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Newsletter Q1 2024
Dear Members,
As this newsletter goes out the Saint Patrick's festival celebrations are already underway with a whole 'semaine de l'Irlande' being celebrated here in France. Our own annual Saint Patrick's Day Trade Reception will take place on March 19th at the Embassy of Ireland in Paris and we look forward to welcoming the record number of members who have registered to attend.
The Saint Patrick's Day celebrations will round off a very eventful first quarter which afforded members a private audience with one of Europe's leading economists and an incredible full day of events in the southern region of France to coincide with the FR vs IR 6 nations rugby match. Full details on past and upcoming events to be found below with a special mention for the next in our series of events concentrating on sustainabilty this coming April 2nd. The round-table will bring together a number of experts from transport and associated industries who will discuss the future of sustainable transport and the role of hydrogen in particular.
We are delighted at the rate with which NetworkIrlande continues to grow and we invite you to read about all the companies and professionals that have joined the chamber over the last quarter in the new member section below.
Happy Saint Patrick's Day celebrations to you all!
Your NetworkIrlande Team 
UPCOMING EVENTS
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Our much anticipated Saint Patrick's Day celebrations this year will take place at the Embassy of Ireland on the evening of March 19th.
We look forward to welcoming members to this key celebration in the global Irish agenda along with our Honorary President, H.E. Mr. Niall Burgess and our partner organisations working for Team Ireland: IDA, Enterprise Ireland, Tourism Ireland and Bord Bia.
Registration is now closed for this event.
Sustainable Transport and Hydrogen Mobility
Tuesday, April 2nd, 2024
Sustainability is a key theme for all of our members today and so we are delighted to continue our series concentrating on different aspects of decarbonisation with a conference exploring sustainable transport and the role of hydrogen.
In collaboration with the Franco British Chamber of Commerce and the Réseau Oudinot, we have brought together leading experts in the realm of sustainable transport to present and discuss this critical topic which will impact us all going forward, both on a professsional and personal level.
The event will take place on the evening of Tuesday, April 2nd, in the auditorium of the Franco British Chamber of Commerce followed by a networking reception bringing together members and guests of our three networks.
Participation is €48 for members of NetworkIrlande and €70 for non-members.
Capacity is limited so please register HERE today to secure your place.
Recent Events
Lunch & Learn, February 29th, 2024
It was great to see so many new faces and such a diversity of professions and industries represented at our leap-day lunch and learn! Sandra Boeuf of JLL France expertly and interestingly described the different facets of the commercial property market and answered the many questions of the members present. For all your commercial real estate questions and to find out more about JLL visit https://www.jll.fr/ or reach out to Sandra Boeuf directly. If you are a business or pioneer member of NetworkIrlande and would like to share an aspect of your business with your fellow members at one of our upcoming lunch and learns please let us know at admin@networkirlande.com.
Business Networking Day, Région Sud
February 2nd, 2024
It is hard to summarise such an eventful day in a few words or photos however February 2nd 2024 will remain memorable for a number of reasons aside from the obvious rugby victory ! The day began with the most interesting, impressive and informative visit of the Marseille-FOS port by boat organised by Rising Sud, the business development agency for the South of France. Participants were then whisked off to the Rugby Club Toulonnais where they were welcomed by Mr. Bernard Lemaitre, President of the club and where they also heard from Marie-Cécile Tardieu of Business France and Mr. Francois de Canson, who highlighted both the attractiveness of France as a business destination in general and the Région Sud/Toulon in particular.
NetworkIrlande members were then warmly welcomed by Guillaume Girard-Reydet, President of Pernod Ricard France and Southern Europe at the wonderful Pernod Ricard headquarters at the docks in Marseille for a pre-match networking reception. Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD and Ambassador Niall Burgess honoured guests with their presence and the tone was set for the clash that followed in a good-natured competitive spirit.
We would like to thank all our partners and sponsors of this event, in particular those individuals that were key in making this day such a successful Franco-Irish collaboration with a special mention to our Board Member Niall Gately. Thanks also to all our members who participated: Amarenco, Axway, Ecocem, Grand Port Maritime de Dunkerque, Groupe Adéquat, IDA, Kingspan, Paragon ID, Primark, Smurfit Kappa, Staycity, Transdev were among our pioneer members represented on the day along with many small business members and individual professionals.
2024 : Economic Insights on the Year Ahead
January 11th, 2024
What a start to the NetworkIrlande 2024 agenda on January 11th when members were treated to a very profound, extremely astute and often entertaining presentation by the brilliant Ludovic Subran, Chief Economist at Allianz Trade. Many thanks to Ludovic and Allianz Trade en France for hosting NetworkIrlande and for allowing us this extremely privileged private audience. Particular thanks to our board member Sonia Criseo for bringing this event together. Thank you also to all our members who attended especially Deputy Ambassador Owen Feeney and the economic team representing the Embassy of Ireland in France along with our colleagues from IDA and Enterprise Ireland.
Annual Christmas Reception, Paris
December 13th, 2023
The end of year festivities continued on the evening of December 13th with the NetworkIrlande Annual Christmas reception at the Embassy of Ireland in Paris. Guests arrived to the melodious voices of the Irish Chaplaincy Chapel Choir singing Christmas carols and were then warmly welcomed officially by Ambassador Niall Burgess, Honorary President of the Chamber. Neale Richmond TD , Minister for Business, Employment and Retail spoke very thoughtfully and positively of the Franco-Irish business relationship and the strengthening links between our two countries in general. A very special thank you to Rory Mc Neill and Ecocem en France, this year's outright winners in the 'Best Irish Company in France' category of the Ireland France Business Awards held recently and who very kindly sponsored our event.
