'An important conversation': Belfast Chamber summit to tackle Northern Ireland productivity challenge
Business leaders and Queen’s University Belfast academics will explore how stronger leadership, skills and workplace culture can drive productivity and long-term economic growth
Belfast business leaders and academics will come together later this month to examine how leadership, skills and workplace culture can help unlock greater productivity across Northern Ireland.
The annual Belfast Chamber Productivity Summit will take place at Riddel Hall on Wednesday, September 23, in association with Queen’s University Belfast and supporting partner AAB.
This year’s event will focus on people and leadership, exploring how organisations can create workplaces where employees thrive, leaders inspire and businesses improve performance.
Professor John Turner, Professor of Finance and Financial History at Queen’s University Belfast and co-author of The CEO: The Rise and Fall of Britain’s Captains of Industry, will examine how the role of the chief executive has evolved.
Drawing on his research into some of Britain’s most influential business leaders, he will explore what their successes and failures can teach organisations about effective leadership today.
Dr David Jordan, lecturer in economics at Queen’s University Belfast, will also examine Northern Ireland’s productivity performance and the role management and leadership can play in supporting long-term economic growth.
Speaking ahead of the event, Lynsey Mallon, President of Belfast Chamber, said: “Productivity is one of the defining challenges facing our economy, but enhancing productivity is not only about technology, investment, or processes. It is also about people - how we lead, how we develop talent, and how we create working environments in which individuals and teams can perform at their best.
“The Productivity Summit provides an important opportunity for business leaders to step back and consider what more can be done to build the skills, culture and leadership capability needed to create more productive and resilient organisations. By sharing insights and learning from one another, we can all play our part in strengthening productivity across Belfast and the wider Northern Ireland economy.”
Attendees will also hear from business leaders on the importance of putting people and leadership at the heart of high-performing organisations, with discussions exploring how businesses can build stronger teams, develop effective leaders and improve performance.
The first of two panel sessions, ‘The Productivity Trap – How are leaders enabling high performance?’, will include contributions from Feargal McCormack, senior partner and head of family business at AAB, Maeve Monaghan, CEO of NOW Group, and Joe O’Neill, CEO of Belfast Harbour. The second, ‘Investing in skills to unlock the productivity hiding within your workplace’, will feature Tony Marron, managing director at Liberty IT, Rajesh Rana, director at Andras Hotels, and Michele Hanley, HR director at Energia Group.
Dr David Jordan, lecturer in Economics at Queen’s University Belfast, explained: “Northern Ireland’s productivity challenge is complex, but the quality of management and leadership is an important part of the picture. Events such as the Belfast Chamber Productivity Summit enhance understanding of how organisations can better support their people, strengthen capability and improve performance to close the productivity gap and support sustainable economic growth.”
Emer Hinphey, partner at AAB, added: “AAB is pleased to support Belfast Chamber’s Productivity Summit and to be part of an important conversation around the role of people and leadership in building stronger, more productive businesses. Bringing together business leaders and academic experts provides a valuable opportunity to share ideas, learn from one another and consider how we can collectively address Northern Ireland’s productivity challenge.”
The summit will provide attendees with a valuable opportunity to explore practical approaches to leadership, people development and organisational performance, while considering the wider role businesses can play in unlocking Northern Ireland’s productivity potential and supporting long-term economic growth.