Innovation

Manufacturing: Ireland’s Second Largest Employer

With the arrival of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, smart factories and innovative supply chain integration is transforming the manufacturing sector Manufacturing accounts for over 30% of GDP, 122 billion euro in exports, and employs 250,000 people across 4,000 businesses in Ireland. “Manufacturing is not the first thing that comes to people’s minds when they think…
Dublin: A Melting Pot

Ireland’s first Japanese restaurant celebrates Dublin’s vibrant demographics Derek and Graham Ryan, Group Founder and Director of award-winning, Yamamori Group restaurants and bars, have firsthand witnessed the evolution of Dublin becoming a global melting pot. With nearly 25 years since the original restaurant’s opening, the Group now delivers unique culinary adventures across three thriving restaurants…
Interview: Ciarán Hayes, Chief Executive, Sligo County Council

Sligo Witnessing Unprecedented Investment Ireland’s new hub for innovation? Sligo is not only a stunning location for tourism, but also a highly practical destination for business, with attractive incentives, high levels of infrastructure, and the ambition to become a ‘smart city.’ What is Sligo’s track record for attracting multinationals? Sligo has an established track record of…
Interview: Seamus Neely, Chief Executive, Donegal County Council

Donegal’s FinTech Hub Develops Letterkenny designated Regional Growth Center in the National Planning Framework How do you assess Donegal’s economy? Donegal’s economy is performing strongly, and employment is on the rise. The county has a thriving fin-tech hub, and a significant FDI track record. 75% of investors are continuously growing their operations and Donegal’s indigenous…
Interview: Dr. Pat Gallagher, Chief Executive, Westmeath County Council

Westmeath: In the Heart of Ireland How do you assess Westmeath’s economy? Westmeath’s two biggest towns, Athlone and Mullingar, have their own distinct economies that have developed backed by the regions central location, developed motorway network, excellent utilities, and highly educated workforce. Mullingar is one hour from Dublin by car, train or bus and has…
Interview: Moira Murrell, Chief Executive, Kerry County Council

Kerry: A Stunning Place to Work Quality of life, the availability of a skilled workforce, ease of access, fiber-based broadband and government incentives combine to provide a positive business environment How are Ireland’s rural regions developing? There currently is a strong national focus on the development of Ireland’s regions and their improved interconnectivity. Kerry increasingly…
Interview: Daniel McLoughlin, Chief Executive, South Dublin County Council

How is SDCC preparing to accommodate future FDI? SDCC is home to Grange Castle Business Park, the largest wholly owned local authority FDI site in Ireland. It has become the location of choice for world-class multinationals such as Pfizer, Microsoft, Amazon and Google. It is a world class facility with investments of over 5 billion…
Interview: Mark Foley, Group CEO, EirGrid Group

Powering Ireland’s Economic Development What advantages does Ireland offer energy intensive industries? We have a proud history of supporting FDI in Ireland, and the nation remains the premier European country in terms of attractiveness. It started with the pharmaceutical industry, then the tech firms, and more recently the data center industry has arrived. Ireland’s transmission…
At the Forefront of a Low-Carbon Revolution

Ireland is allocating 22 billion euro to transform into a low-carbon economy by 2050. The private sector in turn is doing its part to export its own expertise globally Martin Naughton is one of Ireland’s most prominent industrialists and philanthropists. His efforts in promoting the private sector’s contribution to peace and environmental sustainability led him…
Chanelle Pharma Eyes Expansion into the US Market

Ireland is home to the world’s top pharma companies Chanelle Pharma is Ireland’s largest indigenous manufacturer of generic human and veterinary pharmaceuticals. Innovative Irish man, Michael Burke founded the company in 1983, and still leads the company today out of their headquarters in Loughrea, Co. Galway on the west coast of Ireland. Chanelle Pharma manufactures…
Interview: David McRedmond, CEO, An Post

Building a European E-commerce Logistics Hub The development of ‘An Post Money’ and ‘An Post Commerce’ is future proofing the business for the long term How has the digital age impacted An Post’s development? Digital communication has substituted physical letters, which translated into a fall in revenue for An Post in the letter delivery business.…
Interview: Anthony Smurfit, Group CEO, Smurfit Kappa

Irish Roots with Global Reach From humble beginnings as a small box-making factory in Rathmines, to becoming the first Irish multinational, Smurfit Kappa is an innovative world leader in corrugated packaging How has Smurfit Kappa evolved across the years? We have been in business since 1934, starting out making cardboard boxes and packaging for the…
Interview: Mark O’Sullivan, Partner, Matheson

