Chamberlink Issue 3 2020 – Looking Forward

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chamberlink ISSUE 03 2020

Looking Forward


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C ON T E N T S TRANSFORMING CORK

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Digital Titans

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AGM 2020 - Looking Forward with Confidence

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Chamber of the Year

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Sustainable Cork Programme

10 Green Enterprise: Innovation for a circular economy 12

Funding Sustainable RecoveryIreland in Europe

EMPOWERING YOU 14

Digital Titans

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Upcoming Training

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Upcoming Events

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Chamber e-Series

GROWING YOUR BUSINESS

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20 New Members 21 Digital Transformation Post Covid-19 23 Recruit with UCC Career Services

Sustainable Cork Programme

24 Members News 26 Investing in the Future, Not the Past 27 CorkBeo: One Year On

Welcome As a Chamber of Commerce our focus throughout the pandemic has been on retaining the economic stability that is so critical to our society. At the outset of COVID-19 the Chamber Board and team committed to doing everything possible to ensure that the resilience and continuity of business was upheld throughout this crisis.

Our public affairs team have engaged heavily with Government throughout the development of the various support packages now in their second iteration. We also initiated the Sustainable Cork Programme, to refine and focus our activities on building economic resilience through the lens of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

We have pivoted to online events and training, hosting over 3,000 people since March. Our Skillnet team have evolved our training to serve the needs of a workforce requiring whole new remote working skillsets. Our international relationship building naturally continues with the genuine longterm network built over the last decade as strong as ever.

As we move swiftly through the summer months, we focus on celebrating the dynamism of the whole of the business community in excelling online and our Cork Digital Marketing Awards 2020 have never been more relevant to how we do business. Ultimately, it is the day to day decision making of thousands of business leaders across every

Chamberlink is published by Cork Chamber and is a bi-monthly publication exclusive to members. The opinions expressed in Chamberlink are not necessarily those of Cork Chamber, Chamberlink main sponsor neither do they accept any responsibility or liability for any legal implications arising there from. Registered in Ireland no. 13918

sector that will define our recovery, and we work to ensure that the context for this decision making is as strong as possible. As ever please stay in touch on any of the above. Your thoughts define our agenda.

Conor Healy Chief Executive, Cork Chamber. T +353 (0)87 9471858 E conor@corkchamber.ie

Fitzgerald House, Summerhill North, Cork, T23 TD90.

CorkChamber.ie

Chamberlink Main Sponsor


TRAN Cov eS r FOR S to M ry ING CORK

Ronan Murray, Deloitte, Vice President; Thia Hennessy, Cork University Business School, Honorary Secretary; Paula Cogan, Doyle Collection, President; Gerard O’Donovan, CIT, Honorary Treasurer and Conor Healy, CEO, Cork Chamber. Picture: John Roche Photography

AGM 2020: Looking Forward

with Confidence At our AGM, we had cause for reflection on the role of Cork Chamber in society, on the year gone by and what the future may hold. In 2019, as the Chamber celebrated 200 years, Cork moved decisively in response to Ireland 2040. Government made strong commitments to invest in the necessary infrastructure to ensure Ireland’s fastest growing City Region would continue to excel and become increasingly competitive on the international stage. Cranes dotted the skyline and healthy debates about the future of a city moving at pace were to be found in every corner. Throughout 2019, as final drafts of the Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy came into place with a focus on active and sustainable mobility, it became apparent there was tremendous appetite for our City region

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to not only thrive, but to do so in a way that has sustainability at it’s core. Children marched in the streets demanding real progress on climate. The City and County Councils created Climate Adaptation Strategies and passionate discussions filled every public consultation. As a Chamber we committed fully to supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals which have come to frame the whole of our work as a Chamber. Then in early 2020, we began to hear of a virus at the other side of the planet. As we prepared for delegations to promote Cork in the US, the news crept closer and closer to home. By St. Patricks Day the country was gripped by confusion and genuine fear of the unknown. What we have achieved since March is outstanding and a tribute to the strength of character of a people with moral integrity and an intuitive understanding of the social contract. Of course, as a Chamber of Commerce our focus throughout

has been on retaining the economic stability that is so critical to our society. In Q1 business confidence sank to a low of 54% in our economic trends, down from 94% in Q4 2019. The Chamber Board and team committed to doing everything possible to ensure that the resilience and continuity of business was upheld throughout this crisis. We pivoted to online events overnight, hosting over 3,000 people since March. We immediately evolved our training to serve the needs of a workforce suddenly requiring whole new remote working skillsets. Our international relations moved subtly online, based on the credibility of the real long-term relationships that have been built over the last decade. Our public affairs moved into overdrive and late night communications with Government became routine as support packages were designed implemented and reformed.


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Susie Horgan Springboard PR and Marketing

Rob Horgan Velo Coffee Roasters

Maxine Hyde Ballymaloe Foods

Michael Nolan Grant Thornton

Debbie Power Vodafone

Representing You Cork Chamber held its AGM on July 27th. As a largely virtual event on this occasion it was a sign of the times but the focus was steadfastly on looking forward with confidence. The AGM saw the re-election of Paula Cogan, Doyle Collection as President and the election and announcement of new officers, Ronan Murray of Deloitte as Vice President; Thia Hennessy, Cork University Business School as

Honorary Secretary and Gerard O’Donovan, CIT as Honorary Treasurer. In addition, five new board members and directors were elected; Susie Horgan, Springboard PR and Marketing; Robert Horgan, Velo Coffee Roasters; Maxine Hyde, Ballymaloe Foods; Michael Nolan, Grant Thornton and Debbie Power, Vodafone.

The retiring board members Mark Whitaker and Shane Clarke were thanked for the exemplary commitment they have shown to the Chamber. Thanks were also extended to outgoing Hon. Secretary Richard Martin and Immediate Past President Bill O’Connell who were at the end of their terms on the Board.

Chamber of the Year Cork Chamber was awarded the title of ‘2020 Chamber of the Year’ at the Chambers Ireland annual Chamber Awards, sponsored by Zurich. The Awards recognise the outstanding work of Chambers throughout the country while providing a national platform for Chambers to share and promote how they continue to be active and excel in developing initiatives, events, campaigns and further activities that contribute to their Chamber locality and wider geographic region. Photographed at the presentation of the Chamber of Year Award are Paula Cogan, President of Cork Chamber, Conor Healy, CEO Cork Chamber and Ian Talbot CEO of Chambers Ireland.

