Independent Chairperson Patrick Joy | |
Patrick Joy is the founder of Suretank Group and was the 2013 Irish EY Entrepreneur of the Year. He is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer (University College Dublin, 1974) and has an MBA (Trinity College Dublin, 1988). Patrick sold two thirds of his business Suretank to Hitecvision, a Norwegian private equity in 2013. He bought the business back in 2023. He is an active member of the board of Suretank Group as well as investing in and mentoring new start-up businesses. He spent four years on the Board of Intertrade Ireland where he chaired the Funding for Growth and Acumen Committees and eight years on the board of the Irish Exporters Association, occupying the role of President in 2023. Outside of his business interests, Patrick is a member of Engineers Ireland, Boyne RFC, Royal Dublin Society and Co. Louth golf club. |
Business Sector: |
North East Sustainable Tech (NEST), Ardee Dermot Clarke, Chairperson | |
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Drogheda & District Chamber of Commerce Hubert Murphy, Chief Executive Officer |  |
Hubert is the Chief Executive Officer at Drogheda & District Chamber of Commerce. He has also worked as General Manager at Drogheda United FC in the League of Ireland. Prior to that, he served as editor and sports editor of the Drogheda Independent, Mid Louth Independent and the Fingal Independent, based in Swords, Co. Dublin, over the course of three decades. He is author of a book on the history of the Fingal area, “Fingal – from the Danes to the Delvin’ |
Dundalk Chamber of Commerce John McGahon, CEO | |
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Multihog Jim McAdam, Managing Director | |
The Mill Enterprise Hub, Drogheda Ronan Whitty, CEO | |
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Creative Spark, Dundalk Sarah Daly, Executive Director |  |
Sarah is an empathetic leader with a passion for fostering creativity and innovation within the entrepreneurial community. As the Executive Director at Creative Spark, she heads a vibrant ecosystem designed to empower small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to thrive. With a diverse background in business development and community building, Sarah cultivates an environment where creatives can flourish. At Creative Spark, Sarah oversees the operations of a cutting-edge workspace and co-working facility tailored to the needs of creative professionals. The organisation provides access to state-of-the-art facilities such as a FabLab and Print Studio, enabling individuals to bring their ideas to life with precision and ingenuity. Recognised for her unwavering commitment to collaboration and innovation, Sarah is deeply invested in creating opportunities for networking and knowledge exchange among members of the creative and cultural sector and the wider community in County Louth. Through strategic initiatives and partnerships, she actively fosters a supportive environment where individuals can learn, grow, and thrive together. |
State Development Agencies: |
Department of Social Protection Aine Bohan, Assistant Principal, Employer Relations Division, Northern & West/Midlands Regions | |
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Dundalk Institute of Technology Aidan Browne, Head of Innovation and Business Development |  |
Aidan is responsible for DkIT's industry engagement and commercial output agenda driving enterprise and incubation support and technology transfer activities. Aidan is time served craftsperson (toolmaking) and a graduate of Atlantic TU, Dundalk Institute of Technology, The Open University, and Harvard University [online] with postgraduate and Masters qualifications across Manufacturing: Management & Technology, Business Studies, and Project Management. Aidan is both a certified business coach and Registered Technology Transfer Professional. With an extensive career in the private sector (manufacturing) with both indigenous and Multi-National companies, Aidan joined DkIT in 2010 and has held a number of positions from an initial role as a researcher to cross-border enterprise support programme manager, technology transfer and incubation centre manager all leading to his current role as Head of Innovation and Business development. Aidan leads a team of professionals who support enterprise and entrepreneur development initiative with stage, sector and gender specific projects. Aidan is heavily involved in the economic development landscape in the region being a key stakeholder voice across a range of fora focused on economic development. Aidan also holds a number of directorship roles in not-for-profits in the enterprise support and financing domain specialising in working with high tech, knowledge intensive companies during their start-up and early growth phases. |
North East Regional Skills Forum Ray Murphy, North East Region Manager |  |
Ray is the North East Regional Skills Forum Manager, covering counties Louth, Monaghan and Cavan. The Regional Skills Fora was created as part of the Government’s National Skills Strategy and provides an opportunity for employers and the education and training system to work together to meet the emerging skills needs of their regions. Ray is the single contact point in the North East to help employers connect with the range of services and supports available across the education and training system. He has worked in the Training and Education sector since 2008 and previous to this spent over 20 years in senior management positions in the private sector. |
