• Keynote, hosted by Facebook, “The Evolution of Social” – Thurs, Feb 9th  New York

IIBN Members are invited to join us for a unique and exclusive event hosted by Facebook at their flagship New York office on Madison Avenue. Gain valuable insight from key Facebook executives about the evolution of “social” and how it is effecting your business. We are honored to be hosted by the world’s largest social network and a foremost global brand. This event has a capacity of 75 members plus a strictly limited number of spaces for members’ guests who may be interested in joining IIBN.

• New Senior Board Member

The IIBN is always looking to develop its board with accomplished entrepreneurs & executives, who enhance value to the network and its members. We are delighted to announce the following new board member for 2012, who has already added great value to the IIBN member experience.

A principal at the Gaffey Mellody Group at Merill Lynch, Sean Gaffey joins the 2012 board. A Financial Advisor/VP-Investments with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, Sean has been an ardent supporter of IIBN initiatives and his group has generously hosted the network on several occasions.

• Inauguration of Future Leaders Board

The inauguration of IIBN NY’s Future Leaders Board is a breakthrough initiative for the network. As we work to seed the next generation of talented Irish executives and entrepreneurs we are pleased to announce this board of recent graduates, participating in competitive internship and graduate programs in New York. The board will be chaired by Eimear Murphy, with board members Emma Swift, Adienne Dolan, Conall Burns & Anton McGonnell who will spearhead several exciting new actions for IIBN in 2012.

• Member Showcase iBook

We are very excited about this new program to profile members and their businesses. IIBN NY will produce an iBook, for publication in March. This iBook will be distributed free of charge to IIBN Global members via the Apple iBookstore. Inclusion in this dynamic publication is free for New York members and member-owned businesses. We will also include a small number of nominal paid advertisements to cover the cost of hardware/software required for production and publication. If interested in including your profile, or that of your business, or indeed, advertising in the publication, please contact the editorial team at newyork@iibn.com

• Invitation – Breakfast, hosted by Grant Thornton, Ireland as a location for global business and as a gateway to Europe – Thurs, Feb 16th @ 9:00am – 10:30am, New York

Hear Dan McCarthy, Head of Finance for Yahoo! in the EMEA and APAC region, explain why Yahoo! selected Ireland as their location of choice. They are not alone; Ireland is now home to numerous global organizations. Review complete event details and RSVP here

IIBN Dublin wrapped up a very eventful year with Christmas Drinks in the Westin Hotel on December 12^th last.   Despite the weather we had a great turn out of both existing and potentially new IIBN members.  It is always fantastic to see the great mix of familiar faces with a few new faces in the crowd at all our events – which represents the growth and vibrancy of the IIBN Dublin network.  IIBN Dublin has seen a real swell in members following the Global Annual Conference in Dublin in November and it is the aim of the Dublin Board to capitalise on this with an exciting line up of speakers and events in 2012.

We would like to encourage all our members to actively use the IIBN LinkedIn group as a way to introduce yourselves to other IIBN members and to engage in real networking – whether virtual or face to face.

Notice of events will be circulated early in the New Year and be sure to check online for other chapter events at www.iibn.com

Happy Christmas and wishing you all a very successful 2012

Le gach dea ghui agus La Shona Nollaig dhuit

IIBN

IIBN New York finished 2011 on a high as members from New York, London & Dublin enjoyed cocktails on the 51st Floor of the landmark Bank of America Tower overlooking Bryant Park and downtown Manhattan.

One of New York’s most sought after event venues, IIBN was generously hosted by The Gaffey Mellody Group. In the seasonal spirit, our event sponsor also had a random draw for two lucky winners, who now will have one more gift under the tree this year!

Appropriately, the winners were an IIBN London member and new New York member, highlighting the international strength of the network and the swathe of recent additions to the member base in New York.  New members in 2011 out-number past members by a factor of 2:1 which bodes well for 2012, with additions to the board and an exciting event roster in the planning process.
A special message of thanks goes out to Executive Director Fionuala Pender, who has been vital to IIBN NY reaching this juncture, wishing her the best on the arrival of her new baby in the coming weeks. A special message of welcome goes out to Sinead Crowley who has hit the ground running, filling Fionuala’s shoes during her maternity leave of absence.