Many thanks also to the 100+ members that joined us for the event and to all our members who have shown exceptional engagement throughout the year.
NetworkIrlande Christmas Reception, Lyon
December 12th, 2023
The year end festivities kicked off for the Franco-Irish business community on December 12th in Lyon with the launch of a report compiled by Darragh McElligott mapping Irish businesses with a presence in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Bourgogne-Franche-Comte regions at the NetworkIrlande France annual year end reception. The full report can be accessed in English HERE et en français ICI.
The event was hosted by Ciara de Mora and the team at the Consulate General of Ireland in the wonderful Théâtre L'Île Ô. We were honoured with the presence of Mr. Neale Richmond TD, Ireland's Minister for Business, Employment and Retail who spoke of the strengthening business relationship between France and Ireland built on a very solid foundation of historic ties between our two countries. H.E. Niall Burgess, Ambassador of Ireland to France and Honorary President of NetworkIrlande, echoed those sentiments and celebrated the first year anniversary of both the Consulate in Lyon and the NetworkIrlande Lyon chapter.
This is the fourth event we have held in Lyon since the launch of the chapter at the end of last year and we look forward to developing our agenda of events even further in 2024.
Welcome To Our New Members
PIONEER MEMBERS
As the regional business development agency, Invest NI's role is to grow the local economy.
They do this by helping new and existing businesses to compete internationally, and by attracting new investment to Northern Ireland.
They are part of the Department for the Economy and provide strong government support for business by effectively delivering the Government's economic development strategies.
To find out how they can help your business visit: https://www.investni.com/international-business
For further information please contact Kelly-Marie Nolan at kelly-marie.nolan@investni.
BUSINESS MEMBERS
Ceangal ("to connect") delivers a range of luxurious Mindfulness, Yoga, Art, Cookery and Wine themed getaways across the beautiful Cognac and Bordeaux regions. Founded by Irish entrepreneurs Olive Towey and Charlie Ganly to cater to individual clients, interest groups and corporate clients in Ireland and France alike, they thoughtfully curate unique experiences in exceptional environments.
"To enhance well-being, inspire personal growth and create lasting memories for our clients, we collaborate closely with you to deliver luxurious immersive experiences with the warmest of Irish welcomes, delicious local food and wine and an ideal space in which to relax and connect with yourself and with others.
We invite you to read our reviews, check out our upcoming events and to get in touch to learn about creating space for you, or for those who share your passions."
Visit https://ceangal.eu/
For further information please contact Olive Towey : otowey@gmail.com
FIONA COSTELLO
Fiona Costello is a real estate agent originally from Athenry, Ireland, and now making Paris home since 2012. "Navigating a career shift from hospitality during the pandemic, I found my passion in real estate. Proudly affiliated with Keller Williams, I work independently, specialising in residential - and sometimes commercial - transactions in Paris. My goal is to focus more on assisting the expat communities with transactions in both France and worldwide. I am passionate about accompanying and guiding people through some of the most significant decisions of their lives, with a personalised service and a global perspective."
Visit https://fiona-costello.agentkw.fr/
For further information please contact Fiona at fiona.costello@kwfrance.com
Norman K. positions itself as an independent wealth management actor, collaborating in open architecture with leading institutions in France and internationally. Founded in 2021, the company now spans several major cities such as Paris, Nice, London, and Geneva. The NK platform offers a 360-degree approach by forming around its clients (international entrepreneurs and large families) a dedicated team of experts, carefully selected for their specialized skills in corporate, real estate, portfolio management, financing, taxation, and many other areas. Norman K.'s mission is to provide an optimal, unique, and fully customized solution.
Visit https://www.norman-k.com/
For further information please contact Olivier Chereau at olivier.chereau@norman-k.com
Individual Members
Mike CONROY
Aoife GALLAGHER
Richard KERRIGAN
Emmanuel LEFEVRE
Paul LYNCH
Daragh McGRATH
Aine MERCIER
Kailyn NG
John O'COILEAIN
Malachi O'ROURKE
Elma PETERS
Stephen RYAN
Joe SMYTH
Remember to consult the member directory in your member portal to find contact details for all your fellow members.
Other News & Events
St. Patrick's Festival in Paris
From roaming concert buses to exhibitions to a gastronomic taste of Ireland, find the full program of events HERE
Interceltic Business Forum
19th April, 2024
The Interceltic Business Forum is an annual event that brings together business leaders, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and experts from the Celtic world to discuss economic issues, foster business partnerships, and promote innovation. Since its inception, the Interceltic Business Forum has established itself as a key platform for the development of economic and commercial relations between Celtic regions.
Previous editions have taken place in Lorient and Cardiff and this year the event will be held at the Portershed in Galway. Full details and tickets (free but limited) can be found HERE.
Economic Report on Franco-Irish Relations
A report on the growing economic links between Ireland and France authored by Dr. Christy Ann Petit of DCU was launched in December. The full report may be found HERE with key take-aways below...
➡ France is Ireland's 7th largest export trading partner and 3rd largest import trading partner
➡ €30 billion in bilateral trade in 2022
➡ Almost fourfold increase in direct sea connections since 2020.
➡ 27% increase in exports of Enterprise Ireland companies to France in 2022.
➡ 30,000 jobs created by Irish companies in France.
➡ Nearly €1.2 billion in agri-food exports in 2022.
Click here to read the latest briefings in French on the Irish economy from the economic unit at the French Embassy in Dublin.
Our Pioneer Members
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