Dublin Chamber Annual Dinner 2018

Last night, I had the great honour to address the Dublin Chamber Annual Dinner as the 130th President. Dublin Chamber is the largest Chamber in the country, representing the business community of the Greater Dublin Area, with over thirteen hundred members, employing 300,000 people spanning across industry.

I spoke about Dublin, its role as our capital city, its links with the rest of the country, its challenges, its aspirations and the future of business.

I reflected on the two specific call outs that I made at the Chamber AGM dinner in February.

The first was about diversity. I set the challenge that the AGM dinner would be a more diverse gathering than ever before. I was really heartened last night to see much more diversity in the room and even a few all female tables, which was a first for the Annual Dinner!

In conversations with members, it has struck me that there appears to have been a moving of the dial in Irish business and, with it, genuine attempts to create a more equal playing field for all.

By ensuring Gender Diversity remains a top priority for business in Ireland, there is nothing to suggest that, as a business community and as a country, we can’t become an international exemplar for the benefits of Diversity overall – be it Gender, LGBT, age, religion, background – a country of inclusiveness and openness, known for its respect for all.

My second call out in February was to recognise that our capital city belongs to the people of Ireland - and not just Dubliners.

As President, I wanted to push our Vision 2050 further to understand more about the role our capital city plays in driving success for those outside the city and county boundaries.

I wanted us to understand how the ‘city regions’ can help co-create a capital city that serves the whole of the country – not just those that live within a certain radius of it.

Through June and July of this year, in what was a first for the Chamber, we travelled to Limerick, Galway, Cork and Waterford to facilitate interactive sessions with business and community leaders about what they wanted from their capital city.

We wanted to explore the themes of healthcare, culture, technology and diversity, asking simple questions like - How can Dublin work better for you, what are your concerns, how can we work better together?

There is little doubt that, as cities, we share a number of common aspirations and challenges on areas such as affordable housing, short commuting times and a work life balance.

They want vibrant city centres, they want innovation, the best higher education system and a student population to drive it.

And they do want a capital for the whole country, not just for those who live in it, and, with it, a strong infrastructural connection between all five of the cities… because as much as they love our Capital City they want to be able to get in and out, and home, in time for their tea in Cork or Galway!

The conversations we had around the country were characterised by potential and possibilities, with co-opetition, not competition, the underlying theme of each and every conversation.

I look forward to continuing to serve and represent Dublin Chamber into 2019. I hope that by starting the National Conversation we have created a platform for new relationships that will help all our cities reach their full potential, and elevate Dublin to a position where it is recognised as one of the world’s great capital cities.