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Sustainable Cork Progamme Quality of Life and Infrastructure will define future of Cork Business

Despite confidence in the Irish economy resting at 48% among members of the business community, and notwithstanding the pandemic, Brexit and climate change, sentiment remains high and businesses remain resolutely focussed on a positive future for Cork.

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Almost 1,000 people engaged in a series of sectoral think tanks and an open survey to identify the best

route to a resilient and sustainable recovery for Cork. Each discussion was guided by the Chamber’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Paula Cogan, Chamber President said, “Despite the intense and acute need to keep books balanced and people in work, in the creation of this report discussion passionately and relentlessly turned to the future vision of Cork.”

“Across each of our ten sectoral think tanks the same themes emerged time and time again. Better public and sustainable transport infrastructure. A quickened rollout of the National Broadband Plan. More people living in the heart of our city and towns. Flexible working. Enhancement and protection of ecology, from the planting of trees to wildflower verges. Renewable energy. Real equality for people of any gender, race or background.


TRAN S FOR M ING CORK

Childcare. Competitiveness and talent attraction. Focus on our international reputation and our approach to international markets.” Conor Healy, Chamber Chief Executive said, “Connected public transport, cycleways and green spaces are the top three priorities of over 800 people who set forth their views in our open survey. 57% cited quality of life as the main

differentiator for Cork and 86% said Cork should strive to be European Green Capital in five years’ time.” “It is entirely possible and within our gift to make this a reality. There is a role for communities, businesses, and government to relentlessly pursue this vision. There is no shortage of vision or formal plans for Cork. Now our focus must now be on delivery or we will fade to irrelevance.”

“Beyond the July stimulus, and into the October Budget and National Economic Plan these differentiators must be the absolute focus. Government, local and national must create a real visible legacy, a real change in how Cork operates. There is one question that this report cannot satisfactorily answer: What are we waiting for?”

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TRAN S FOR M ING CORK

Sustainable Cor k The Sustainable Cork Programme was initiated in May 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Designed to set a vision for a more sustainable and resilient Cork, empowered by a thriving business community and framed through the powerful lens of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the programme has been activated across every strand of Chamber activity. The initial phase focused on exploring the sectoral challenges and opportunties for a sustainable, strong recovery, in parallel with a discussion on the vision for Cork. In June 2020, Cork Chamber hosted 10 sectoral Think Tank discussions. These highlighted the unique sectoral activities and priorities identified by each group and the great commonalities between them. The sectoral Think Tanks were followed with a public survey titled ‘Imagineer Your City, Your County’ to which over 800 responses were received. The survey asked for views on the future vision for Cork in the next 5, 10 and 30 years. The survey asked the questions “What do you want to see more of? What differentiates Cork when it comes to living and working here? What will be the biggest changes to our daily lives by 2030, and by 2050? If you were given one wish to shape Cork’s development by 2050, what would that be?.” The answers offer direction as to how Cork could be shaped as it develops, where we could excel and how we could differentiate. When asked how Cork will look by 2050, 43% of respondents highlight remote working as the norm and 42% choose public transport as the number one choice for commuting. 25% presume our towns will be connected with cycling, walking, greenways and blueways, and that the city will have more planting, trees, green spaces and amenity areas within 1km of home. With responses across the board highlighting the importance of climate action, connected public transport, quality of

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life, affordable accommodation, and the opportunities for a Living City region, a picture is painted of the Cork that people want to live, work and enjoy. A picture very similar to the broad spectrum asks of the Cork business community. As an economy we are just now emerging from the initial Covid-19 pandemic shock. Many businesses will not reopen, many have pivoted their operations to survive, and for many 2020 has effectively been written off. Supporting businesses to reopen and stay open, supporting livelihoods and communities is the minimum baseline for a resilient recovery. Meanwhile climate change and brexit are the challenging backdrop to this recovery. While working tirelessly to solve the problems of today, we must also keep sight of our strategic plan. Without this foresight we will drift from firefighting to uncompetitiveness. When this foresight is mixed with delivery it becomes a potent combination that catalyses our long term resilience. Cork as a leader, was the resounding note echoed in each Think Tank. As a location of scale, with a thriving and diverse business community, world class research and educational institutes and a growing population, we have the opportunity to get it right. Being a leader must be broader than any one area of expertise, we must support each other for a strong, diverse and multipronged economy and society. The USPs of what creates a quality location for investment and skills are those that create a location which are enlivened with culture, arts and community, are designed to support active and healthy lifestyles, that nourish communities and creativity, embrace synergies, that support inclusion and diversity, that innovate within and across disciplines, that support individuals and nurture

michelle o’sullivan Senior Public Affairs Executive

families to enjoy the richness of their surrounds. Skills no longer follow the job, the job follows the skills. Climate action, innovation, skills and training featured strongly. The appetite to transition to a low carbon to zero carbon economy is there right across the board. This must be met with practical support and interventions, and policy certainty from Government. Certainty is key. Business needs to chart its course, and navigate in that direction with purpose, and ambition. As a region, we can lead. Cork can be a location of excellence, to flatten the climate curve. The opportunity exists in Cork to identify Cork Climate Action Goals, there is a role for business, government, and communities in achieving this. Setting regional goals and being supported in the transition to achieve these could be pivotal. Crystalising from the Think Tank sessions is the interest in the circular economy, and production models. This production model moves away from linear production of take, make, dispose. The power of clusters, of creating platforms to innovate and create, to be disruptive came to the fore. This was prominent from a climate innovation, life sciences, energy, construction materials and building innovation, right across the board. From a Culture, Arts, Community and Media Think Tank perspective, the development of a Cork Cultural Innovation Hub, providing a location for artists to meet, to collaborate and to grow their skills, and to innovate could be a


real differentiator for Cork nationally and internationally. As a City region proud of its culture, arts and heritage, an innovation hub would benefit upandcoming artists, to established artists. Broadening STEM to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) also featured in Think Tank sessions, in its opportunty to broaden the cross disciplinary interactions and collaborations. Social enterprises, their value in supporting communities and addressing social, and environmental issues carry an important role in identifying societal needs, building resilience at community level, their importance was emphasised as a catalyst of social, environmental and economic resilience from grassroots up. The opportunities for remote working, and flexible working to increase workplace participation and inclusion, supported by enabling progressive workplace policies. The national broadband plan, in tandem with a strong national strategy on regional co-working and business innovation hubs. To the fore was the potential of hubs to support remote working, broadening workforce participation, while decreasing commuter congestion and transport emissions, alleviating pressures on urban areas, supporting work life balance, rural revitalisation, regional economies and rural towns. Simply being pro diversity is no longer enough, we must be actively antiracist or we will irrevocably damage Ireland’s gobal leadership role. We

must address the idenified barriers to workplace participation, inclusion and diversity. Diverse, inclusive workplaces are stronger, more resilient workplaces. Strong leadership and policy making at Government level is needed, access and affordable quality childcare is not a good to have, it is a must have. Government must lead.

