North West innovation themed webinar with industry leader Kieran Kennedy

Under the theme: ‘Playing the Innovation Game’, the series will feature Kieran Kennedy, chair of 21 Training and former MD of O’Neills international sports company. Mr Kennedy, who is due to receive an MBE in early 2022, also holds key roles as chair of Strabane BID and Board member with Invest Northern Ireland.

During the recent Covid-19 crisis, Mr Kennedy and the team at O’Neills worked tirelessly to support the health service in the north west through the production of critically needed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Londonderry Chamber of Commerce, Derry City and Strabane District Council and Ulster University are collaborating on the series in which City Deal partners select case studies from the region. The programme also takes some of the allocated time to discuss what innovation means in practice within a business and general advice on embracing digital technologies.

The Innovation Stories webinars follow the signing of the historic Derry and Strabane City Deal in February, and also come as Northern Ireland embarks on a ‘Decade of Innovation’, set out in the recent publication of the Department for the Economy’s 10X Economy paper.

As the north west prepares for Centres of Excellence in Medicine, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence as part of the City Deal, Rosalind Young, investment manager at Derry City and Strabane District Council urged businesses to start their innovation journey now.

“Derry City and Strabane District Council and Ulster University are delighted to offer this new conversation series with Londonderry Chamber,” she said.

“We are inviting businesses to hear best practice and to leave with an idea of how they will play their part in the Decade of Innovation.

“We are privileged to have Kieran Kennedy feature in this webinar, as well as his years of leadership at O’Neills and his various directorships, Kieran is the only Northern Ireland representative from manufacturing to the Department of Trade and Industry trade advisory group and he will have many insights to offer on the topic of innovation.”

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