Key employees ‘will have to live abroad’

Conor Keane, Business Correspondent

The EI boss said Irish managers and development engineers will have to live abroad for anything up to seven years to develop and grow their business with their top clients. Mr Ryan, who was speaking at the Cork Chamber of Commerce/Irish Examiner monthly business breakfast, said: “Irish managers will have to live and work abroad to get to know their customers’ needs and serve those needs.” He said the mission of EI, the government agency with responsibility for developing Irish industry, is to accelerate the development of world-class Irish companies to achieve strong positions in global markets, resulting in increased national and regional prosperity.

“At no other time has the future of the economy depended so heavily on the performance of indigenous companies. Structural and transformational change is taking place. Ireland’s future success increasingly lies in the research, commercialisation, production and sale of higher value added products and services to worldwide markets.