must be maintained and delivered upon. These established strategies featured strongly throughout the Think Tank sessions, in some instances by name, in others by reference to the outcome in developing a strong, resilient region. Government must remain committed. These strategies must not be politicised. Government must deliver.

AI, automation and the transition to a low carbon economy will bring new opportunities, but we must be proactive, reskilling, training and supporting businesses to make this transition. Quality of Life can be strengthened through provision of amenities, public and sustainable transport investment and the revitalisation of urban centres. Greening, parklets, enhancing and developing attractions were all to the fore in developing an attractive location for international and domestic visitors and their importance from a Living City, Quality of Life perspective.

By developing a strong vision, we can identify a positive pathway for Cork to further distinguish itself internationally and to be a better place for companies and people locally. Quality of life, environmental awareness, and business competitiveness are intrinsically woven together. We have an opportunity, to lay the foundations for a stable and better economy and society and to leave a legacy of resilience and sustainability for generations to come. While we focus on the changes that need to be made, we can also recognise the benefits that these changes can bring to our daily lives, whether living, working or studying in Cork.

As a business community, we must Support Local, to Grow Global. Government must deliver on establised government strategies namely Project Ireland 2040 which when delivered will support strong communities, livelihoods and a resilient Ireland across economy, environment and society and community. The National Planning Framework, Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy, National Broadband Plan, Urban Regeneration and Development Fund and Rural Regeneration and Development Fund

Now is the time to frame that opportunity with clear vision and ambition, moving forward with purpose. The Sustainable Cork Programme sets out to chart this course.

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Green Enterprise: Innovation for a Circular Economy Circular economy principles, which are based on waste reduction, reuse and recycling, have been flagged as part of Ireland’s new growth strategy and green recovery to support job creation, generate economic growth and improve the environment. What is circular economy? A circular economy aims to reduce waste at all stages of the economic cycle and ensure materials are used as efficiently as possible. It challenges consumers and businesses to move from the current linear economic model of Take-Make-Use-Dispose to a more efficient and low-carbon circular cycle. Waste prevention, as a central concept of the circular economy, challenges businesses to review existing design, production, distribution and consumption of products. Businesses are being urged by the EU to align with increasing consumer demand for less resource intensive products and services.

Why circular innovation? By rethinking business processes to ensure that they do not over-burden the environment or waste limited resources, there is the potential to find creative solutions for consumers and business. Furthermore, circular economy principles can be employed to transform business models, thereby improving competitiveness and new business opportunities for the growth and development of SMEs.

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These are key priorities nationally which require innovative thinking, and are also priorities of the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan – part of the EU Green Deal – which aims to transform Europe’s economy towards a sustainable future and enable our commitment to be climate-neutral by 2050.

Funding to support circular economy The recently launched ‘Green Enterprise’ funding programme is a €600,000 fund, led by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now open for applications. The Fund aims to support innovators of sustainable products and services to develop and demonstrate consumer and business solutions that will stimulate the circular economy. This programme is an important driver of Ireland’s move to a more circular economy and aims to provide an opportunity for businesses to influence and inform government policy in this area, and to demonstrate a positive contribution to SDG targets. The thematic areas that are eligible are:

food, plastics, construction and demolition and resources & raw materials (electrical and electronic equipment, textiles and furniture).

Apply now! The maximum amount of funding available is €100,000 per grant award. Grant aid is provided on a shared cost contribution basis, from 25% up to 95% of the total eligible project costs incurred. For more information see: https:// www.epa.ie/researchandeducation/ research/epafunding/ greenenterprise/ Deadline for applications is 5pm, 14 August 2020

Further Business Supports The Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) has hosted a number of international business-matching events for companies operating in the area of the circular economy. If you would like further information about the EEN events and business supports on this theme, contact Margaret Kelly (mkelly@corkchamber.ie).


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TRAN S FOR M ING CORK

Funding Sustainable Recovery – Ireland in Europe Ahead of a special European Council meeting which took place on 17-21 July to agree on the EU’s overall political direction and priorities in terms of recovery - the European Council President Charles Michel shared the goals for EU recovery as being: “Convergence, Resilience, Transformation.’’ Concretely, this means repairing the damage caused by COVID-19, reforming our economies and remodelling our societies.

The European Commission has laid out plans for investments aimed at tackling economic damage in the wake of Covid-19 and to ensure the recovery is sustainable, inclusive and fair for all Member States. It has proposed to create a new €750bn recovery fund - ‘Next Generation EU’ - to seek to help to repair the immediate economic and social damage brought on by the coronavirus pandemic and aim to kickstart the recovery and prepare for a better future for the next generation.

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Next Generation EU seeks to help to repair the immediate economic and social damage brought on by the coronavirus pandemic and aims to kickstart the recovery and prepare for a better future for the next generation.

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Following negotiations and political compromises at the recent European Council Summit, agreement has been reached for €390bn from the package to be distributed in the form of grants to member states and €360bn in loans funded through the Commission borrowing on the financial markets, using national commitments to the EU budget as a guarantee. This is a mechanism the EU has used

previously, but never on such a large scale. This Next Generation EU Recovery plan is embedded within the long-term EU budget Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) which in total is worth €1.8 trillion and runs from 2021-2027.

