Annual Conference The Jobs Challenge the Local and Regional Response 24th May Newpark Hotel Kilkenny ADMISSION IS FREE Booking Essential Further Information on featured projects on back cover Investing in your Future 2012
Booking Form for S&E Regional Assembly Annual Conference (Please complete and return to Southern & Eastern Regional Assembly by email, post or fax) Name of delegate(s): Name and address of organisation: Telephone: Fax: Email: Where did you hear about the conference: No. of delegate(s) attending lunch: (The conference is free of charge, a light lunch will be provided) Please return completed form by Tuesday 22nd May 2012 to: Southern & Eastern Regional Assembly Assembly House, O Connell Street, Waterford Email: kcoughlan@seregassembly.ie; ohearne@seregassembly.ie Fax: + 353 (51) 879887 Tel No: + 353 (51) 860700 Investing in your Future
The Jobs Challenge - the Local and Regional Response Conference Programme 24th May 2012, Newpark Hotel, Kilkenny 9.00 9.45 Registration 9.45 Welcome and introduction Cllr. Tomas Breathnach, Cathaoirleach, Southern & Eastern Regional Assembly 10.00 Keynote address and official opening of conference Mr John Perry, T.D. Minister for Small Business at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation 10.20 The current and future role of County/City Enterprise Boards in promoting job in micro-enterprises Mr. Vincent Reynolds, CEO and Chairman of the CEB Network 10.50 The contribution of the local development sector to job creation and its alignment with Local Government Mr. Aidan O Reilly, Principal Officer, Department of Environment, Community & Local Government 11.20 Tea/Coffee Break 11.40 What the public sector needs to do to encourage higher levels of entrepreneurship and job creation a private sector perspective Mr. Mark Fielding, Chief Executive, ISME 12.10 Can entrepreneurship contribute to employment creation? Ms. Paula Fitzsimons, Fitzsimons Consulting 12.40 The Action Plan for Jobs Mr. Declan Hughes, Manager, Enterprise & Trade Division, Forfás. 13.10 Panel Discussion 13.30 Closing remarks by Cathaoirleach, followed by lunch
Speakers for S&E Regional Assembly Annual Conference Cllr. TOMAS BREATHNACH Cathaoirleach, Southern & Eastern Regional Assembly Cllr. Tomas Breathnach was elected Cathaoirleach of the Southern & Eastern Regional Assembly in September 2011 having been a member of the Assembly since September 2004. As a member of the Labour Party, Cllr Breathnach represents Kilkenny County Council. Cllr Breathnach also sits on the South East Regional Authority and the South East Regional Task Force. He is a retired secondary school teacher and a founding member of both the Confederation of Community Groups of South Kilkenny and of the Ferrybank Socio-Economic Partnership. Mr. JOHN PERRY TD Minister for Small Business at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Mr John Perry TD is Minister of State for Small Business. He represents the Sligo North Leitrim constituency. Mr Perry was first elected to the Dáil in 1997 as a Fine Gael Spokesperson on Science, Technology, Small Business & Enterprise and the Border Counties from 1997-2000. He was re-elected to the Dáil in May 2007 and was appointed Spokesperson on Small Business. He served as Fine Gael Spokesperson on the Marine, October, 2004-September, 2007. He is a businessperson in his home town of Ballymote in Co. Sligo, where he lives with wife Marie and son Jude. John established Sligo s first Community Enterprise Board in Ballymote, resulting in industrial development in the area. He is a former Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee.
Mr. VINCENT REYNOLDS CEO and Chairman of the CEB Network Vincent Reynolds, CEO of Cavan County Enterprise Board, has more than 30 years experience working in the field of business, economic and community development. He served as a member of the Business Enterprise Programme Team of the International Fund for Ireland for up to 20 years. A graduate of NUI Galway, Vincent is centrally involved in many organisations and programmes in the border region and has been the driver of successful initiatives such as Cavan Innovation & Technology Centre and Cavan County Enterprise Fund. kkkkkkkkkkkk Mr. AIDAN O REILLY Principal Officer, Department of Environment, Community & Local Government Aidan O'Reilly is a Principal Officer with the Community Division of the Department of Environment, Community & Local Government. He has specific responsibility to enhance alignment between local government and local development, for North- South EU Programmes and for liaison with local authorities concerning County Development Boards and a range of local government services. Originally from Dublin, Aidan is now based at DECLG's decentralised offices in Tubbercurry and Ballina. He has previously worked with the Departments of Justice, Foreign Affairs and Social Protection. Mr. DECLAN HUGHES Division Manager, Enterprise and Trade Policy, Forfás Declan Hughes is head of the Enterprise and Trade Division in Forfás, the Irish National Policy Advisory Board for Enterprise, Trade, Science, Technology and Innovation. The Division supports the Board of Forfás in providing advice to the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, the enterprise development agencies and other Government Departments on issues relating to sectoral and regional development, enterprise competitiveness and trade strategy. Declan previously headed the areas of competitiveness, infrastructure and science and technology policy within Forfás. He Chairs the Inter-Agency Planning Managers Group and inter-agency review of Regional Aid Guidelines, is a member of the Food Harvest 2020 Implementation Group and has served on a number of EU and OECD committees.
Mr. MARK FIELDING Chief Executive, ISME Mark Fielding has been the CEO of ISME, the Irish Small & Medium Enterprises Association, the Independent Business Organisation, since 2001. Born in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, where his father ran a retail and wholesale pharmacy, Fielding was educated at the Christian Brothers Schools, UCD, Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Institute of Taxation. He has worked in the UK, France and Ireland and has assisted in the start-up of more than 300 enterprises. He is a member of the Company Law Review Group, the High Level Group on Business Regulation and the Advisory Group on Small Business. He also sits on the administrative council of UEAPME, the European body for SMEs. ISME currently has 8,700 member firms nationwide employing in excess of 225,000 and is the only independent organisation solely representing small and medium businesses and their owners. Ms. PAULA FITZSIMONS Fitzsimons Consulting Paula Fitzsimons is the founder and managing director of Fitzsimons Consulting, which specialises in areas related to entrepreneurship and growth. A recognised expert on entrepreneurship, Paula Fitzsimons has been the national coordinator for GEM for Ireland since 2000, a former President of the consortium of GEM national teams, and a former Director of GERA, the governing body for the Global Entrepreneurship Research Association. Paula has also advised Forfás and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment on the development of a national entrepreneurship policy and was involved in the writing of Towards the Development of an Entrepreneurship Policy. Recognising that fewer women start new businesses and of those that start, fewer have significant growth ambitions than do men, Paula Fitzsimons designed and developed Going for Growth, which is focused on peer support as a means of assisting women entrepreneurs who wish to grow their businesses.
The Jobs Challenge - the Local and Regional Response Woodstock Gardens, Co. Kilkenny FEATURED COVER PROJECTS - from left to right Paul Rawlins, MD of Motorcycle Rental Ireland Ltd T/A Celtic Riders, Supported by the Fingal County Enterprise Board Netwatch, Carlow County Enterprise Board Start your own business, Kerry County Enterprise Board House of Waterford Crystal, ERDF Gateways Scheme Fred & Ger Karlsson, Donedeal.ie (Ireland s largest classified advertising website), Clients of Wexford County Enterprise Board Harvesting farmed oysters at Dungarvan Bay, Co. Waterford, Iasc Sliogagh Dun Garbhain Teoranta CBS Charleville, Co. Cork, North Cork County Enterprise Board Senior Enterprise Project, Interreg IVB NWE Investing in your Future