Archives: 2016

Gender Equality at work

Gender equality at work – we’ve been talking about this for decades and yet progress is slow.  Why? We hardly need another report on the business case for diversity.  Added to this, developing and retaining employees are perennial priorities, employee engagement is high on the agenda and businesses are spending time and money on building

Announcing our new board member: Chris Martin

Chris Martin is the CEO of Musgrave Group, Ireland’s largest grocery and food distributor. Founded in Cork in 1876, in 2016 Musgrave celebrates 140 years in family business, supporting thousands of other family businesses.

Abbott Recognised for Protecting the Environment by Chambers Ireland

  Abbott won the Excellence In Environment Award at the Chambers Ireland Corporate Social Responsibility Awards, which was held on the evening of 1 Sept. 2016 in Dublin. The award recognizes Abbott’s sustained excellence in the execution of programmes across its six manufacturing sites in Ireland aimed at improving the environmental efficiency and sustainability of

Women Wanted: STEM Careers open to women since 1906

Estelle Brachlianoff, Senior Executive Vice-President at Veolia UK & Ireland, discusses women in STEM careers and how to get more women on-board In 1906 it’s understood that Alice Perry was the first woman to graduate with a degree in engineering in the UK and Ireland. She graduated with a first class honours degree in Civil Engineering

Our EPIC programme announces that it has assisted over 2,600 people from 101 countries to find employment or enter further education and training

  Business in the Community Ireland’s EPIC programme announces that it has assisted over 2,600 people from 101 countries to find employment or enter further education and training EPIC stands for Employment for People from Immigrant Communities A number of companies including CPL, BT and Enterprise Rent a Car provide free training David Stanton T.D.,

Leaders’ Roundtable session – 8th September

September 8th: Millennials and more: Leadership in a multi-generational workplace Each year, there are approximately four roundtable sessions with visiting experts as well as ongoing exchange and collaborative action throughout. In our last session we explored the multi-generational workforce and how businesses can prepare for a 2025 workplace that will be predominantly Gen Y millennials.

Q3 Network Meeting: ‘Business and Human Rights’

  The Q3 Member Network Meetings on September 14th and 15th 2016 were hosted by Bank of Ireland. The meetings focused on Business and Human Rights.

Congratulations to all the Chambers CSR Award Winners

ESB has won the Outstanding Achievement in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Award at the 2016 Chambers Ireland CSR Awards held in the DoubleTree Hilton in Dublin on September 1st. ESB was selected by the judging panel for having CSR practices embedded at the company’s core and for the organisation’s ongoing dedication to community engagement and

2016 CEO Pulse Survey

Success is more than financial profit – a ‘paradigm shift’ in business driven by changing stakeholder expectations  By Feargal O’Rourke, PwC Managing Partner The CEO environment is a challenging one. Many CEOs recognise the wider stakeholder expectations of their businesses. The views of customers and other stakeholders, including employees and investors, aren’t just evolving but

Small Steps to an Active Lifestyle with Hovione

Hovione, the pharmaceutical contract manufacturer, has come up with an innovative way to make the most of its beautiful surroundings in Loughbeg, Co. Cork, where their premises overlook Whitegate, Spike Island and Cobh. Inspiring employees and other visitors to take positive steps and form lasting healthy habits, the company has created a map to guide

Diageo Ireland Sustainability

Sustainability is the key principle that underlies all of Diageo’s activities. For Diageo, sustainability is about taking into consideration how every dimension of how our business operates. As one of the largest corporate entities in Ireland and as an integral part of one of the largest drinks groups in the world, our overall aim is

Bord na Móna reports solid results and makes strong progress on sustainability strategy

Bord na Móna launched their Annual Report for year ended March 2016.Expressing his satisfaction with the results, John Horgan, Chairman said “This has been another year of solid achievement for Bord na Móna. The company was established in 1934 to deliver sustainable industry and employment using Ireland’s indigenous, natural resources and we continue to do

New Employer Information Disability Service

Would you like to know more about the range of supports and funding available when recruiting or retaining an employee with a disability? The new Employer Disability Information service is an initiative led by employer bodies Chambers Ireland, Ibec and ISME and is a free resource for employers.

BUSINESS ACTION ON EMPLOYMENT – Celebrating diversity in the workforce

Through our Business Action on Employment programmes, we work with business and government to help marginalised people get into employment. On September 28th, our latest participants will graduate and our guest of honour will be David Stanton T.D, Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality.

We have published our 2015 Sustainability Report  

We are delighted to launch our 2015 Sustainability Report ‘in accordance’ with GRI’s G4 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines. Although we are a small organisation, we are committed to reporting our sustainability impacts and achievements to our stakeholders in a way that is relevant for us.