Funding priorities & Ireland Ireland will stand to benefit directly from the Next Generation EU instrument with grants worth €1.3bn in 2021 and 2022, which would be issued to fund specific stimulus and reform projects, and would be jointly repaid later by the whole EU. Further funds will come from the new Recovery and Resilience Facility, which will offer financial support for investments and reforms, including in relation to the green and digital transitions and the resilience of national economies, linking these to the EU priorities. The Commission has made clear that the European Green Deal (the roadmap for making the EU’s economy sustainable) is central to the EU recovery strategy and that support to modernise Europe’s economies will include a move away from fossil fuels, renovation of buildings and a more circular economy as top priorities. The additional funding for Ireland will come from the Just Transition Fund to support re-skilling and to help businesses create new economic opportunities. This will help alleviate the socio-economic impacts of the transition in the regions most affected. Ireland will also benefit under the new REACT-EU initiative, which can

President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and President of the European Council, Charles Michel at the Special European Council Meeting, July 2020 © European Union, 2020

be used to support employment subsidies, short-time work schemes and youth employment measures as well as liquidity and solvency for SMEs. The proposal also includes the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development to support rural areas in making the structural changes necessary in line with the European Green Deal and achieving the ambitious targets in line with the new biodiversity and ‘farm to fork’ strategies. In addition, a Brexit reserve of €5bn will aim to counter the negative consequences of Brexit in the most affected Member States and sectors, with Ireland among the top most impacted states.

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A Brexit reserve of €5bn will aim to counter the negative consequences of Brexit in the most affected Member States and sectors.

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Next Generation EU


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Challenges Although, the green investment for Europe’s future prosperity and resilience does not go far enough according to some, overall, the deal earmarks 30% of the entire package for climate protection and all spending must contribute to EU goals of cutting emissions. However, cuts have also been made to more ambitious funding for innovation programmes which contribute to the growth and competitiveness of the EU, such as Digital Europe or Horizon. The deal also leaves scope for the possibility of creating new revenue streams for the EU budget. A new plastic levy is proposed to be introduced in 2021 along with a proposal for a carbon adjustment measure and a digital levy, both of which could be introduced by the

end of 2022. A revised proposal on the EU emissions trading scheme (ETS) will be made, possibly for the aviation and maritime sectors towards 2022. There may also be other new resources, such as a financial transaction tax, though Ireland has strongly opposed any move towards common corporate taxation levels.

Future prospects Ireland, now a net contributor to the EU, has welcomed the announcement of the deal to support countries that need it most. It’s clear that the EU budget is uniquely placed to drive a fair socio-economic recovery, repair and revitalise the Single Market, to guarantee a level playing field, and support the critical investments, in particular in the green and digital transitions.

The Next Generation EU should be seen as a complement to national recovery efforts beyond Ireland’s July stimulus - a multi-billion national package focused on protecting jobs and incomes due to be announced. Of note, is the fact that this was the first European Council summit at which the UK was not involved, and despite the loss of their net contribution to the budget, and the context of Covid-19, a deal was reached. The deal (yet to be ratified by the European Parliament) has been welcomed as historic by European leaders. Borrowing by the Commission to fund spending by member states may be seen as a watershed moment for European integration, solidarity and cooperation.

A Strong Message of Solidarity Thomas Byrne, T.D., is the newly appointed Minister of State for European Affairs, whose role will include representing Ireland in the General Affairs Council. This Council is mainly made up of European Affairs Ministers from all Member States. It coordinates preparations for European Council meetings. It deals with a number of crosscutting policy areas including the multiannual financial framework, enlargement and any issue entrusted to it by the European Council. Following the announcement of a funding deal on 21st July, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade posted a video on social media in which Minister Byrne

gave an overview of the what the new budget means for Ireland. He said that “in reaching agreement, Europe has sent a strong message of European solidarity”, and that Ireland had worked alongside other member states to negotiate “a fair and balanced outcome”. The Minister outlined some of the key funding strands from which Ireland would benefit, amounting to €1.82 billion initially during 2021/2022, concluding that “our economy depends on Ireland being at the heart of a thriving Europe”.

Thomas Byrne, T.D. Minister of State for European Affairs

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emp ow e r i n g yo u

Digital Titans Cork Digital Marketing Awards 2020 are now open for entries! The best of Cork’s digital titans are set to compete once again to be awarded champion status in what has become one of Cork’s most hotly contended awards. With 12 different categories, Cork businesses have ample opportunity to showcase their digital innovations and achievements over the past 12 months while demonstrating the impact of marketing through digital channels on business survival and growth. This year has presented many challenges for local businesses. It has changed everything, from how we live and communicate with one another to how and where we work. As businesses are learning to evolve their services and offerings, digital marketers have paved the way for many companies in pivoting their marketing strategies to adapt to an evolving marketing landscape. The theme for this year’s CDMAs is Digital Titans. These Awards will recognise the persistent and innovative hard work that has been demonstrated in the last year. Commenting at the launch of the awards Annie FitzGibbon, Director of Member Services, Cork

Chamber said:“This is the seventh year of the Cork Digital Marketing Awards, a year we won’t forget and an opportunity for Cork companies to highlight the incredible work that they continue to do in evolving their digital channels, creating innovative content and nurturing agile and thriving digital communities.” In 2019, an audience of 270 digital marketeers saw Visit Cork take home the highly coveted prize as the Overall Digital Marketing Transformer. Commenting on the achievement, Seamus Heaney, Head of Visit Cork said; “It was a remarkable achievement for Visit Cork to win the Overall Digital Marketing Transformer award. The consumer brand for tourism in Cork was Pure Cork and this brand was essentially only in its infancy just less than two years in existence. This prestigious digital award acknowledged the instant affirmation from our industry and showed us that the support was there to make it a success”. Annie FitzGibbon added “Given the increased digital activity across all business sectors, we anticipate that entries will be higher than ever this year. We have seen some fantastic projects

coming to the fore this year and encourage all businesses to celebrate their digital achievements in their entries.” All entries will be independently judged by a public panel and social media enthusiasts using weighted scoring metrics customised for each category. Judges are provided with criteria and judging guidance. Closing date for entries is Friday, 14 August 2020 at 4pm. Following the judging rounds, semi-finalists and finalists will be released on the Cork Chamber website. Winners and the Overall Digital Titan 2020 will be announced at a virtual Cork Digital Marketing Awards ceremony on Friday, 9 October 2020.

