Leadership

European Commission vice president Viviane Reding said today that one single set of data protection rules for Europe will make the digital single market work for the tech giants and help drive economic growth. “This will be central to making Ireland even more welcoming for business,” she said, speaking in Dublin today. “65pc of Irish citizens are worried about the way companies handle their personal data. People need to have control over their data. After all, their data belong to them.” Responding to developments in the use of the internet for social and business needs, the Commission has proposed an overhaul of EU data protection rules. Ireland will have a…

Ireland has come 10th in a new global index of the state of the web in 61 countries around the world. The study, which was launched by Tim Berners-Lee on behalf of the World Wide Web Foundation , placed Sweden in first place for putting the web to work, followed by the US and the UK. The top 10 is rounded out by Canada, Finland, Switzerland, New Zealand, Australia, Norway and Ireland, respectively. Nepal is placed bottom of the list, followed by Cameroon, Mali, Bangladesh, Namibia, Ethiopia, Benin, Burkino Faso, Zimbabwe and Yemen. According to the study, Ireland outpaces all other countries in the index in terms of the web’s effects on its economy.…

“Dangerous” Blackrock Baths to be demolished Blackrock Baths are to be demolished after various structures on the site were found to be dangerous, according to a statement from Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. The council said that following a recent inspection by senior staff, “it emerged that the structures have suffered from extensive weather damage and from the ravages of the sea, making the structures and adjoining land dangerous for members of the public. “It has also been confirmed that the concrete has been seriously affected by the wind and wave action. The pool structure is beyond repair and the seating and changing block, which is constructed of structural steel clad in concrete, is…

A YouTube clip of President Michael D Higgins debating with a US conservative talkshow host and Tea Party advocate has gone viral. Dating from two years ago, in the 2010 Newstalk radio excerpt , Higgins tells Michael Graham to “be proud to be a decent American rather than being just a w**ker whipping up fear”. Graham hosts a show on a Boston radio station, is a former political consultant for the Conservative party and is one of the earliest organisers for the Tea Party. The clip has now been viewed over 1.2 million times. It had been linked on social media sharing site Upworthy under the headline ‘A Tea Partier Decided To Pick A…

Eircom has today announced the appointments of Herb Hribar as group chief executive officer and Richard Moat as group chief financial officer. Both will be appointed to the boards of Eircom Holdco SA and eircom Holdings (Ireland) Limited and will take up their roles in early September. Hribar has extensive experience in the telecoms and TV industries in Europe and the United States. He moves to Eircom from CENX, where he has been CEO since February 2011. He has also been president of Ameritech Wireless in the US, managing director of Kabel Deutschland COO of Cablecom in Switzerland. He was previously managing director wholesale/networks at the Eircom from 2002 to…

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved an application from Teagasc to carry out field trials on a genetically modified (GM) potato line with improved resistance to late potato blight. The field trials will be carried out at one location at Oak Park, Co Carlow. The trials can be carried out between now and the end of 2016, with post-trial monitoring continuing until 2020. Planting will not exceed two hectares in area. According to data published by Teagasc scientists, annual losses due to potato blight in Ireland have been estimated at €15m per annum, and managing the disease requires up to 15 fungicide applications throughout the growing season. The GM…

Director profile: Tom Arnold, CEO, Concern WorldwidePastoralist Jarso Ada speaking to Tom Arnold and Mary Robinson in Kenya When Tom Arnold steps down as chief executive of Concern Worldwide next year, he’ll leave behind him an organisation that, during his time in the top job, has evolved from being an effective and respected Irish charity into one of global scale and reputation. Last year, Concern had 3,500 people working in 25 countries and had a budget of €16om, with €104m of this coming from a number of governments, including Ireland, the UK and the US, as well as the EU and the UN. Income in 2001 was just short of…

Beaumont Hospital will become a tobacco-free campus from tomorrow – 4 July – as the hospital moves to create a healthy, clean and safer environment for patients, staff and visitors. The move to go tobacco free across the campus follows extensive work by a multi-disciplinary steering committee and working groups. The policy was designed in response to the ongoing concern about the harmful effects of tobacco use and smoking in a healthcare environment. According to a statement released by Beaumont in advance of the change, “the HSE Corporate Plan (2008-2011) recognises the need for a shift towards prevention and better self care in respect of tobacco. Research and experience shows…

A new partnership initiative to address the estimated US$1trn annual shortfall in green infrastructure investment was launched this week at the Business 20 (B20) Summit in Los Cabos, Mexico. As a first step, the Green Growth Action Alliance (G2A2) said it would assist Mexico in unlocking private finance for investments in businesses and technologies that will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30pc by 2020. In partnership with the Mexican government, the alliance will identify critical green growth initiatives, design strategies to overcome these obstacles, and draw in private investment. Designed in partnership with G20 governments, the group is calling for actions to be adopted in five target priority areas…

Eric Mosley, co-founder and CEO of Globoforce, shares his views on fostering a more engaged workforce. The majority of today’s business leaders would agree that a more engaged workforce is a happier and more productive one. Accentuating the need to keep employees engaged with a positive working environment are the pressures that come from continued economic uncertainty – with businesses needing to get the most out of their workers and investments. However, there remains a lack of understanding on how to best foster this desired culture. What many organisations unfortunately continue to miss is that organisational reward and recognition should be at the heart of employee engagement. The power of…