We would like to wish our members and advocates best wishes for the holiday season and we look forward to seeing you all in the New Year.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

IIBN brought 2011 to a close with a fantastic turnout at the Gore Hotel London on Wednesday December 7^th.   Over 100 people joined IIBN Board Members to reflect on what has been a very active and successful year.    We were also delighted to welcome so many new faces and look forward to you all becoming members in 2012.  Our aim is to continue to grow and offer real networking opportunities for Irish people in the UK and across the globe.

We are finalising an array of exciting and inspirational speaker events for 2012, along with various workshops and networking events so be sure to check the IIBN website in the New Year – www.iibn.com

We would also like to encourage all our members to actively use the IIBN LinkedIn group as a way to introduce yourselves to other IIBN members and to engage in real networking – whether virtual or face to face.

Wishing you all a very happy Christmas and successful New Year

Le gach dea ghui agus La Shona Nollaig dhuit

IIBN

With over 180 participants from Ireland, UK and New York in Dublin on November 10th and 11th the feedback to the conference so far has been outstanding. The general feeling is that the pace, the buzz and the content were striking with quality speakers, and genuine opportunities to network and build business. 71% of survey respondents were very satisfied with the whole experience and 98% very satisfied to satisfied. (Survey Monkey).

‘What is great about the IIBN is that it is not just another talking shop about “how to fix the economy” etc. It is a doing shop of Irish entrepreneurs and business professionals who are committed to doing business with each other across, and within, borders. Alongside that, the conference offered inspiration from business leaders and real, hands-on, practical workshops from experienced professionals on how to structure a business for growth, and it then supports that with a network to sustain that growth. To be honest is a real global network that is creating real wealth and opportunity – that’s why I was there.’

The official launch of the conference was held on Thursday 10th November which was generously hosted by The Irish Times. Paul Kerley, Founder and former CEO of Norkom Technologies was the keynote speaker and each IIBN Chair gave a brief on why they are actively involved in the IIBN network.

Proceedings continued on Friday 11th November at the Aviva Stadium where Minister Coveney set the tone with a focus on engaging the Irish diaspora in a positive and practical way. Shane Ross was motivating, and certainly got people talking! Hugo McNeill, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs Ireland, moderated the panel event which focused on fostering Irish entrepreneurs globally generating a lively discussion that carried over into lunch. The afternoon session was kicked off by Niall Gibbons, CEO, Tourism Ireland and key sponsor of the conference, who reminded us of the importance of Ireland as a destination. Delegates were then invited to attend one of three interactive workshops on social media, networking and preparing your business for sale. The day concluded with a fascinating presentation from Barry Maloney, Partner, Balderton Capital who focused on the importance of the entrepreneurial spirit and how Ireland punches way above its weight in enterprise and business.

With fifteen 60 second pitches between Thursday and Friday the buzz was constant as new and seasoned entrepreneurs looked for exciting opportunities to do business together globally.
Added to this were the 28 stands in the Entrepreneur Zone which brought a cross section of business interests in contact with eachother from Ireland, the UK and America.

When asked if participants would like to attend a similar event in 2012 the response so far has been 100% Yes – so watch this space for an announcement for the date and location of the IIBN Global Conference 2012!

Here are a few of the comments from participants:

‘A genuine sense of shared purpose and willingness to forge new relationships. We knew why we were there and everyone was in a similar mood.’

‘The break out sessions and networking were great, the speakers inspiring.’

‘Quality Speakers – tightly focused and relevant presentations. Very positive/balanced outlook of presenters and attendees A capacity to look forward and build for the future without getting bogged down (like everyone else) in the financial issues. The two most enjoyable presentations from my perspective were Shane Ross and Barry Maloney.’