Digital Transformer Seamus Heaney, Head of Visit Cork speaks about winning the Cork Digital Marketing Award 2019 What did it mean to you and the team at Visit Cork to be awarded Overall Digital Transformer of the year 2019? It was a remarkable achievement for Visit Cork to win the Overall Digital Transformer of the year 2019 award. Cork Convention Bureau was a very active in the digital world over the past number of years and very much Business Tourism focused. The leisure customer facing brand for tourism in Cork was Pure Cork and this brand was essentially only in its infancy just less than two years in existence.

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This prestigious digital award acknowledged the instant affirmation from our industry and showed us that the support was there to make it a success.

What advice would you give companies who are thinking of entering the awards, particularly in 2020? Now, more than ever, brands need a strong digital presence and the Digital Marketing Awards are a great way to get profile for your company or organisation. We were unsure if it was too soon for Pure Cork to submit an entry for the 2019 awards, so it was amazing to enter and then go on to win, ‘Overall Digital Transformer.’ So our advice is ‘Just go for it!’ What do you think have been the main benefits of entering the awards? From an internal viewpoint it gave us the confidence to be brave with the Brand. We knew we were going in the right direction after

receiving the award. Externally it gave us great publicity for the Visit Cork organisation as a whole and helped to cement our strong digital presence. It was also a very special event for our small team and even today those awards take pride of place within our offices. Thank you again to Cork Chamber their foresight and commitment along with their acknowledgment in the role digital plays in all our businesses.


emp ow e r i n g yo u

Categories: 1 Best use of Digital by a Start Up - Sponsored by Velo Coffee Roasters 2 Best Website - Sponsored by Insight Multimedia

• Less than 20 employees

• 20-50 employees

• 51+ employees

3 Best in Content Creation (Video, Blog, Podcast, TikTok, Digital Assets)

• Less than 20 employees

• 20 or more employees

4 Best Use of Instagram - Sponsored by ClickDimensions

• Less than 20 employees

• 20 or more employees

5 Best Use of Twitter - Sponsored by Cork Chamber Skillnet

• Less than 20 employees

• 20 or more employees

6 Best Use of Facebook - Sponsored by ClickDimensions

• Less than 20 employees

• 20-50 employees

• 51+ employees

7 Best Use of LinkedIn for Business - Sponsored by Grant Thornton. 8 Best Use of Digital Marketing for the Greater Good (CSR) - Sponsored by Cork Institute of Technology 9 Best Social Media Campaign - Sponsored by Cork Chamber Skillnet 10 Best Digital Marketing Team - Sponsored by Cork Institute of Technology 11 Best Digital Marketing Student - Sponsored by Cork Chamber Skillnet 12 Best Transformation – Traditional to Digital Marketing

Enter now at CorkChamber.ie

#DigitalCork20

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Upcoming Training Nothing But Canva (Online) Start Date: Tuesday 11th August, 2020 Time: 9.30am - 12:30pm (Delivered over two mornings) Member Price: €100

This hands-on, interactive workshop will help participants navigate the new Canva 2.0 platform for the purpose of creating business and branding collateral.

Project Management Essentials (Online) Start Date: Tuesday 25th August, 2020 Time: 9am - 1pm (Delivered over four mornings) Member Price: €330

Enter the world of project management by acquiring the core skills of the role. Become confident in managing a complex project by learning how to integrate its conflicting facets into a manageable entity.

MS Excel Intermediate (Online) Start Date: Wednesday 16th September, 2020 Time: 11:30am-1pm (Delivered over five mornings) Member Price: €150

This course is suitable for those who are currently using MS Excel regularly but may not have attended formal training recently or may never have attended the training. Participants should have a basic working knowledge of Excel before attending this course

All our publicly available courses can be viewed at www.corkchamber.ie/training or for bespoke in company funding queries contact training@corkchamber.ie

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UPCOMING EVENTS

MAXIMISE YOUR MEMBERSHIP

ANNUAL GOLF CLASSIC 2020 IN ASSOCIATION WITH LEXUS CORK

SUSTAINABLE CORK PROGRAMME WEBINAR SERIES IN ASSOCIATION WITH GAS NETWORKS IRELAND

WEDNESDAY 19TH AUGUST 10AM-10.30AM ONLINE Join Cork Chamber’s next 'Maximise Your Membership' virtual workshop to learn how to maximise your membership through our many promotional channels, in particular, the Member's Area. When sharing information, being informed and staying connected has never been more important, this session offers members the opportunity to learn how to make the most of their membership and particularly offers members practical tips on how to access the wider Chamber membership base, maximise their visibility and utilise the Member's Area to its optimum capacity. This virtual session is open to anyone within your organisation, to both our newer and long term members who would like a refresher on how to best utilise the Chamber platforms to continue to promote your brand, stay connected and be informed.

THURSDAY 27TH AUGUST 7AM-2PM LEE VALLEY GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB Cork Chamber's Annual Golf Classic returns on Thursday 27th August and will be held in the Championship grounds, Lee Valley Golf & Country Club. Keeping with the same format of a 4 Person Champagne Scramble, this event is always a fun, exciting day out - perfect for socially distanced team-building, informal networking, corporate entertainment or just a really enjoyable round of golf. We have brilliant prizes lined up to be won on the day and are delighted to announce the return of our Hole-inOne Competition for charity. A very lucky golfer could drive away with a Lexus! This is a popular event so please register your team early to avoid disappointment and to secure your preferred tee time.

FRIDAY 4TH SEPTEMBER 11AM-12PM ONLINE The Sustainable Cork Programme, initiated by Cork Chamber in May 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, is a programme designed to set a vision for a more sustainable and resilient Cork, empowered by a thriving business community. The Sustainable Cork Programme Webinar Series will focus on the three pillars of Sustainable Development, Economic, Social/ Community & Environment. The series is rooted in the Chamber commitment to the UN SDGs, and the vision for Cork. The first webinar will feature Dr. Naomi Masheti, Programme Coordinator of the Cork Migrant Centre who will discuss the Black Lives Matter movement and the pathway for government and business in creating an inclusive and sustainable city region.

For more info and bookings on all events visit www.corkchamber.ie

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CHAMBER E-SERIES In the last number of months, we have run over 60 virtual events as part of our e-Series and collaborated with more than 25 members to provide relevant and timely content to our 1,200 membership base.

