet communities’ social and economic priorities.