Photos to follow shortly.

IIBN celebrated its most recent keynote speaker event in New York on Thursday 23rd September at the offices of international law firm Crowell & Moring on Madison Avenue.

Over 100 attendees enjoyed an evening which had David Bobbett, CEO of H&K International as the keynote speaker.

Originally American owned, David explained that H&K International is a leading global supplier of stainless steel kitchen equipment to the food service industry. As CEO, David Bobbett led an Irish management buyout in 2002 and he described his biggest business achievement as dealing with a 50% drop in sales ten days after completing the MBO when their largest customer decided on a sudden change of strategy, with a drastic cutback in capital expenditure on new restaurants.

Bobbett restructured H&K to provide total restaurant solutions, incorporating manufacturing and logistics. David noted that the company now employs 970 worldwide with manufacturing and service office operations in Mexico, US, Canada, UK and most recently Indonesia. The Group Management and European Marketing are based in Dublin.

H&K sales reached $345 million in 2007. H&K delivers value driven restaurant equipment solutions into 70 countries, supporting 20,000 restaurants with their equipment needs. Their biggest customer is McDonald’s.

Other important customers are Subway, IKEA, Jason’s, Applebee’s and IHOP.

David is an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist.

The event was opened by Conor Foley, Global Chairman of IIBN and Kelly Currie, Partner at Crowell & Moring, who warmly welcomed IIBN and its members to their offices. Further information regarding Crowell & Moring can be found at www.crowell.com. The evening concluded with wine and canapés generously offered by Crowell & Moring.

Click on the photo below to view photos taken on the night.

Kate Walsh, a journalist with the Sunday Times was in attendance and wrote the following piece:

Irish eyes smiling through the gloom by Kate Walsh

‘It wasn’t a good week for Ireland – Moody’s downgraded its sovereign bonds on Monday – so it was with some trepidation that I attended an IIBN (Irish International Business Network) bash on Wednesday. The atmosphere, however, was more wake than funeral.

Orla Kiely, the fashion designer, rubbed shoulders with Liam Brady, the former footballer, and Frank Salmon, the wealthy owner or CMS Peripherals.

Eamon Lyons, the property developer and founder of Tudor Homes, was in attendance. The Irish, it seems, are building things again: Tudor is responsible for the new egg-shaped towers next to Old Street roundabout on the fringe of the City.

As well as building, they have started spending anew. Almost everyone I spoke to is going to Galway Races this week. And, instead of slumming it on Ryanair, they’re taking private jets from City airport…..Er, what downgrade?’

Click on the picture to view all photos

We are delighted to announce Powerscourt as IIBN’s newest sponsor and we look forward to introducing you to them in the coming weeks and months.

Powerscourt is a strategic communications consultancy founded by Rory Godson who was Irish Editor of The Sunday Times and then Business Editor based in London. He was head of corporate affairs at Goldman Sachs before starting Powerscourt in 2004. It helps companies and senior individuals tell their story in a manner which delivers their overall strategic goals. Based in London, it is a full-service firm which offers strategic advice and counsel, financial results and calendar communications, analyst and investor relations, M&A and fund-raising communications, market intelligence, crisis management, profile-raising. It provides financial public relations and investor relations to many leading firms. The client list is a Who’s Who of major UK and Irish businesses.

For full details regarding the excellent work carried out by Powerscourt visit its website at www.powerscourt-group.com

Should you wish to connect with Powerscourt regarding your own business and/or its strategy please do email me by return email and I will connect you with a suitable member of the Powerscourt team.

Its team comprises former bankers, brokers, editors and communications professionals.

Today we have published the newest version of the IIBN website.

We hope to add a lot more content about our members, press articles, members services and much more over the coming months.

As the network develops we need a better web structure to communicate with the membership base in  Europe and America.  We hope you like it, but it can only be as good as you make it – please take a moment to add you comments to our discussion forum on Linked In  – do this by clicking on the link on the right-hand sidebar.