Introduction by the Chair

Introduction by the Chair

Andrew Bradley Chair, DCCI As 2021 began, the Board worked closely with the Executive Team in the preparation and design of a new strategy for Design & Crafts Council Ireland. The aim of this five-year strategy is to make the Council more relevant to our ever-expanding member base. It also aims to quantify the contribution the crafts and design sector makes to the Irish economy and society at large. This strategy is in part informed by an Economic Impact Assessment (EIA) report. By building on a previous assessment ten years earlier, it captures how our sector has grown and provides the context for our new strategy into the future.

Highlighting the Sector’s Value Our industry’s many accomplishments can at times go under the radar. As a sector we are not great publicists! Therefore, it is heartening to see such an emphatic endorsement of our sector’s huge achievements and potential.

Describing the combined crafts and designintensive sector as an ‘engine for economic growth’, the report states that if it were considered as one sector, it would be the eighth largest in Ireland by number of enterprises and tenth largest by number of employees.

Not only that, but the EIA report goes on to say that there is potential that the crafts and design-intensive sectors could provide up to 100,000 employees and a turnover of almost €14 billion by 2026 if the current shortages of craftspeople and designers are addressed.

Board Participates in Planning the Future The DCCI Executive Team worked with the Board, as well as with over forty individual stakeholders, to develop this new strategic plan for DCCI. This plan aims to future-proof our combined vision for the Council through to 2027. It is an exciting and ambitious plan, to reflect both the opportunities that exist within the sector and the government’s ambition for our sector. DCCI looks forward to leading the continued growth of both the sector and the Council itself.

Our New Vision It is our vision that the crafts and design sector will have increased its contribution to Ireland, economically, socially and culturally. To realise this we must support designers and makers to develop their business in a sustainable way, and advocate for the societal benefits of craft and design. We must enable our sector to capitalise on the opportunities presented to it so that it can grow.

Specifically, the DCCI new strategic plan will focus on the following pillars over the next five years: 1. Building capability and capacity to deliver resilient growth 2. Championing design across Ireland 3. Leading and demonstrating sustainability 4. Delivering a future-proof Council

We were delighted to launch this strategic plan at our AGM last year.

Thank You I wish to conclude with some brief thanks. First and foremost, I would like to thank DCCI’s CEO Rosemary Steen. She had quite the start joining the organisation just as the pandemic hit. She has led all of us – Board, staff and stakeholders – through it with strength and empathy, delivering initiatives and support that responded to the changing and challenging times experienced by the wider community.

Simultaneously, Rosemary and the Executive Team have developed and launched a very considered and exciting new strategy that is sure to bring great things to our sector.

I would also like to thank the rest of the Executive Team for their significant contributions and for providing continued support to the CEO.

This year I would also like to take this opportunity to thank again President Michael D. Higgins who joined us as the guest of honour at our fiftieth-anniversary celebrations. To borrow a quote from the president, it was ‘greatly inspiring to witness how this vibrant industry is so deeply influenced by the skills once handed down from generation to generation, but also powerfully reflects the world we inhabit today’.

As always, I would like to sincerely thank retiring Board members for their service and commitment: Paul McKeown, Mary Palmer, Donagh Quigley, Rachel Quinn and Eddie Shanahan. We are delighted that Mary Palmer continues to support us through her role as chair of Showcase Ireland.

In 2021 we welcomed new Board members, Thomas Murray (ministerial appointee), Berina Kelly, Edel McBride, Kim-Ling Morris and Niki Collier, all of whom have settled into their roles. I would also like to thank the DCCI team for their continuing hard work and significant achievements during 2021, which was a challenging year for all. I would like to offer my thanks to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment for its support during the year.

In particular, I would like to thank An Tánaiste Leo Varadkar TD, Minister Damien English TD and Minister Robert Troy TD for their support and participation in Showcase, the Irish Business Design Awards, Future Makers and the Made Local campaigns.

I would like to thank Minister Heather Humphreys for her role in the Sessions House project in Thomastown, County Kilkenny.

I would also like to thank Leo Clancy, CEO of Enterprise Ireland, and his team for their support throughout the year.

I am pleased to present this annual report, and I look forward to working together to support our sector over the next twelve months.

Finally, this has been a pivotal year for DCCI, and everyone associated with the Council has embraced change in difficult circumstances. The Executive Team supported by the Board is excited for the years ahead. I look forward to reporting next year on our new initiatives currently under development and the achievements they shall deliver.

Andrew Bradley Chair, DCCI