Paul Wickham, General Manager of Midleton Distillery at Irish Distillers along with Brian Nation, Master Distiller shared their personal backgrounds and insights at our Leadership Forum Live on the 30th of April.

Over 200 members attended our first Business Breakfast Live on the 20th of May where Noel Keeley, CEO of Musgrave Group gave a fascinating overview on Ireland's leading grocery organisation's activities, trends and challenges.

Chamber Partners got an opportunity to hear from and engage with Simon Coveney TD, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence at our Thought Leaders Council Live on the 22nd of May.

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Over 30 members attended our New Members Breakfast Live on the 29th of May where they pitched their businesses and learned more about getting involved in Chamber activities.

On the 8th of July, a cross section of our membership had the opportunity to join an online meeting with the Central Bank of Ireland Governor Gabriel Makhlouf, to share sector specific insights and ask questions regarding policy.

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New members We welcome the following new members

Adare Human Resource Management Services At Adare Human Resource Management, our focus is to deliver HR solutions to help our clients succeed. We support organisations and HR managers navigate the increasingly complex regulatory environment. T: 01 5613594 E: info@adarehrm.ie W: www.adarehrm.ie All About Your Home Online Retail Online retailer selling beautiful home accessories, decor and gifts. E: Fiona@allaboutyourhome.ie W: www.allaboutyourhome.ie AML Property Services Property Management/Lettings At AML Property Services we offer a professional and bespoke service, specialising in the Sale, Rental & Management of Residential Property in Cork City and surrounding environments. T: 021 2410997 E: info@amlpropertycork.ie W: www.amlpropertycork.ie anois Management Consultants A global agency creating business value through design for sustainability and circular economy. Led by two international experts anois offer specialised training, development, and consultancy. T: 085 8592583 E: info@anois.org W: www.anois.org Ballybunion Golf Club Entertainment/Leisure/Tourism Ballybunion Golf Club is home to two wonderfully unique and challenging links courses – The Old Course and The Cashen Course. T: 068 27146 E: info@ballybuniongolfclub.ie W: www.ballybuniongolfclub.com/contact/ Cyber Ireland Cyber Security Cyber Ireland is the national cybersecurity cluster. An Industry-led organisation, with academia and government, addressing the needs and challenges of the cybersecurity sector in Ireland. T: 021 4326235 E: eoin.byrne@cyberireland.ie W: www.cyberireland.ie

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Follco Limited Software/Software Services Follco is a private encrypted platform between companies & partners. T: 021 7355804 E: lloyd@follco.com W: www.follco.com Hibernian Yachts Co. Ltd. Marine Leisure Hibernian Yachts Co. Ltd. is your trusted sail and motor yacht broker and admiralty services provider in Cork. T: 01 9609693 E: contact@irishyachts.com W: www.irishyachts.com HSF health plan Healthcare Provider We provide the largest possible number of health benefits in a variety of low-cost health cash plans. Our plans cover corporate & individual customers. T: 1890451451 E: enquiries@hsf.ie W: www.hsf.ie Inovac Health Ltd. Health & Safety Inovac Health Ltd. is based in Fermoy, Co. Cork. Servicing all of the county and surrounding areas. We use a range of innovative and specialised products including industryleading Electrostatic spray. T: 021 2439135 E: hello@inovac.ie W: www.inovac.ie Linked Finance Banks/Building Societies Linked Finance is Ireland’s leading Peer to Peer (P2P) lending platform, providing fast, no hassle business lending to SMEs. T: 01 9060300 E: conor.osullivan@linkedfinance.com W: www.linkedfinance.com Pinnaklo Ltd Business Continuity Services Pinnaklo was established to help owner/managers of small and medium sized enterprises (SME’s) with Financial Matters, enabling them to execute on their strategic plans. T: 087 9505410 E: noella@pinnaklo.ie W: www.pinnaklo.ie


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Digital Transformation Post Covid-19

We speak to Kevin O’Regan, Director at Radius Technologies, on what has become the new norm for many. For some, it will be the new way of working, for others it will be an inconvenience they need to bear for a while longer. But whether you are working from home or in the office, having your IT function and systems aligned with the changing needs of your business, has never been more important. According to Kevin, “now is the time to assess the status of your communications and IT infrastructure. Using the past months as a trial run companies can now assess what worked for them and more importantly, what didn’t”. “What we have seen over the past number of months is an acceleration of the Digital Transformation of businesses in the SME space. While many progressive businesses had already embraced cloud computing, voice mobility and remote working, they were ready to work from home the next working day. The vast majority of the SME’s were only starting to look at it. Covid-19 accelerated Digital Transformation for everybody the world over”.

“SME’s had to put in place temporary workaround solutions overnight. Radius currently supports close to 500 SME clients nationally, and as you can imagine our engineering team and helpdesk were “quite busy”. At the time, it was a fast response to an immediate problem, but now as the dust settles we are advising companies to reassess the way they work and more importantly, how they want to work”. When we asked Kevin what advice he would give a company looking to digitally transform he said: “Firstly, look at your business from the helicopter view. Look at the bottlenecks, the inefficiencies, the timeconsuming tasks and where the pain points are. The way you have always done things may no longer be the best way. To fully utilise technology, you must understand the issues within your business processes”. For advice on Remote Working, Digital Transformation or Phone Systems, contact Kevin at kevin.oregan@radius.ie

BREAK

FREE

FROM THE OFFICE

Cloud Servers and Desktops Cloud Telecoms Cyber Security Assessment Business Continuity

Talk to Radius Lo-call 0818 100 200 or email sales@radius.ie


WE ARE

THE DIFFERENCE WWW.UCC.IE/CAREERS/EMPLOYERS

EMPLOYABILITY

PLACEMENT

ADVICE

Career Services


RECRUITMENT

RECRUIT WITH UCC CAREER SERVICES As Ireland reopens for business, University College Cork is busy planning for the start of the new academic year on 28 September, Mary McNulty, Head of UCC Career Services, explains how UCC can help develop and recruit the most talented graduates for your business. The past four months have been challenging for everyone, how has UCC coped with the effects of Covid- 19? UCC responded decisively and quickly to the government’s announcement on the 12 March 2020. It’s a real credit to the university that we were able to pivot to working remotely so effectively. In UCC Career Services, we have a clear business continuity plan. Our message is: “We are the Difference”. We are in regular contact with our employers, many of whom are long-standing supporters of UCC, to enable work placements and jobs for our students. My experience has been one of amazing cooperation across the board throughout this testing period. Now that the country is reopening, how are UCC Career Services adapting to helping employers find the right candidates for their vacancies? UCC Career Services work with employers on two levels: work placement and graduate recruitment. Work placements are a highly beneficial experience for everyone. For employers, it’s the opportunity to develop their talent pipeline. For our students, it’s a great way to get a real taste of the recruitment process. In fact, around 50 per cent of our students go back to the employers who gave them their work placement.

