Belfast’s strong innovation credentials were showcased yesterday at the New York New Belfast conference in a bid to attract further inward investment.
This year marked the 13th annual New York New Belfast conference, which attracts key business and civic leaders from New York and Belfast – and it was the first in person event since 2019.
Belfast Lord Mayor Councillor Tina Black who addressed the delegation said: “New York New Belfast offers us an outstanding opportunity to showcase the best of Belfast to our NYC counterparts, extend our networks, create strategic partnerships and increase awareness and understanding of our investment proposition.”
This year, the Lord Mayor said her aim was to show that Belfast is a city where innovation thrives to a range of key investors, global banks and influencers, including Tom Di Napoli, New York State Comptroller.
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The conference was also attended by Leigh Meyer, Site Head at Citi Belfast and Darragh McCarthy, Chief Executive at FinTrU. They shared their story of why their companies chose to invest in Belfast and how Belfast, and in particular its mature FinTech and RegTech sectors, have proven to be incredibly resilient and successful during the pandemic.
The Lord Mayor added: “It’s particularly exciting to be highlighting the planned £1 billion Belfast Region City Deal investment in our infrastructure and growth sectors – in effect, a decade of opportunity. We’re inviting NYC based businesses to take advantage of our unique geography to access European markets and to be part of our journey to become industry world leaders once again, this time, as a hub for innovation.”
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Clare Guinness, Innovation District Director with Innovation City Belfast added: “The Belfast we know today is virtually unrecognisable to that of 20 years ago, it’s now home to a host of flourishing innovative sectors from financial services to MedTech, RegTech and beyond as we embrace the fourth industrial revolution. For Innovation City Belfast, the New York New Belfast conference gives us a tremendous opportunity to showcase that change to the world, highlighting the incredible opportunities that now exist in our city.”
The Belfast delegation will also be engaging in a programme of financial and tech business meetings facilitated by Belfast native Shaun T Kelly, Chair of Invest NI’s East Coast Advisory Council and Global Chief Operating Officer, KPMG, now based in Manhattan.
For more information on Belfast’s plans to make the city a destination for investment in innovation, go to www.innovationcitybelfast.com and follow #NYNB2022
Source: Written from press release.
