The Old Gasworks Business Park,
Kilmorey St.
Newry,
Co Down,
BT34 2DE
Tel: 00 44 (0)28 30834100
Fax: 00 44 (0)28 30834155
Textphone: 00 44 (0)28 30834169
E-mail: info@intertradeireland.com
Executive Board Members
DR. DAVID DOBBIN CBE
Dr David Dobbin CBE has extensive international business experience in the food and drink and packaging sectors and is currently Group Chief Executive of United Dairy Farmers, a leading UK dairy processor cooperative based in Northern Ireland. He is actively involved in promoting regional economic development and is Chairman of the Prince's Trust in Northern Ireland and serves on a number of public and private bodies including the Strategic Investment Board of Northern Ireland, the BT Ireland Advisory board and the Food From Britain Council; he is a past Chairman of CBI Northern Ireland. A First Class Honours Graduate in Mechanical Engineering from Queen's University Belfast, Dr. Dobbin has completed post graduate business courses at the London and Harvard Business Schools. In addition to receiving the CBE in the 2005 Birthday Honours for his service to the agrifood and packaging industries, Dr. Dobbin was awarded an honorary Chinese citizenship in 1998 by the city of Kunshan in recognition of his service to economic development in China and an honorary doctorate from Queen's University Belfast in 2005 for his services to the economy.
JOHN FITZGERALD
John Fitzgerald was appointed Dublin City Manager in 1996 and stepped down from that position in June 2006.
In June last, he was appointed Chairman of the newly formed Grangegorman Development Agency which was established by Government to provide a campus for D I T and its 20,000 students together with Health Services Agency requirements and other facilities at a location close to the city centre.
John is currently involved, as board member and otherwise, with a number of other public and private sector bodies.
He has recently been appointed by the Irish Government to chair the two new regeneration agencies in Limerick City.
DR. WILLIAM GERARD O'HARE
Gerard is one of Northern Ireland's most successful property and business entrepreneurs with a portfolio of developments across Ireland, the UK, Central Europe and the USA.
As founder and CEO of Parker Green, Gerard has grown an international portfolio of properties and investments fast approaching $1 Billion Dollars which includes; The Quays Shopping & Leisure Centre in Newry and The Fairgreen Shopping Centre in Carlow, ROI.
As an ambassador for Northern Ireland respected for good business practice, sound vision and a proven ability, Gerard has been the catalyst in bringing together many major developments and attracting outside investment into Northern Ireland from the early 1990's to present day, motivating and securing some of the early PFI schemes.
Hugely influential through his dedicated commitment to community support and academic excellence, Gerard's distinguished career has seen him appointed as Chairman of the Communities Support Group, President of the Newry Chamber of Commerce and Trade, Chairman of the University of Ulster Foundation as well as a visiting professor at the University of Ulster School of the Built Environment.
HUGH LOGUE
Hugh Logue is an economist and was a senior official of the European Commission from 1985 to 2005. Whilst there he initiated the STRIDE( Science and Technology for Regional Innovation and Development in Europe) programme.He was a member of the Delors Task Force which created the EU Peace and Reconciliation Programme.
Prior to Brussels he was economist at the National Board for Science and Technology in Dublin. He is a director of two renewable energy companies. In 2006 he was appointed to board of the Irish Peace Institute,University of Limerick., From 1998-2002 he was seconded from Brussels as Special Adviser to the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister at Stormont. He was born in 1949 in Co.Derry and was elected for that area to the N.I Assembly in 1973, 1975 and 1982.
BRENDAN BUTLER
Brendan Butler joined the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC) in 1988 having previously worked in the public sector for 15 years. Brendan worked in a number of different roles in IBEC including as Director of the Small Firms Association (SFA) also as IBEC's Director of Social Policy and Director of Enterprise. In 2006 Brendan became IBEC's Director of Strategy, Trade, EU and International Affairs responsible for Trade, All- Island, EU and International Policy.
Brendan has been involved in the negotiations for the last six national partnership programmes first introduced in Ireland in 1987. Brendan is a member of the National Economic and Social Council (NESC) and the National Competitiveness Council( NCC). Brendan holds a B.Comm from University College Dublin and M.Sc. (Economics) from Trinity College Dublin.
