New Jersey business mission to Cork
Cork Chamber was delighted to welcome Governor Philip Murphy and a New Jersey delegation of academics and business leaders to Cork as part of their four-day trade mission to Ireland.
Tim Sullivan, President and CEO Economic Development Authority; Helena Nolan, Consul General (New York); Wes Mathews, President and CEO - Choose New Jersey; Conor Healy, CEO Cork Chamber; Paula Cogan, President Cork Chamber; Governor Phil Murphy; Cllr. Colm Kelleher, Lord Mayor; Ann Doherty, CEO Cork City Council and Valerie O’Sullivan, Divisional Manager Cork County Council.
This was the first official US visit to Cork since 2019 when another delegation from New Jersey was the last to travel to Cork before the pandemic ensured a quiet few years in terms of visitors. With Cork’s New Jersey friends bookending this quiet period, hosting this event was an opportunity to show the world that Cork is open again and actively looking to develop our international partnerships and to promote Cork for business, investment, talent, tourism and collaboration. At the event in the Clayton, Governor Philip Murphy spoke in depth about his Cork ancestry and his love for returning back to his ancestral home. Governor Murphy presented a clear vision for consolidating and expanding the close economic ties between Cork and New Jersey. He highlighted his vision for New Jersey being an open, fair and just society and wanted to work with regions and countries who spoke to the same values.
Wes Mathews, President and CEO Choose New Jersey and Tim Sullivan, President and CEO the New Jersey Economic Development Authority reiterated the Governor’s call for closer economic ties and thanked Cork Chamber for making the event possible. Cork Chamber President Paula Cogan, a keen historian, highlighted that this was the highest level of US political Office to visit Cork since President Kennedy and read an extract from his speech on that day in 1963. Cork Chamber CEO Conor Healy highlighted the many common areas of economic interests between Cork
and New Jersey in the technology, life sciences, pharmaceutical, academic and renewable energy sectors and welcomed the calls for closer collaboration. Bringing together academic, business and political leaders from the two regions at the lunch opened an important dialogue between the New Jersey delegation and members of Cork’s business and wider stakeholder community. The event re-established relationships that will continue to grow over time and allowed both parties the opportunity to showcase their regions for investment.
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