AGM 2020 - Looking Forward with Confidence

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 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.