Cork Chamber awards shine a light on business leaders

Ronan Murray, president of Cork Chamber, outlines the importance of awards celebrating success in business. He talks to Joe Dermody

Ronan Murray, president of Cork Chamber,  speaking at the 2023 Cork Chamber Annual Dinner in City Hall Cork. Photo: Darragh Kane

Winners of the overall prize in the Cork Chambers' annual Company of the Year for the past 25 years have come from all sectors of business life. 

Each of the overall winners has had its own unique journey. While finding threads that tie these diverse businesses together, what is clear is that they have all been an inspiration to others in their community. 

Here, Ronan Murray, current Cork Chamber president and a partner with EY, answers questions about what 25 years of this competition has meant to all of the parties involved.

Q1. How important are local relations in the sustained success enjoyed by Cork businesses?

The Cork Chamber Cork Company of the Year Awards serve as a mechanism to acknowledge the unique strengths, talents and contributions of a wide range of businesses in our region. Over the past 25 years, the awards programme has evolved to become a platform to showcase what Cork has to offer as a place to do business. 

Each year, we see a unity of purpose and consistency of traits among entrants in each category. This is proof that relationships and interactions among the Cork business community are contributing to the success of the region. The range of businesses across the different award categories is tangible evidence of the robust ecosystem that exists here in Cork to support a wide range of enterprises. 

This diversity is indicative of a healthy and thriving business environment that supports both entrepreneurs and the local economy. Building and maintaining this ecosystem is an ongoing effort that requires collaboration between various stakeholders, and therefore local relations are of utmost importance to sustain the success enjoyed by Cork businesses.

Since the inception of these awards, the rise of social media and digital technology has enabled us to monitor the level of engagement when nominees are unveiled. This, in turn, reinforces the significance of active community engagement and how local communities value the businesses around them.

Q2. Are there traits that the overall winners of the Cork Company of the Year have in common? 

Each business recognised in the Cork Company of the Year Awards has had its own unique journey and the stories behind these Cork businesses never fail to inspire. From the outset the vision and ambition of these companies demonstrates their desire to make a significant impact, not just in their own industries, but also in the Cork region where they have made strategic investments and have expanded their employee base. 

In recent years, challenges such as the pandemic have demonstrated the strength, resilience and agility of companies that have had success. Many of these organisations were quick to recognise the need to adjust their strategies allowing them to stay relevant and seize new opportunities. Winners in recent years have excelled in sustainability, diversity, equality and inclusion, while also leading on delivery of the UN Sustainable Development Goals to leave a lasting mark locally, nationally and globally.

Q3. How does Cork Chamber bring diverse business voices together to help influence positive change in society?

Uniting the voices of the business community and driving transformative change has always been the primary focus of Cork Chamber. Our members drive our advocacy and through our lobbying efforts we aim to influence the decision-making process at local, regional and national levels. Cork has a diverse and colourful business community, the fabric of which is our thriving startup, small, medium and large enterprises, the lifeblood of our economy. In order to maintain and grow this environment, Cork itself must continue to be a base for growth with stakeholders supporting R&D, innovation, skills base, and a growing population.

The conditions must remain favourable for this, and we work tirelessly on behalf of our members to ensure that Cork and the South West region can take the opportunity to plan for scale. Whether it is infrastructure delivery, education, housing, public transport, climate action, or tourism we work to ensure that the confidence is there to allow the region to progress. Cork doesn’t need to replicate Dublin. We are looking to create and grow a different city, one which can continually evolve and innovate to stay competitive.

Since its inception in 1819 there have been different challenges along the way including the Irish Great Famine, the First World War and the Irish War of Independence. Even in those times, bringing business voices together and working collectively to strengthen supports for local business was always a key focus. 

This was the precise strategy for the Chamber almost 200 years later when the pandemic hit; bring business voices together through virtual networking and collaboration, listen to the deep understanding and expertise of our members, and working with Government and elected representatives to maintain economic progress. It is for this reason I believe Cork Chamber plays a central role in Cork’s profile as an attractive location for business. In addition, our active and prominent role in international relations ensures deeper partnerships with many other entities across the US, EU and Asia. 2023 has again proven to be a strong year to date for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Cork. In a rapidly changing global economy with new issues such as climate change, artificial intelligence (AI) and climate change presenting both opportunities and challenges to our city and region, Cork Chamber will continue to bring business voices together to ensure Cork is the best place to live, work and invest in.

Q4. In your own role as president of Cork Chamber, what do you see as the most important current and likely future issues for businesses at local, national and EU or even at a global level?

Without doubt climate change is one of the most important issues for businesses today and it will certainly be an issue well into the future. It is crucial that climate change is addressed not only to mitigate risks but also to seize opportunities for growth, innovation, and long-term viability in an evolving global landscape that must be focused on environmental sustainability. That is key to Cork Chamber’s vision to be a world-leading Chamber of Commerce, delivering on a progressive, economic, social and sustainability agenda. It is embedded in all our work, and our Sustainable Cork Programme has continued to gather momentum through our dedicated webinar series.

We are building a different city in Cork, a sustainable one. Not a second city, but a lighthouse city for investment. On taking up office last year, I focused on the need to work with Government and elected representatives to help deliver on key infrastructure projects to ensure the city region continued to be a leader with sustainability at its core. Over the past year there has been much success on a number of fronts which all stakeholders should be proud of. Cork has the potential to be a global renewable energy hub. 

The Chamber has continued to advocate for continued investment to develop the port and energy infrastructure. We will continue to work with Government and elected representatives to advocate for the acceleration of investments in housing and infrastructure to ensure that our city region remains attractive for both investment and talent attraction. 

These advancements will create a sustainable future for the region and a more living green city. The city’s designation as one of the EU’s Mission Cities for Climate Neutrality to 2030 should really complement and drive that goal of the green transition, creating a thriving city region with sustainability at its heart. We are also working closely with our members to drive a sustainable agenda. 

As always, the resilience of Cork business will win out, and together we will tackle the challenges being presented by climate change. Testament to this is documented in our Economic Trends Surveys where our recent responses by our members proved that in the face of uncertainty created by war on our continent they sought to embrace sustainability through energy efficiency and renewables, rather than reducing headcount. 

So, while climate change is the most important current and likely future issue facing businesses, I have every confidence Cork businesses will rise to the challenge and the city itself will adapt and evolve, like we have seen it do time and time again over the past 200 years.