Register for Interceltic Business Forum
- Western Development Commission (WDC) to Host First Irish Interceltic Business Forum in Galway.
- Must-attend event for business leaders from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Brittany seeking to promote innovation, economic development, and international partnerships.
- Startups and scaling businesses, rural economies, remote working and relocation, and AI are all on the agenda.
Business leaders from the Celtic regions of Lorient, France, Wales and Scotland are set to join forces with their Irish counterparts at the inaugural Irish Interceltic Business Forum on Friday, 19th April in the Portershed, Galway.
Previously held in France and Wales, this is the first time the event is to be hosted on Irish soil. The event promises an engaging forum for sharing business best practice with compelling dialogue and insights, interspersed with honouring shared Celtic heritage, in the form of music and spoken word.
Eddie Hoare, Mayor of Galway, will open the event with keynote address from Fabrice Loher, President of Lorient Agglomération, who will be leading the French delegation. The first roundtable talk will be on ‘Doing Business the Lorient Way’ followed by a discussion on ‘Successfully Scaling your Business in the West of Ireland’ which will be chaired by Olive McLucas, Investment Executive of WDC and featuring Fergal O’Connor of Buymedia and Andrew Cameron of Feeltect; both portfolio companies of the WDC Western Investment Fund. The Scottish Government in Ireland will lead a roundtable discussion on ‘Scotland and Ireland Working Together to Build the Rural Economy’.
Deirdre Frost, Policy Analyst with WDC will give a presentation on ‘Remote Work and Relocation: Evidence from Ireland’. This will be followed by a roundtable discussion on the topic featuring Helen Leahy, IBEC and Ricky Conneely, IDA West.
In the afternoon there is a Startup Spotlight on AI, with a roundtable that includes Linda Heimisdóttir, CEO, mideind.is, John Clancy, CEO, galvia.ai and Tomás Ó Síocháin, CEO, Údarás na Gaeltachta. The Startup Spotlight is then followed by OCO Global, sponsors of the Interceltic Business Forum, announcing their new Scaling Awards. A Scale-Up Spotlight then follows with Jacqui O’Connor, CEO, Medscan 3D, Kevin Keane, CEO, Chipright and Marie Donnellan, CEO, Platform 94. Closing the forum is Justin Mitchell, Founder, Cleft Notes, with a talk entitled ‘How you Launch a Startup and Go Global on a Tiny Budget.’
Charles Kergaravat, Founder of the Interceltic Business Forum said “We are excited to bring this prestigious event to Galway, a vibrant hub of innovation and entrepreneurship, to further expand opportunities for economic collaboration and growth.”
Allan Mulrooney, CEO, Western Development Commission commented
As we convene in Galway, the 'twin city' of Lorient, for the Irish Interceltic Business Forum, we're embracing an exceptional opportunity. By forging partnerships across Europe and beyond, we're not just accessing funding and support, but also broadening our global outlook. Hosting our Celtic counterparts in Galway underscores our shared heritage and mutual ambitions. Together, we're navigating towards collective growth and innovation.
With such an array of topics across the commercial spectrum from startups to scale-ups, remote work to rural economies, the Interceltic Business Forum offers a unique opportunity to explore economic collaborations and opportunities with our Celtic confreres.
Registration is free but limited:
