4 minute read
Aoife McDowell
Columnist
Aoife McDowell
Sync NI
Let’s Talk Tech
Innovation and opportunities: The spotlight continues to shine brightly on Northern Ireland’s technology sector.
The fi rst ever Northern Ireland FinTech Symposium has convened in Belfast to celebrate an industry that contributes £392 million in GVA to the local economy.
The two-day event hosted by FinTech NI, the independent voice of fi ntech in Northern Ireland, brought together fi ntech leaders from across the UK with the chief executives, funding organisations, educational institutions and professional services that support the fi ntech ecosystem in Northern Ireland.
The symposium brought together over 70 delegates to examine how the sector is heading towards the creation of thousands more jobs and the attraction of over £25 million in Foreign Direct Investment to Northern Ireland.
Speaking about the event, Andrew Jenkins, chair of FinTech NI and HMT FinTech Envoy for Northern Ireland, said: “This was an opportunity to unite the sector, celebrate our achievements and showcase our potential both locally and to the rest of the UK. FinTech NI exists to promote the region as a leading global fi ntech hub, and today’s event will be the fi rst of many as we seek to implement our three-year strategy and take the fi ntech sector to the next level.”
The Northern Ireland FinTech Symposium 2022 was supported by A&L Goodbody, Invest NI, Deloitte and Fintech Nexus.
FinTrU named in Financial Times Europe’s Fastest Growing Companies for second year
For the second year in a row, FinTrU has been announced as one of Europe’s Fastest Growing Companies by the Financial Times.
The Financial Times, in partnership with Statista, sought to identify the 1,000 European companies with the strongest growth between 2017 and 2020 to feature in their annual FT1000 Europe’s Fastest Growing Companies League Table.
Working with Investment Banks around the globe, FinTrU designs technologyenabled solutions to help its clients meet their regulatory obligations.
Commenting on the recognition, FinTrU founder & CEO, Darragh McCarthy, said: “It is truly an honour for FinTrU to be named in such a prestigious league table for the second year in succession. It is a testament to our people and the commitment, hard work and ambition they have displayed with humility ever since FinTrU was fi rst founded in 2013. Their high quality of work with our clients has led to our employees achieving this global award. Our client partnerships are very strong and we are excited for what the future holds as we continue to expand our product offering on an ever-increasing global scale.”
Female tech talent recognised at Northern Ireland’s first Women in Tech Awards
Northern Ireland’s outstanding women in tech were celebrated at the inaugural Women in Tech Awards, which took place recently at Belfast’s Europa Hotel.
Nearly 300 guests from all business sectors came together to recognise and reward the innovative individuals operating in today’s tech sector, in what was the first ceremony of its kind in Northern Ireland.
Hosted by Sarah Travers and featuring a keynote speech from Deepa MannKler, chief executive of Neon, the awards honoured seven amazing women and one inspiring male.
The Outstanding Woman in Tech 2022 award, sponsored by Version 1, was presented to Patricia O’Hagan MBE, CEO of Core Systems, whose 20-year international tech experience spans the fields of engineering and product development.
Roseann Kelly, CEO at Women in Business, commented on the awards: “It’s an honour to bring together so many inspiring and successful women from across Northern Ireland for the first Women in Tech Awards. This is a hugely exciting time for the tech sector locally, and with it comes an opportunity to platform those individuals leading the way. These awards are crucial to promote positive recognition and encourage others to strive towards achieving their goals and challenging outdated stereotypes across NI and beyond.”
BT Ireland Innovation Centre showcase highlights NI is leading the way in global research and development
The BT Ireland Innovation Centre (BTIIC) based in Belfast has become an internationally recognised global centre for excellence in research, innovation and development since it launched in October 2017.
A collaboration between BT Technology’s Applied Research and IT departments and Ulster University, the ten-year programme is being jointly funded by local government as well as Invest Northern Ireland with a combined investment of £28 million.
The BTIIC has a team of 130 people and is unique as it combines industrial researchers, university researchers and industrial engineers within a single centre. It also includes 20 postdoctoral and senior researchers and 12 PhD students from Ulster University.
A showcase attended by a number of industry professionals took place at W5 in Belfast to highlight the industryleading projects being created right here in Northern Ireland.
Speaking about the BTIIC, Cliona O’Boyle, senior manager of technical solutions at BT in Northern Ireland, said: “At BT, we have always led the way in research and development and we are at the forefront of driving technological change. We are the third-largest investor in R&D in the UK, investing £632 million in innovation. BTIIC is the cornerstone of BT’s Global Research & Innovation Programme and our showcase of projects highlights the very best of this research and development as we have embraced collaborations to innovate for good. Our aim is to create and ultimately deliver high-quality products and services for our customers.”
