Get Involved with Public Affairs
From research and analysis, to stakeholder engagement, to lobbying, our agenda is shaped by you. For you.
Across the Chamber team we represent your interests across a variety of fora. We also host topic-driven committees and workshops made up by our members.
Get involved. The better the insights, the stronger the voice.
Our Public Affairs Council
The Public Affairs Council is composed of members, interested in actively contributing to the success of our lobbying and of Cork, beyond the confines of the day job. The Council meets a number of times per year, agreeing priorities and formalising working groups to develop specific topics for advocacy work. We aim to be impactful, output and outcome focused.
One active working group already in place is our budgetary committee, who guide the preparation of the annual Chamber budgetary submission.
Committees We Are On
Your VOICE at the table
Cork Chamber is pleased to have a diverse range of involvement on projects and initiatives across the region, either through the Cork Chamber team or through our members.
Committees
Age Friendly County Alliance
Representing the business voice promoting for steps that encourage an inclusive, accessible and age friendly business environment. The alliance is an interagency county group comprised of senior management from the statutory, voluntary, community and private sectors.
Age Friendly City Alliance
The alliance is an interagency group comprised of senior management from the statutory, voluntary, community and private sectors operating in the city. We actively represent the business voice promoting for steps that encourage an inclusive, accessible and age friendly business environment.
Cork Development Forum
This is a unique Forum through which public and private stakeholders in the Cork region work in partnership to focus on development priorities that will ensure the continued growth of the Cork region as a thriving economic engine of regional and national growth.
South West Regional Skills Forum
Working in partnership to facilitate structured dialogue between enterprise sectors, education, and training providers. The Forum comprises Business Representative Organisations, Education and Training Providers, and Statutory Development Agencies.
Local Community Development Committee (LCDC)
Representing the voice of business on the Cork County LCDC, to reinforce the strategic planning and coordination of local and community development activity.
Energy Cork
An industry driven cluster pursuing actions to strengthen enterprise and employment within the energy sector in Cork. Cork Chamber actively participates as part of the Energy Cork steering group. Cork Chamber is Chair of the Energy Cork Transport sub-group.
Energy Champion
We represent the voice of business on the Energy Champion Steering Group, a recent initiative started by Energy Cork and which formalises a Sustainable Energy Community process for Cork, linking with the overall national Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) project.
CORE
Representing business on the CORE steering group. The CORE partnership, headed by Cork City Council, is focused on defining the overall strategy for the management and promotion of all aspects of city life. We actively participate as part of the Steering Group.
Cork City Centre Forum
A working group of CORE, within which we actively manage and participate. The working group has successfully undertaken a number of initiatives such as the Purple Flag Award, traffic incentives and marketing campaigns for Cork City Centre, and Cork Cashes Out. This forum is key in identifying and actioning City Centre projects. Currently there is work underway as part of a subgroup in developing a Customer Service Charter available to Cork City businesses.
Cork City Purple Flag Award Steering Group
The steering group meets to review the progress of the City against the metrics of the award criteria. Cork Chamber actively promotes the voice of business.
Angelsea District Management Committee
Representing business at this community policing forum, Cork Chamber actively participates to voice the concerns of business and to highlight issues of significance to the city centre area and surrounds.
Chambers Ireland Forums
Working with the Chambers Ireland team as a regional voice on national issues. Cork Chamber actively participates on the Local Government Council; the Education, Workplace and Skills Council; and Public Affairs Forum.
Cork Area Strategic Plan (CASP) Steering Group
Representing the regional voice of business across a diverse spectrum of topics inclusive of employment growth, skills strategy, infrastructure and transport planning. We also actively participate as part of the CASP Transport sub-committee.
Transport and Mobility Forum (TMF) Cork
The TMF is representative of organisations across Cork who have a common interest in pursuing actions to promote sustainable travel. We actively participate to share the perspective of the business community and to drive actions to support this.
RATIO stakeholder group
Engaged in a Interreg Europe project, RATIO, we are focused on actions to promote innovation to rural based SMEs. We are the Irish partner to this project and are working with regional stakeholders across the county to refine future actions to be developed and delivered.
Strategic Policy Committees (SPCs)
Through our members we represent the voice of business on a number of the City Council and County Council SPCs. As committees of the council, it is the task of the SPCs to advise and assist in the formulation, development and review of policy. Cork Chamber are represented via member representatives on the
Cork County Council SPC
Tony McGrath | PM Group | Planning & Development SPC |
Cian Murphy | Punch Consulting | Environment & Recreation SPC |
Brendan Keane | FMC International | Economic & Enterprise SPC |
Aaron Mansworth | Cork International Hotel | Tourism SPC |
Derry Cronin | Cronin’s Coaches | Tourism SPC |
Brendan Keating | Port of Cork | Road & Transport SPC |
Ken Buckley | The Gallery Kinsale | Arts, Culture & Languages SPC |
Cork City Council SPC
Denis Cambridge | ESB Networks | Roads & Transportation SPC |
Dan Mc Sweeney | BASF | Environment/Recreation SPC |
Isobel O’Regan | Savills | Planning, Development & Enterprise SPC |
Declan O’ Mahony | CIF | Planning, Development & Enterprise SPC |
Seamus Heaney | HFI | Tourism, Arts & Culture SPC |
Cork Innovates
Working with stakeholders to engage collaboratively to grow the region as a location which offers entrepreneurs globally and locally the best environment to start, grow and stay their business successfully. Cork Chamber actively engages as the voice of business and is a long standing member of the project steering group.
Enterprise Europe Network
The Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) is the world’s largest support network for SMEs with international ambitions. A network office is hosted in Cork Chamber and we are a long standing representative of EEN in the broader business ecosystem.
Financial Services Forum
Cork is Ireland’s second centre for International Financial Services (IFS), with a depth and breadth of disciplines and firms that doesn’t exist anywhere else outside Dublin. Cork Chamber’s Financial Services (FS) Forum drives the advancement of the financial services industry in the region and strengthens partnerships between industry, education and government organisations.
Cork Financial Services Forum
Cork is Ireland’s second centre for International Financial Services (IFS), with a depth and breadth of disciplines and firms that doesn’t exist anywhere else outside Dublin. Cork Chamber’s Financial Services (FS) Forum drives the advancement of the financial services industry in the region and strengthens partnerships between industry, education and government organisations.
Members of the FS Forum include:
Alter Domus Fund Services (Ireland) | Thomas Blaise |
Amorgin Services Limited | Joseph Novarro |
Apex Fund Services | Bryan Atkinson |
BlackBee Investments | Kerry Ann Leek |
BNY Mellon Fund Services (Ireland) | Heather Crowley-Kerr / David Kelly / Sarah Kenefick |
Calastone | Gemma Marshall |
Citco Fund Services (Ireland) Ltd | Peter Kane / Martin McCarthy |
Clearstream Global Securities Services Ltd | David Brosnan |
Cork Institute of Technology | Gerard O’Donovan |
Deloitte | Alan Cuddihy |
Enterprise Ireland | Martin Corkery / Ciara Concannon |
EY | John Higgins / Rav Vithaldas |
Hedgeserv Limited | Fergus Grogan |
IDA Ireland | Ray O’Connor / Mark Shorten |
Investec | Michael Bambury |
it@cork | Sean Byerley |
KPMG | Barrie O’Connell / Karen Conboy |
Matheson | Grainne Callanan |
Morgan McKinley | Bryan Hyland |
PWC | Olivia Hayden |
University College Cork | Prof. Mark Hutchinson |
Willis Towers Watson (AMX) | Eoin Motherway (Chairman) |
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