Head Of Civil Service Welcomes Joseph Kennedy To NI

The Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, Jayne Brady, has officially welcomed Joseph Kennedy III, the U.S. Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs, at the start of a four-day visit from a Senior U.S. Business Delegation to Northern Ireland.

The delegation, which includes a range of some of the most successful and influential business and investment leaders from the United States, will meet representatives from a range of business, academic and civic leaders across Northern Ireland. They will also have the opportunity to visit some of our world leading tourist attractions.

Jayne Brady said: "When President Biden announced the business delegation in April 2023, he understood the strong investment opportunity Northern Ireland has to offer U.S. investors.

"Building on September's Investment Summit, this visit will highlight to the most senior of U.S. business leaders what makes Northern Ireland a compelling investment proposition.

"The programme, which is a collaborative effort between business, academia and government, will showcase key elements of that proposition; our global reputation as a trusted business partner in key sectors, our thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem, our young talented workforce and our deep expertise in research and innovation, supported by world leading universities and supercharged by our multi-billion-pound city and growth deals.

"We will be providing curated sessions across Northern Ireland to highlight our key sectors, where we already compete globally, including advanced manufacturing and net zero, software and fintech, life and health sciences and the creative industries. I have no doubt the delegation will be impressed and perhaps surprised with what we have achieved already and the strength of what we have on offer for future investment."

Special Envoy Kennedy added: "Around 230 companies from the United States have a presence in Northern Ireland and around 80% of those companies, across a wide range of industrial sectors, have reinvested here. They believe in the people and opportunity in Northern Ireland and over the next few days, I want to help share that proposition with the delegation.

"They will learn about Northern Ireland's highly skilled and motivated talent pool, driven by its world-class universities and colleges. They will also witness at first-hand how 1,200 international companies benefit from competitive operating costs, world-class suppliers, and unparalleled broadband coverage."

Members of the delegation include the Honorable Thomas P. DiNapoli, Comptroller, State of New York;  Mark Hartney, Breakthrough Energy Ventures;  John Murphy, President and Chief Financial Officer, The Coca-Cola Company;  Tim Sweeney, President and Chief Executive Officer, Liberty Mutual Insurance; John Delaney, founder of Forbright Bank; Susan Ann Davis, Chair of Susan Davis International; Brendan Carroll, co-founder of Victory Park Capital; Mark Anderson, Chief Executive Officer, Alteryx; Brian Halligan, co-founder of Hubspot; James Lyons, Vice -President, Boston Scientific, and Kevin Devlin, Chief Executive Officer,  Renewable Power Capital.he busy programme includes visits to a range of businesses across Northern Ireland as well as both Queen's University and Ulster University campuses and key tourist attractions.

The busy programme includes visits to a range of businesses across Northern Ireland as well as both Queen's University and Ulster University campuses and key tourist attractions.