A decade after the financial crisis, Ireland retains a strong globalized business model. Corporate business investment is at record levels and collectively, US multinational investments amount to $387bn, representing 67% of all foreign direct investment in Ireland and 12% of US investment in the EU. What core facts best highlight Ireland’s role as a gateway…
Interview: Prof Ismail Abdel Ghaffar Ismail, President, Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASMT)

The Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport is a regional university operated by the Arab League which runs programs in marine transportation, business, engineering and is quickly growing its curriculum to ensure recent graduates meet labor market requirements. Established in 1972, the multi-purpose & multi-task institution specialized on offering its services to Arab…
Interview: Ahmed Hafez, CEO, Ideal Standard MENA

Ideal Standard designs, manufactures and supplies bathroom innovations for residential, commercial and institutional buildings. They operate through 47 factories around the globe, 6 of which are in Egypt’s 10th of Ramadan City. Ideal standard has had a MENA region presence since the 1960s and is celebrating its 35th anniversary in the Egyptian market. How do…
Interview: Ayman Ismail, Co-Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Dar Al Mimar Group (DMG)

Dar Al Mimar Group (DMG) is the largest vertically integrated holding covering real estate development in Egypt. The group focuses on world-class standards and operates in three sectors: engineering, real estate, and hospitality through its subsidiaries. Since 2005 Mountain View is among Egypt’s leading private property development companies. DMG has developed and now manages over…
Egypt’s education system is by far the largest in the region

Private non-profit education institutions are increasingly taking the lead and spearheading quality education in Egypt. Since 2014, Egypt’s focus on improving the private and public education sector has increased significantly. Vision 2030 has called for an overhaul of the current educational system and looks ambitious and promising. Serious efforts to modernize the education sector from…
Egypt is considered one of the fastest-growing offshore destinations in the world and its BPO and IT industries are gaining global market share

Egypt’s ICT sector is one of the fastest economic contributors to GDP. The overall revenues for the sector in 2018 surpassed EUR 4 000 million and are expected to reach EUR 5 100 million by 2020. The growth rate reached 14.1% in 2017/2018, against 12.5% in 2016/2017 The government has invested heavily in telecom infrastructure.…
New Administrative Capital in Cairo

Since the day the Pharaohs commissioned the Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt has been home to vast mega-projects. Today is no exception, with the Suez Canal to the ongoing New Administrative Capital, presented as the biggest planned city of all time, Egypt has been living up to its Ancient ancestors. In March 2015, Egyptian Minister…
A growing population in Egypt demands quality housing

One of the best solutions for Egypt’s constant overpopulation of cities has been urban expansion. It is part of an ambitious government plan to build new cities on the outskirts of every major governorate in Egypt. The Egyptian real estate sector has historically proven resilient to economic and political tensions over the past decade and…
Egypt’s economic fundamentals are improving, and at 5.4% GDP growth it is the fastest growing country in the region

Egypt is the regions fifth-largest economy and increasingly on the global investment map. According to the International Monetary Fund Egypt was the third largest economy in Africa with a GDP of EUR 208 682 million in 2017 after Nigeria’s EUR 331 061 million and South Africa at EUR 304 642 million. Egypt’s economic fundamentals in…
Sustainable Development Strategy: Egypt Vision 2030

“The new Egypt will possess a competitive, balanced and diversified economy, dependent on innovation and knowledge, based on justice, social integrity and participation, characterized by a balanced and diversified ecological collaboration system, investing the ingenuity of place and humans to achieve sustainable development and to improve Egyptians’ life quality,” Egypt Vision 2030 Sustainable Development Strategy.…
Interview: Ingeborg Øfsthus, CEO, Telenor Serbia

How do you see Serbia’s telecommunication sector in 2018 and what key challenges do you foresee moving forward? The global telecommunications sector is going through a revolution, and that revolution is digitalization. The fact being the competition landscape is changing. It is hitting every single operator around the world in some way or form. We are lucky…
Serbia: An impressive turnaround

Serbia aims to boost private sector-led growth through reforms. According to the estimates of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia, the nations GDP in real terms increased by 1.9% in 2017. The International Monetary Fund estimates Serbia’s projected Real GDP growth for 2018 will reach 3.5%. Overview: Serbia has successfully stabilized its economic…