2011 Forum Programme

Friday, 7 October 2011

8.30am

9.00am

Arrival at Dublin Castle (Upper Court Yard, Cork Hill Entrance)

9.15am

Opening address by the Taoiseach View Video

9.35am

Presentation by Mr Eamon Gilmore, T.D., Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade on developments since 2009 Forum View Video

10.00am

Opening plenary panel discussion, St. Patrick’s Hall View Video (Part 1) View Video (Part 2)

‘Ireland: the road to recovery’

Moderator: Margaret Brennan (Bloomberg News)

Enda Kenny, T.D.	Taoiseach
Eamon Gilmore, T.D.	Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade
Catherine Day	Secretary General, European Commission
Carl Schramm	President and CEO, Kauffman Foundation
Peter Sutherland	Chairman, Goldman Sachs International

11.30am

Conclusion of Opening Plenary (Tea/Coffee break)

12.00pm

Working groups commence

15 breakout groups to discuss a range of economic and diaspora related topics

[Lunch will be provided at the working group sessions]

2.45pm

Conclusion of working groups (Tea/Coffee break)

3.15pm

Panel Debate 1, St. Patrick’s Hall View Video

‘Ireland's image abroad: communicating the message’

Moderator: Fionnuala Sweeney (Anchor, CNN)

Eamon Gilmore, T.D.	Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade
Noel Curran	Director General, RTE
James Hogan	Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airlines
Adrian Jones	Managing Director, Principal Investment Area, Goldman Sachs & Co
John McColgan	Producer/Director and Chairman WorldIrish.com
Laureen Regan	President, Regan Productions and SCDL.com

Panel Debate 2, Georges Hall

‘Making Ireland more competitive in new and emerging markets’

Moderator: Claire Byrne (Television and Radio Presenter, RTE)

Richard Bruton, T.D.	Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation
Liam Casey	Chief Executive Officer, PCH International
Avril Conroy	Chief Operating Officer, Inchcape
Gerald Lawless	Executive Chairman, Jumeirah Group
Paul McCullagh	Managing Director, Pacific Equity Partners

Panel Debate 3, Drawing Room

‘Engaging the young leaders of the global Irish’

Moderator: David McWilliams (Economist and Broadcaster)

Leo Varadkar, T.D.	Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport
Orla Casey	Chair, Irish Network DC (IN-DC)
Paddy Cosgrave	Founder, F.ounders
Eamon Eastwood	CEO, Tasteireland
Rachel Mooney	Senior Director, Sanofi
Fionuala Pender	Executive Director, Irish International Business Network

4.30pm

End of Panel Debate

Press opportunity

Participants Return to Hotel

6.45pm

Participants Depart Hotel for Conference Dinner

7.30pm

Forum Dinner, Royal Hospital Kilmainham

Guest of Honour: President McAleese View Video

Saturday, 8 October

8.45am

Arrival at Dublin Castle (Upper Court Yard, Cork Hill Entrance)

9.00am

Working groups commence

15 breakout groups: participants will take part in a different group to the one they attended on Friday

11.00am

Conclusion of working groups (Tea/Coffee Break)

11.30am

Panel Debate 1, Conference Centre

‘Job creation - how can Ireland and the Global Irish Network work together to create new employment opportunities here?’

Moderator: Claire Byrne (Television and Radio Presenter, RTE)

Michael Noonan, T.D.	Minister for Finance
Rosaleen Blair	Chief Executive Officer, Alexander Mann Solutions
Irial Finan	Executive Vice President, Coca Cola
John Hartnett	Founder, Irish Technology Leadership Group & Irish Technology Capital
Sean O'Driscoll	Chairman and CEO, Glen Dimplex

Panel Debate 2, St. Patrick's Hall View Video

‘Promoting Irish Culture: building on the progress since Farmleigh’

Moderator: Matt Cooper (Broadcaster and Journalist)

Jimmy Deenihan, T.D.	Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht
Gabriel Byrne	Actor and Cultural Ambassador for Ireland
Helen Lambert	Chief Executive Officer, Lambert & Associates
Dara Ó'Briain	Comedian and TV Presenter
Colm Tóibín	Author

1.00pm

Buffet Lunch, State Apartments

2.30pm

4.00pm

Plenary Session, Conference Centre

‘Report from Facilitators on working groups’

Moderator: David McWilliams (Economist and Broadcaster)

Response from Taoiseach/Tánaiste

5.00pm

Address by President William Jefferson Clinton, St. Patrick's Hall View Video

5.30pm

Plenary Panel Discussion, St. Patrick's Hall View Video (Part 1) - View Video (Part 2)

‘Ireland and the global Irish in the 21st Century - working together to meet the challenges of the future’

Moderator: Margaret Brennan (Anchor, Bloomberg News)

Enda Kenny, T.D.	Taoiseach
Eamon Gilmore, T.D.	Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade
President William J. Clinton	42^nd President of the United States of America
Loretta Brennan Glucksman	Chairman, The American Ireland Fund
Declan Kelly	Founding Partner and Co-CEO, Teneo
Willie Walsh	Chief Executive Officer, International Airlines

6.15pm

Closing Statement by the Tánaiste

6.30pm

8.30pm

Closing Reception, Dublin Castle

Topics for Working Group Sessions

1.	Improving our tourism product and promotion abroad- what is Ireland doing right and what further practical steps can we take to build growth in this sector?
2.	Job creation- idea generating opportunity on how we can create the right conditions in Ireland for significant job creation.
3.	Continuing Success of the IFSC – the vision for the next ten years.
4.	The domestic Irish banking sector: how does Ireland avoid the mistakes of the past and position itself to take advantage of the future?
5.	The Irish food sector: what further practical steps should Ireland take to expand its global market?
6.	How can Ireland maximise the commercial opportunities available from investment and R&D?
7.	How can we further develop a culture of innovation across the economy by building on the Report of the Task Force on Innovation (2010)?
8.	How can Ireland and the Global Irish Network work together to create new opportunities for indigenous exporting Irish companies by opening new markets and removing trade barriers?
9.	The Global Irish Network- what should its main priorities be and what further practical initiatives could it undertake?
10.	Connecting the Irish Diaspora with Ireland and each other: how can we most effectively engage the next generation?
11.	Foreign investment: how should Ireland maintain and attract new inward investment?
12.	The Green Economy: how can Ireland best position itself to take advantage of its natural resources and green image in developing this emerging sector?
13.	How can the global Irish business community and the creative and cultural sectors work best together?
14.	Ireland’s reputation abroad: how can Ireland and the Global Irish Network deliver a new narrative in the international media?
15.	How can we further enhance links between Irish higher education and enterprise?