Cork native Anne O’Leary proud to take on role of new Ibec president

IBEC, the group that represents Irish business, has announced the appointment of Anne O’Leary, head of Meta Ireland, as its new president for 2024 to 2025.

‘I am immensely proud to have been appointed as Ibec president. In my various roles with businesses in Ireland, I have always placed great value on Ibec’s role as the voice of business and employers,’ said Ms O’Leary, who has a home in Lisheen.

‘Ireland’s economy is in a very strong position, thanks to factors such as our openness to trade, capital, and people. We must continue to be agile and responsive to new investment, support Irish businesses in internationalising, and ensure that Ireland remains a place where careers can grow and develop. However, I believe the position we are in now is predominantly due to the hard work of businesses and their ambition to grow and scale. As a country, we have a real opportunity to make strategic investments that will ultimately future-proof our success so that businesses can continue to thrive. I look forward to working on behalf of Ibec and our members with this government and the next in navigating these opportunities,’ she added.

Meanwhile Ibec’s election manifesto data shows a 231% increase in post-primary education and 78% employment growth in Cork over the past 25 years.

The group hosted a Cork Budget and General Election Manifesto Briefing, bringing together business leaders and TDs, where members emphasised the importance of leveraging Ireland’s economic success while avoiding complacency.

At the meeting, TDs heard how Cork businesses remain highly optimistic and believe that the resources available to the next government provide a generational opportunity to address areas where Ireland scores poorly, such as infrastructure delivery, a realistic energy strategy, low lifelong learning rates, and quality of life issues like social investment and housing.

Helen Leahy, head of regional policy at Ibec, said: ‘Cork and the wider region are prime examples of how businesses and strategic government investment can enable a region to thrive. From 1996 to 2022, Cork has seen a 231% increase in post-primary education and 78% employment growth. More than that, businesses have created opportunities for fulfilling, purposeful careers with a good work-life balance in high-value sectors, demonstrating the region’s position of strength and future potential.

‘However, we must not allow complacency to set in. The slow delivery of infrastructure, such as the M28 and N/M20, remains a source of frustration for many members in the region. It is also critical that we continue to invest in further/ higher education and ensure that the skills needed for the future workforce are developed, including significantly increasing lifelong learning rates.

‘While the economy continues to perform strongly, we are acutely aware of the cost competitiveness challenges faced by smaller businesses across the region, some of which placed in very vulnerable positions.’