On Friday May 3rd, The Ireland Funds in partnership with The City Club of Chicago, hosted over 100 people at a special lunch featuring President Biden’s Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs, Joseph Kennedy III. We were delighted to also have Chicago’s Consul General for Ireland, Kevin Byrne and Chicago’s Consul General for the UK, Alan Gogbashian, who jointly hosted a table of guests at the lunch.
Áine Mallaghan, Vice President of The Ireland Funds Midwest, welcomed guests and introduced Special Envoy Kennedy to the stage. Dan Gibbons, CEO of The City Club of Chicago and member of The Ireland Funds Chicago Regional Advisory Committee, facilitated a fireside chat with Special Envoy Kennedy.
As part of the discussions, Mr Kennedy explained what the role of Special Envoy entails and that he has now visited Northern Ireland six times in the 18 months he has been appointed. He talked about the warmth of the welcome he has received.
He spoke about the unique position that Northern Ireland enjoys following the EU Exit. Northern Ireland continues to have access to the Great Britain and EU markets for goods. This means that Northern Ireland is a gateway for the sale of goods to two of the world’s largest markets and the only place where businesses can operate free from customs declarations, rules of origin certificates and non-tariff barriers on the sale of goods to both GB and the EU.
Dan asked Joe about the industry sectors that sets Northern Ireland apart and Joe spoke about Aerospace, Cybersecurity and Financial Technology. He pointed out some Chicago area companies that have operations in Northern Ireland and who were present at the lunch today including, Suren Gupta from Allstate, Ginger Partee from Baker McKenzie and Sunil Cutinho from CME Group.
Joe concluded his remarks by inviting people to visit Northern Ireland, especially if they are already visiting Dublin or London, it is easily accessed from either city.
Special Envoy Kennedy concluded by spending time speaking with guests. It was a unique opportunity for supporters of The Ireland Funds to connect with insights from a key figure in US and Northern Ireland relations.
Photographer: Brandon Petrizzo