Our work placement programme is embedded into the academic life of the university. The best students are attracted to our courses because placement and future careers are at the heart of the academic experience from the outset. The second area where we assist employers is in our graduate recruitment, enabling them to secure the very best graduates for their companies. UCC Career Services makes sure that the process is very straightforward, personable and professional for all. What does the recruitment experience look like for the coming months in UCC? We’ve carefully planned our response to Covid-19 and for the months ahead in line with the university’s business continuity plan. It’s a stepped approach that blends online with events on campus. As ever, our staff are always just a phone call or email away. Now, we can also facilitate online recruitment events, webinars, remote interviews and a whole range of other virtual opportunities to help employers raise awareness of their businesses with our students and help everyone through this challenging time. UCC Career Services have been around for a long time. Over the years, we’ve developed long-standing relationships with our employers. We also know our students very well. Career development is an integral part of their academic course.

It’s a developmental approach that nurtures students’ employability skills and graduate attributes from the beginning. It ensures that each individual student grows both academically and as a person during their time with us. It is what makes our students so employable. How do I engage with UCC Career Services in UCC to promote my company? I’d like to extend a very warm welcome to all employers to get in touch with us and find out more about the service we offer. We really want to encourage new companies of all sizes to come on board with us. Even if you don’t currently have graduate vacancies or work placements it’s great to make the connection, so that we’re ready when you need us. We’re here to help you develop your network and brand awareness on campus, and make introductions to colleagues across the university. We will ensure that your company is an integral part of the employment journey for our students. If you would like to work with UCC to discuss your graduate recruitment needs or work placement opportunities, contact: https://www.ucc.ie/careers/employers

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members news 1

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Tandem celebrates its 10 Year Anniversary. Thank you to our clients, some of whom have been with Tandem since its inception in 2010. Tandem will continue to deliver a best in class service to its valued clients and look forward to developing existing and new relationships on future projects. Looking to the future, Tandem is embracing opportunities to further enhance its services through digitisation and lean methodologies. Our long-term strategy will see the team steadily grow and our activities expand further into Europe.

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Carrigaline Court Hotel & Leisure Centre is delighted to receive several Irish Hotel Awards for 2020. In the National category, Jerry Healy won General Manager of the Year across all of Ireland! There were also wins for Kitchen Porter of the Year (Cosmin Trif; National Award)and Receptionist of the Year (Kate Goulding; Regional Award). The Carrigaline Court Hotel has also been awarded the Irish Hotel Awards ‘Great Place to Stay’ Quality Award based on their researchers visit to the hotel.

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Cork-based PR agency, AM O’Sullivan PR Ltd., has won the inaugural PR Agency of the Year award. The awardwinning, strategic communications consultancy accepted the PRCA Agency of the Year Award (1-10 employees) at the Annual Awards for Excellence in Public Relations, held on-line for the first time due to COVID-19 restrictions, with an audience of over 320 people tuning in.

4 Cork Craft & Design, Ireland’s largest social enterprise for craftspeople, has launched its exciting 2020 programme for Cork Craft Month this August. Celebrating contemporary Irish craft, over 50 masterclasses, craft trails, demonstrations, conversations and product launches, as well as virtual behind-the-scenes exhibitions, open studio tours and family-friendly activities are planned to date across the month, with an 80% increase in online events. Up to 90% of events will be free details available on corkcraftanddesign.com

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Kearys Renault celebrates 10 years in Cork Kearys Renault is this year celebrating its 10th anniversary as the main Renault and Dacia dealer in Cork. Kearys Motor Group joined the Renault family in 2010 with the Kinsale Road dealership, before launching Dacia and expanding into Midleton with a second dealership in 2012 and opening a standalone Renault Pro+ van centre on Sarsfield Road, Cork, in 2016. Kearys Renault was named a ‘Dealer of the Year 2016’ by Renault during a prestigious awards ceremony in Paris, with more than 2,500 Renault dealers from 35 countries taking part. Over the past decade, Kearys Renault has developed a number of key sponsorships in Cork. These include

Charting a new course

At the Chartered Accountants Cork Society Annual General Meeting, held virtually for the first time, Mr. Kevin Nyhan FCA, Credit Manager at AIB was voted in as the new Chairperson for the upcoming year 2020/2021. Mr. Nyhan expressed his enthusiasm for his new role and said: ‘Like every organisation, the Cork Society have had to deal with the unprecedented challenges presented by Covid-19. We must take this time as an opportunity to reflect and revaluate how we do things and challenge ourselves to develop new ways of operating.‘ I intend to use my term to continue to represent chartered accountants and to be an advocate for the skills and experience that we contribute to our community as we recover from the impact of Covid-19.’

Aonghus O’Duinnin, Sales Manager, Kearys Cork, Brendan Keary, Kearys Motor Group and Shane Cawley, Sales Manager, Kearys Midleton.

motoring partner of Munster Rugby with many entertaining player videos and customer promotions. More recently, Kearys Renault Pro+ supplied the kit van for the Cork Minor Hurling Team and has sponsored the jerseys for Douglas Camogie and Goleen GAA Clubs, aligning with Renault Ireland’s sponsorship as the official car partner of the GAA. Also,

A Fuzion of Talents at Triskel

Triskel are delighted to announce the appointment of Deirdre Waldron to the board of the Arts Centre. Founder of Fuzion Communications, Deirdre is one of Ireland’s leading communications consultants with more than 25 years’ industry experience in the UK and Ireland. In 2016 Deirdre was appointed President of Network Ireland, an organisation driving the personal and professional development of women. She is also on the board of Cork Chamber and the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland.

Kearys Renault has exhibited at The Cork Summer Show, supported the Better Life Cycle, Coachford and Ardfield Festivals, as well as a number of Cork-based charity events. Earlier this year, Kearys signed a 3-year headline sponsorship with Cork Chamber promoting its range of electric vehicles and sustainable driving in Cork.

