AmCham Hosts West-North-West Conference

AmCham hosted its 2025 West-North-West Conference this week, with panel discussions on infrastructure and innovation and on talent and cost competitiveness.  

The Conference, which was sponsored by KPMG, featured a fantastic line-up of speakers, who outlined the key priorities for business in the region, including prioritising impactful regional transport infrastructure, enhancing Ireland’s research landscape, and the adoption of digital technology.

Speaking on a panel discussion on infrastructure and innovation, Michelle Conaghan, Regional Manager, North West Region, IDA Ireland, said that when looking to enhance the attractiveness of the West-North-West region for investment, it is important to focus on creating a “seamless experience” for potential investors to get to, and travel around the region.

Michelle noted that if a potential overseas investor flies into Dublin airport, they have access to Galway via a motorway, but she said the connectivity to the rest of the region requires enhancement.

She highlighted that if the key stakeholders in the region can decide on the “infrastructure asks that will drive the greatest impact for the region” and create the best experience for investors, then there can be a more targeted approach to advocating for those projects, which can escalate the delivery.

Speaking on the same panel, Paddy Medley, VP of Quality HPE Hybrid Cloud and MD, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Galway, highlighted some of the gaps that need to be addressed to support RD&I in Ireland.

In addressing the research gap in particular, he noted that businesses and academia measure research success on different metrics and that this needs to be bridged to support greater success and investment in this area.

During a panel discussion on talent and competitiveness, Niall Kearney, Director KPMG said: “I think technology is the number one challenge coming down the tracks”. He highlighted that the “winners and losers in business will be dictated by those who embrace technology and embrace innovation” across the business as a whole, noting that the “strength of the bench” will also be a key differentiator. However, he said that this integration must be combined with a focus on “soft skills”, which can easily be lost in a digital and remote working environment.

Speaking on the same panel, Esther Tippmann, Professor of Strategy, University of Galway, noted that with the increase in digitalisation in the workplace, there has been a significant rise in global virtual teams.

She said: “This is a great opportunity for Ireland to nurture global leadership talent among employees and aspiring leaders, to set Ireland and the West-North-West region apart.”