Cover story on Cork Chambers Magazine

Our CEO Tina Roche is on the cover of the latest Chamberlink Magazine. This is Cork Chamber’s regular magazine which is distributed to key companies in the Cork region. In her feature interview, Tina discusses the benefits of being a sustainable business, the Sustainable Development Goals and her top business tips.

Our 2015 Sustainability Report

The Foundation for Investing in Communities encompassing Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) and The Community Foundation for Ireland (CFI) has published its 2015 Sustainability Report marking the continuation of our own sustainability journey. We are extremely cognisant of the leadership that we need to demonstrate ourselves in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability

In Conversation with Sinead Smith, Corporate Responsibility Manager of A&L Goodbody

In this month of our In Conversation with series we are delighted to talk to Sinead Smith, Corporate Responsibility Manager of A&L Goodbody Please describe your role and responsibilities and how many years you have been in the company I have been with A&L Goodbody as Corporate Responsibility Manager for the past 4 years.  I

5 top tips for Sustainability reporting – Our experience

Our expert, Lorraine Fitzgerald, outlines the top tips when compiling a sustainability report in accordance with GRI Guidelines. We are the only NGO and small organisation to use this standard in Ireland.

Examples of Good Practice in Biodiversity Management

We profile a selection of non-member companies that are leading the field in biodiversity management across a range of activities: from funding to restoration to strategy to accounting. As part of our 2016 Biodiversity Project – which included the launch of our Biodiversity Framework for Business – we’re profiling some of the most interesting and progressive examples of corporate

Our Excellence Through People Results

We are delighted to announce that we have achieved a remarkable 94% in the Excellence Through People standard. This is the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) certification for HR Management and its focus is to get organisations to look at their people as a key source of competitive advantage. The certification looks at many

In Conversation with Catherine Duffy, General Manager of Northern Trust in Limerick

  In this month of our In Conversation with series we are delighted to talk to Catherine Duffy, General Manager of Northern Trust in Limerick Please describe your role and responsibilities and how many years you have been in the company I am the General Manager of Northern Trust in Limerick. On a day to

Smarter Cities Challenge – Improving quality of life for Limerick’s older people

Last year, Limerick was chosen as one of IBM’s 17 ’Smarter Cities’ around the world.  For three weeks during May, a team of five global IBM experts, from the U.S. and India, assessed current activities being undertaken by Limerick City & County Council and were tasked with developing a set of recommendations to predict and

Ulster Bank’s One Week in June Raises over €400K to Help the Fight Against Cancer

Ulster Bank’s One Week in June charity fundraising campaign took place between 20th and 24th June.  One Week in June is an integral part of Ulster Bank’s community engagement programme and is a week dedicated to supporting charity fundraising with staff, customers, local businesses and communities all working together. This year €421, 413 was raised
Intel

Intel unveils winners of latest Pride of Place competition

€30,000 is donated to local organisations In 2015 Intel launched the Pride of Place competition for the first time, a competition which seeks to provide monetary support to projects and initiatives in the communities local to the Intel campus in Leixlip, Co. Kildare. The first Pride of Place competition supported environmental initiatives in the community by partnering with the Tidy Town Associations of Leixlip,

Improve the literacy of Ireland’s young children with our Time to Read programme

Would your company like to be involved in a fantastic programme designed to improve the literacy of Ireland’s young children? Time to Read is a reading programme for children in second class which increases their enjoyment and confidence in reading.

Chambers Ireland Launches Shortlist for CSR Awards 2016

Excellence in CSR Practices Can Help Attract Foreign Direct Investment Chambers Ireland announced the shortlist for the 2016 Corporate Social Responsibility Awards. The Awards, now in their thirteenth year, celebrate the positive work done by the business community for the benefit of their employee, the local community and the environment.

In Conversation with Audrey Nolan Head of CSR at Bank of Ireland

    In this month of our In Conversation with series we are delighted to talk to Audrey Nolan, Head of CSR at Bank of Ireland   Please describe your role and responsibilities and how many years you have been in the company I am Head of CSR & Reporting, in Bank of Ireland Group

Intel and University College Dublin sign first ever Partnership to Boost Innovation

Intel Ireland recently launched a strategic partnership with University College Dublin who are one of Ireland’s leading universities. A memorandum of understanding was signed by the head of Intel’s Irish operations, Eamonn Sinnott, who is the General Manager of Intel Ireland and Vice President of Intel’s Technology Manufacturing Group, and UCD President, Professor Andrew Deeks.

Ulster Bank and Young Social Innovators Annual Awards

Ulster Bank launched a partnership with Young Social Innovators (YSI) in January. YSI believe that young people are a powerful force for change in their local communities and encourages, motivates and creates new opportunities for young people to actively participate in the world around them. The annual YSI awards were held in City West Hotel,