New Ventures at Tyndall

Tyndall are delighted to welcome Peter Finnegan to the commercial team in the newly created role of New Ventures Manager. This is a key appointment for delivery of entrepreneurship and innovation objectives under Tyndall 2025. Peter will be responsible for driving Entrepreneurship and New Ventures across Tyndall, in cooperation with the research and operations centres in Tyndall, our colleagues in UCC Innovation, and our external entrepreneurship partners. He will also take up responsibility for management of the ESA BIC, bringing a unified focus to that centre’s development under Tyndall 2025.

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Investing in the future,

not the past

Conor Murphy, Director, Davy Private Clients In an era of increased market volatility and disruptive technology, many investors have started to question traditional approaches to investing. The recent pandemic has made this challenge even more pronounced for individuals who are trying to grow capital reserves through pension and personal savings. The standard approach, which utilises asset-allocation benchmarks, is too focused on past performance particularly from assets with little chance of repeating this performance. As a consequence, more investors are turning to more dynamic ‘thematic’ investing strategies which aim to profit from the new prevailing global long-term trends. Thematic investing is a top-down investment approach that allows investors to gain exposure to macroeconomic themes in order to get a slice of the ‘disruption pie’, which is typically implemented through managed funds or private & public equities. These provide diversification and an opportunity to invest in areas that will shape the world of tomorrow, removing the concentration on benchmarks. The traditional approach to investing usually revolves around following or deviating from, a benchmark to increase returns or mitigate risk. The issue with this approach lies in the assumption that past success will continue to provide future success. WARNING: Past performance is not a reliable guide to future performance. The value of investments may go down as well as up. Returns on investments may increase or decrease as a result of currency fluctuations. Forecasts are not a reliable guide to future performance.

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In contrast, thematic investing aims to capture the upside of disruptive growth opportunities by investing in forward-looking companies. Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) and the impact of Climate Change are undisputedly attractive as investors and consumers demand sustainable products and services. The prevalence of climate disruption will create difficulties for some business models and opportunities for others as the climate change theme aims to participate in the upside of this movement. Healthcare is attractive as life expectancy increases and this fuels a new paradigm of public and private sector collaboration to transform the financing and delivery of healthcare. The possibility of further pandemic outbreaks in the future and the mitigation of same strengthens this investment case. In a world of increasing connectivity and where data has been described as the ‘new gold’, the emphasis on controlling threats through Cybersecurity is growing at a rapid pace. Artificial Intelligence and Robotics based technology have been referred to as the ‘next industrial revolution’. These are driving the next wave of innovation that will provide solutions to global issues including low productivity, population growth and global warming.

The information in this article does not purport to be financial advice and does not take into account the investment objectives, knowledge and experience or financial situation of any particular person. You should seek advice in the context of your own personal circumstances prior to making any

There are always downside risks to investing. Investors can invest in a sector that does not perform as anticipated. There can be periods when these investments may underperform the global equity markets. Therefore, Thematic investments are not suitable for investors who cannot tolerate deviations from global equity benchmarks. Investing led by a goals-based financial plan is at the core of our investment philosophy. Thematic investing enables you to utilise your own expertise and experience to tailor your investments that can be both rewarding and responsible. If you are interested in incorporating thematic investments, why not contact us today to start the conversation.

T: 021-4251420 E: conor.murphy@davy.ie

financial or investment decision from your own adviser. J & E Davy, trading as Davy and Davy Private Clients, is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.


: one year on Cork Beo launched at the end of May last year, setting out to inform and entertain the people of Ireland’s biggest county and reflect and amplify the new energy and enterprise of a region on the rise.

The site broke the 1 million page This allowed us to reach and views mark within two months, cover every community in Cork, steadily growing month-onreporting the news people month to 7.5 needed, covering “From launch, Cork Beo has million views businesses and proved popular among Irish in May - the community advertisers. It was one of highest we’ve groups doing the most anticipated brand ever recorded. what they launches within our group, A year on, editor Joe O’Shea Users across web, expanding our digital audience could to cope, reflects on “an action-packed mobile and the network into a new region thus highlighting the and news-rich first 12 months on app peaked at 2.1 expanding our audience reach. positive side as In a year, we have collaborated much as possible. Leeside.” million making with our agency and brand our birthday partners to deliver successful “When we went live at the end month a record We also worked campaigns for Guinness Cork of May 2019, we were launching breaking one. closely with Jazz Festival and Six Nations, straight into a busy summer That’s what you our commercial an Ulster Bank property partnership and even at of festivals, major outdoor call ‘the icing on division to launch this time, local Cork brands concerts, sport and tourism the cake!’ #InThisTogether, like Kearys Motor Group are along our fabulous Atlantic a coronavirus turning to us to help them get coast. We won our first response back to business.” award - for Best campaign and Padraig Sugrue The summer of 2020, is Use of Facebook our pledge to the Group Sales Director obviously, looking a lot different. - at the Cork small businesses But since the very start, with a Digital Marketing of Cork that we’re team of just two which quickly Awards after six months. A full here to support them. expanded to four full-time year in and we’ve grown our journalists and a commercial social media following to 65k. I believe this collective effort solutions hub, we editorially and commercially have worked hard “The aim of the Never did we has helped CorkBeo to build an #InThisTogether campaign to bring Cork city think we’d be audience and a brand - but most was solidarity and usefulness and county the marking our first importantly to build trust - in - a resource for readers to news, views and anniversary in the just one year. better understand how they features that fully can continue to support their circumstances reflect life on that we are. At We aim to cover everything in local businesses and at the Leeside. same time, those businesses the very start Cork - what people are talking have an opportunity to of the ongoing about - what they should be demonstrate how they’ve We have covered public health talking about - and we are been helping their customers, it all, from serious crisis, we began looking forward to continuing to employees and communities. crime, to traffic a daily live-blog build our brand and our audience Ultimately proving how and travel, jobs, which ran in the months to come.” valuable our audience can be the economy and for 70 days up to to these brands.” the lighter side of the first phase of - LesleyAnn Diffin life in the fun and the Government’s Brand Comms for Reach, publisher of Cork Beo. food capital of return to normal Ireland. plans.


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