JACK GILMOUR
Jack Gilmour started his working life in a family controlled commercial printing company. When he was in his early twenties in 1970, this was sold and he moved into another existing family business of public houses. At the end of the 1970's, he was in charge of the day-to-day operation of three businesses. Through a further acquisition, he greatly enlarged the group turnover and increased the employees to 110. He then sold his interest in these public houses and retired for a couple of years. In 1992 he purchased his present establishment, situated at Upper Malone on the southern outskirts of Belfast, where he currently employs twenty-five staff. He has been married for thirty years, has a daughter working in New York and a son, who is an architect, currently in London.
PÁDRAIG MAC LOCHLAINN
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn is a member of Donegal County Council and Buncrana Town Council. He served as Mayor of Buncrana from June 2005 to June 2006.
Pádraig has been the Sinn Féin candidate for Donegal North East in Dáil elections on two occasions. In 2002, he received 10% (3611 votes) and in the 2007 general election, he received 17.5% (6733 votes), just missing out on a Dáil seat.
He has served on the Sinn Féin Ard Comhairle (National Executive) and continues to represent the party at national and international level on a regular basis.
Padraig acted as the Donegal spokesperson for the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed (INOU) from 1997 to 2001. He also served on the INOU National Executive from 1997 until 2000 as well as representing the organisation on the National Rural Development Forum.
At local level, he was a community director on the Inishowen Partnership Board for 5 years from 1996 to 2001.
His work as a community activist and political representative has led him to speak at conferences across Europe on the issues of unemployment, regional neglect and rural poverty.
ROSALEEN DOHERTY
Rosaleen Doherty is a recently returned emigrant from the USA where she spent 11 years working in the food industry; she held a variety of senior positions within research & development prior to moving into business development in 2004. She is a graduate of University College Galway, with a degree in Chemistry and Biochemistry and University College Dublin with a Masters in Food Science. On her return to Ireland, Rosaleen divides her time between her consulting business specializing in business development for a US ingredient company within the European market and running a family owned pub & restaurant in North Donegal.
TOM SCOTT
Tom Scott was until 2005 a Northern Ireland senior civil servant latterly with Department for Employment and Learning with responsibility for skills, management development and youth training policy. In November 2005 he became Chair of the Greater Shankill Partnership Board in Belfast leading the Partnership on neighbourhood regeneration strategy. Tom is a board member of Ormeau Enterprise Ltd, a local enterprise agency, and is involved with several private and public sector bodies. He is also involved in youth issues through Scouting, Belfast Activity Centre and the Gerry Rogan Initiative Trust.
SEAN GALLAGHER
Sean Gallagher is co-founder and Managing Director of Dundalk based company Smarthomes. Set up in 2002, the company employs 65 staff and specialises in the manufacture and installation of technology solutions for the residential construction sector.
Smarthomes recently won the contract to install their systems in Adamstown, the new town in South County Dublin, which when complete, will consist of more than 10,000 new homes. In 2004 the company won the Intertrade-Ireland Seedcorn competition and in 2006 Sean was a finalist in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the year programme.
Sean has a diverse background in the areas of Enterprise Development, Politics and Education. He holds a Masters Degree in Business (MBA) from Dundalk Institute of Technology and the University of Ulster at Jordanstown. He was formerly Deputy CEO of the Louth County Enterprise Board where he focused on supporting start up enterprises in the border area. Prior to that, and at the age of 28, he was appointed political advisor to Government Minister Dr. Rory O'Hanlon T.D..
Earlier in his career, having qualified as one of the Ireland's first professional Youth and Community Development workers, from NUI Maynooth, he was the author of the Government's first National Alcohol Education Programme for the Departments of Health, Education and the Irish Youth Service.
PATRICIA MC KEOWN
(Biography To Follow)
RAY DOHERTY
Ray Doherty began his working career as a Marine Radio Engineer and then moved on the complete a Marketing Degree. He spent the next 12 years in marketing and sales in the fuel industry. He then established the franchise for a well known international restaurant chain in the Cork area where he operated 3 restaurants employing over 300 people and has spent 23 years in that business from which he has recently retired.
His other activities include a Property Development Partnership, a Management Letting and Sales Company and he has extensive property interests in his own right.
Ray has served on several Boards and for many years and was a representative for the Restaurateurs for the Joint Labour Council for the Catering Industry at the Department of Labour in Dublin. He has recently retired as a founding Board member of the National Treatment Purchase Fund. He has held the senior high profile position of Chairman of the commercial body representing the businesses in Cork City Centre.
Ray is a member of the Marketing Institute of Ireland, Irish Management Institute and is a Director of a number of Charities.
