Sigmar lead Irish Delegation to Chicago and Boston
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Earlier this April, Sigmar Recruitment lead a delegation of 20 private sector companies to Chicago and Boston, with the message that Ireland’s trade partnership with the US is stronger than ever, and that Ireland is the location of choice for FDI in Europe.
Ireland Gateway to Europe (IGTE) is a not-for-profit annual trade mission made up of professional advisory firms who travel the US annually to provide a secure resource network for business expansion to help US investment succeed in setting up operations in Ireland. Founded in 2012 as a response to the economic challenges at that time of global recession, Ireland Gateway to Europe is now in its eighth year of US, UK and global trade missions.
"The purpose of our mission is to let US business leaders and policy makers know that not only is Ireland a particularly attractive European proposition right now in light of what is happening with the UK exiting the EU, but that Irish investment in the US is growing year on year." says Co-Founder Robert MacGiolla Phádraig, CCO at Sigmar.
“Our message is very clear; Irish-US trade continues to grow with equanimity and therefore Ireland remains one of the best countries in the world in which to do business.”
Chicago - April 10th 2019
Following an evening at the Irish consulate, the group hosted a Global Leadership breakfast in association with Notre Dame University in Chicago welcoming 100 guests from the Chicago business community. Speakers included Minister Michael D’Arcy; Paul Slaggert and Kevin Whelan from University of Notre Dame; Geraldine Byrne Nason, Irish Ambassador to UN; Robert MacGiolla Phádraig, CCO, Sigmar Recruitment. Following a lively panel discussion on transatlantic relations, we honoured Andrew McKenna, Chairman emeritus from McDonald's, with a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to transatlantic relations.
Boston - April 11th 2019
Following their visit to Chicago, the group then travelled to Boston to engage directly with the US business community at the transatlantic Boston College Ireland Business Council (BCIBC) dinner.
Founded by the Global Leadership Institute at Boston College, and Ireland Gateway to Europe, the main aim of the BCIBC is to bring influential business leaders from both communities together once a year in Dublin and in Boston to create one deeply connected transatlantic trade artery. The purpose of the BCIBC is to establish new, and strengthen existing, transatlantic business ties between the two countries, and it is designed to enhance transatlantic business between the US and Ireland through creating connections that allow for entrepreneurial ventures to grow and prosper.
Robert Mac Giolla Phádraig: “By establishing the BCICB, the tight commercial and social bonds we share with the US can be strengthened and build upon bilaterally, business to business, in spite of any potential external or internal protectionist political policies. It’s widely known that cultural ties between Massachusetts and Ireland are deep but possibly lesser known are the strength of economic ties with 11,000 people employed by Irish companies there and Ireland being the 6th largest exporter from MA.
Speakers at the BCIBC dinner included former Taoiseach Brian Cowen; Mike Mahoney, CEO of Boston Scientific; Katie Burke, CPO at Hubspot; Jim Kelliher, CFO at Drift; and Andrew Arnott, President and CEO, John Hancock Investments; Dr Robert Mauro from Boston College and was moderated by Sigmar CCO Robert MacGiolla Phadraig.
The next BCIBC event will take place on November 7th in Dublin, which will welcome a US delegation to Ireland.