Enterprise Ireland Deirdre Craven, Senior Regional Development Executive | |
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Fáilte Ireland Mark Mohan, Manager - Ireland's Ancient East | |
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IDA Ireland James Boyle, North East Region Enterprise Development Manager |  |
James is North East Region Enterprise Development Manager with IDA Ireland, the government agency responsible for promoting and winning foreign direct investment in Ireland. They seek out 'best in breed' companies in the major business sectors and match their global needs to Ireland's value proposition. Based in Dundalk, James is responsible for promoting the North East Region; Louth, Cavan and Monaghan. He and his team also support the existing base of companies as well as working with key stakeholders for the benefit and promotion of North East Region. |
Louth Meath Education and Training Board (LMETB) Sadie Ward-McDermott, Director of Further Education and Training | |
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Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) Declan Meally, Director of Business, Public and Transport | |
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Louth County Council: |
David Conway, Chief Executive |  |
David Conway is the Chief Executive of Louth County Council, with over a decade of leadership experience in the public and private sectors and a proven track record of delivering large-scale urban and economic development projects and addressing the housing challenges in Ireland. Prior to his appointment as Chief Executive of Louth County Council, David was CEO of Limerick Twenty Thirty DAC, a special purpose company established by Limerick City & County Council to deliver key strategic sites, including Troy Studios, Gardens International, and the Opera Square development. Before that, he served as CEO of the National Sports Campus Development Authority, where he played a key role in developing and delivering the 500-acre National Sports Campus in Dublin. David holds a BA (Hons) in PE, Mathematics & Education, an MBA from the University of Limerick, and an MSc in Executive Leadership from the University of Ulster & Boston College. |
Thomas McEvoy, Director of Service, Economic Delivery |  |
Thomas is Director of Strategic Economic Development with Louth County Council, where he has responsibility for Planning, Economic Development, Tourism, Building Control and Fire & Emergency, prior to which he held the post of Head of Enterprise. Before joining Louth County Council, Thomas worked for over 13 years with IDA Ireland where he held a number of positions including Head of Press & PR, Director Europe, Head of FDI Property Solutions and Manager for New Business from International Service companies. During his time with IDA he was based in Ireland, the US and mainland Europe. He also worked with the County Enterprise Boards in Cavan and Louth, and lectured in Business at the University of Limerick. Thomas holds a Masters degree in Business Studies and B.Comm from NUIG, and post graduate qualifications from the Irish Management Institute and Durham University Business School. |
Olivia McCormack, Senior Executive Officer, Economic Development and Planning | |
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Clare O'Hagan, Acting Tourism Officer | |
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Nikki Campbell, Head of Enterprise, Louth Local Enterprise Office |  |
Nikki Campbell is the Head of Enterprise at Louth Local Enterprise Office (LEO), where she leads a wide range of programmes and initiatives designed to support, fund, and advise businesses across the county. With a strong background in operations and SME development, Nikki brings deep insight into the challenges faced by local businesses and how best to support them. Under her leadership, LEO Louth continues to work closely with Louth County Council and regional stakeholders to position the county as a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship. Nikki is passionate about fostering a culture of resilience, collaboration, and sustainable growth, helping local enterprises adapt and thrive in a dynamic economic landscape. |
Grainne Tuomey, North East Regional Enterprise Programme Manager, Louth Local Enterprise Office |  |
The Regional Enterprise Programme is overseen by the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment. Ireland is divided into 9 regions for the purpose of delivering regional enterprise growth and contributing to the Programme for Government commitment to achieving more balanced regional development. Regional Enterprise Plans complement and build on core strategies of the enterprise agencies, the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs), local authorities and the wider range of stakeholder directly involved in supporting enterprise development in the regions. Gráinne is the Regional Enterprise Programme Manager for the North-East Region covering the counties of Cavan, Louth, and Monaghan. The current North-East Regional Enterprise Plan runs to the end of 2025 and sets out five Strategic Objectives for success.
Each Strategic Objective has a working group comprised of high-level agency reps and business pillar stakeholders, who, by bringing their combined expertise and knowledge together, collaboratively set out actions and targets to advance the objectives for the benefit of the Region as a whole. |
Susan L Murphy, LEF Secretariat, Economic Development & Tourism | |
