Two senior business figures have been appointed to the board of NI Chamber

Two senior business figures have been appointed to the board of Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NI Chamber).

Cat McCusker from PwC Northern Ireland and Fiacre O’Donnell from Encirc’s parent company Vidrala join as the business membership organisation prepares to celebrate its 240th anniversary.

Cat is the regional market leader in Northern Ireland and the education consulting leader. The professional services firm employs over 3,700 people in Northern Ireland, which is PwC UK’s fastest-growing region. Its destination workplace in Belfast’s Merchant Square is PwC's largest regional office outside of London. Cat is particularly passionate about the skills agenda, mental health, ESG and customer led transformation. Across her role as the education consulting leader, Cat works at a global and local level to help universities to reimagine their student and staff experience, bringing people, experience and technology innovation together to help solve some of the firm's clients' biggest challenges. Beyond education, she has also worked with major organisations across local government, central government and the police, generating significant cost savings and tangible benefits.

Fiacre joined Fermanagh-based, market-leading glass container manufacturer Encirc in 1998. Each year, Encirc produces more than 4 billion glass containers for leading global brands, filling many of them for retail across the UK and Europe. Having held various roles in planning, sales, marketing and sustainability, he was appointed sustainability director of its Spanish based parent company, Vidrala in 2020.

Announcing their recent appointments, Ann McGregor, chief executive, NI Chamber, said: “We are delighted to welcome two people of such significant standing and experience to NI Chamber’s board. Cat and Fiacre bring a wealth of knowledge to our organisation and will represent their respective industries ably as we continue to support firms in all sectors across Northern Ireland. They join at the beginning of our 240th year, following in the footsteps of some of the region’s most eminent business leaders over centuries.”

The NI Chamber Board also includes representatives from Eakin Healthcare, Henderson Foodservice, BT, Greenfields Ireland, Danske Bank, Henry Brothers, Pinsent Masons and PR Business Growth Services.