Declan Kearney, Director of Communications, Aer Lingus

Declan Kearney is a graduate of Economics and Business Studies at Trinity College Dublin and joined Aer Lingus in April 2003.

He was appointed Director of Communications in April of 2010 with responsibility for internal and external communications, including media relations.

Declan has held a number of senior management positions within Aer Lingus since 2003 including Head of Customer Services, Head of In-flight Operations and Head of Performance and Reward.

He has extensive experience in the fields of Communications, Human Resources and Customer Service within major industries in Ireland and internationally. Prior to joining Aer Lingus Declan held senior management positions in Eircom and United Parcel Service.         

Ann McGregor, Chief Executive, Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce

Ann McGregor (BA Hons, MA Marketing) was appointed as CEO of the Northern Ireland Chamber in June 2008. She was formerly Chief Executive of Enterprise NI - the network of local enterprise agencies and a director with Business in the Community. She commenced her career in the private sector working in production/materials management with Roche Manufacturing, Schering Plough and Bird’s General Foods before moving into local economic development with the Local Enterprise Agency network specialising in small business development and support.

Ann is a current member of the Institute of Directors, the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a Fellow of the Institute of Business Consulting. She is also a Trustee of the Grand Opera House, a member of the Arena Network Steering Committee and a Director of Young Enterprise. She also represents the Chamber in the OFMDFM Cross Sectoral Advisory Forum, the Organised Crime Taskforce, the Green New Deal Group and WXN – a woman in business network.

Tracy Meharg, Managing Director, Invest NI

Tracy is one of four Managing Directors in Invest Northern Ireland

who, together with the Chief Executive, drive the agency’s work to help stimulate local economic growth by helping businesses succeed.

She heads up Invest NI’s Innovation and Capability Development Group and has played a central role in creating a strong and focused direction for Invest NI’s work in this key area, which covers support for a wide range of business operations from product development through to international trading.

Tracy’s background in marketing and business development has given her a keen sense of the challenges that businesses face and an appreciation of the type of support that companies need to help them maximise their potential.

She has substantial experience of local economic development at a strategic level having previously worked in the Industrial Development Board (IDB) heading up its Information and Communication Technologies Division. Before joining IDB Tracy worked in a number of marketing and public relations roles.

Tracy has a BA from Trinity College Dublin and an MBA in International Business and Industrial Development from the University of Ulster. She also has a Diploma in Marketing from the Institute of Marketing and a Certificate in Communications Studies from the CAM foundation.

Tracy is married with three sons. In her spare time she enjoys relaxing with her children, travelling, walking the dog and reading.

Jamie Delargy, Business Editor, UTV

As business editor for UTV and U105 Radio, Jamie Delargy covers all the big stories in the industrial and commercial world. He also writes a regular newspaper column commenting on major business issues.

Jamie began his career in journalism working in the Irish News before moving to Downtown Radio. In 1980 he joined UTV. Since then he has worked on and edited current affairs and consumer programmes, before moving back to news. Jamie is twice winner of the NI Business Journalist of the Year award.

In addition to a degree in Philosophy from Cambridge University he also has an MSc in Finance and Investment from the University of Ulster.

Adrienne McGill, Business Editor, News Letter

Adrienne McGill is a member of a long established academic family in Northern Ireland. 

She holds a BA (Hons) degree in Political Science and an MSSc in Irish Political Studies from Queen's University, Belfast.

Adrienne gained a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism from Falmouth College of Journalism in Cornwall following her studies at Queen's University.

Upon completing her studies, Adrienne worked as a news reporter for the East Antrim Gazette and then as a business reporter with the Irish news.

For the past 12 years she has held the position of Business Editor with the News Letter.

Adrienne is the recipient of numerous awards for her business and personal finance reports.

Richard Buckley, Editor, Business Eye

Richard Buckley is Editor & Joint Publisher of Business Eye magazine. An experienced business journalist, he is a former Editor in Chief with the Greer Publications Group, and previously worked for Belfast Telegraph Newspapers.

Alongside his wife and business partner, Brenda, he established Business Eye in 1999. The magazine is a two-time winner of the Irish Business Magazine of the Year Award.