Opportunities in Asia Pacific region examined at Dublin forum
Some 300 business leaders gathered in Dublin’s Croke Park on Friday to listen to experts discuss the opportunities for Irish business at the Asia Pacific Ireland Business Forum (APIBF). The conference, a joint APIBF/GAA collaboration, looked at “New Asian Realities” for Irish Business, with a particular focus on technology, financial services, pharmaceuticals, life sciences, education services, food and tourism. The keynote was delivered by An Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Eamon Gilmore TD, while Asia expert Dr Tom Hardiman, chairman of the Chester Beatty Library, was honoured with the the establishment of the Dr T.P. Hardiman EU-Asia Bursary Award. Irish business leaders who have already cracked the Asian market…
Read MoreUniqlo – Japanese clothing retail phenomenon with plans for world domination
The first Uniqlo store opened in Japan in 1984, and it has since emerged as an international clothing brand with more ambitious plans for the future, writes Sorcha Corcoran. The emergence of international clothing brand name Uniqlo was the result of a typo when Japanese company Fast Retailing (FR) was launching the brand in China around 2000. Standing for Unique Clothing Warehouse, it was meant to be Uni-clo, but when the management team saw the misspelling they liked it and decided to go with the change, according to Daisuke Hase, PR manager, global marketing and communication department, FR. The first Uniqlo store, opened in 1984 in Japan, was previously a…
Read MoreMuteButton to increase staff to 20 following 200k investment
Spin-out company MuteButton has secured 200k in funding from Enterprise Ireland, which will enable it to accelerate large-scale trials of its tinnitus treatment device and increase its workforce from four to 20 by 2013. MuteButton was established in 2010 by Dr Ross O’Neill as a spin-out company from the Hamilton Institute, NUI Maynooth, where the technology was originally developed by him with Dr Paul O’Grady and Prof Barak Pearlmutter. Currently employing four people, MuteButton recently located to NovaUCD to develop collaborative partnerships with University College Dublin researchers in the treatment of neurological conditions. It plans to increase staff numbers to 20 over the next two years as its device nears…
Read MorePioneering Researcher Luke O’Neill Ireland’s life Sciences Sector Transformation
One of the world’s foremost authorities in the innate immune system, Prof Luke O’Neill has seen a remarkable transformation in Ireland’s life sciences sector over the past 20 years, as he tells Ann O’Dea. From relatively humble beginnings, the life sciences sector today accounts for some 50pc of all exports from Ireland, a figure that has been growing by some 6pc every year since 2000. Life sciences employs in excess of 52,000 people here. One of Ireland’s leading thinkers, Luke O’Neill, professor of biochemistry at Trinity College Dublin, has participated in, and watched, the transformation in the sector since the late Nineties. O’Neill has won numerous awards for his pioneering…
Read MoreSharon O’Neill
Senior Account And Project Manager Appointment Date: 21.06.2011Company: vStreamBusiness Type: Digital and Interactive Content CreationPosition: Senior Account and Project Manager Sharon O’Neill has been appointed senior account and project manager at vStream. In this role, O’Neill will be managing a team of software developers, directors, video editors, 3D and visual effects artists and designers. She will be responsible for a number of key accounts for vStream including the Dulux ‘Let’s Colour’ campaign, Jameson, KPMG, Aer Lingus and the Eircom Music Hub. With over 13 years’ international experience working in Australia, the US and the UK, O’Neill was previously head of program management for Grey Digital in Sydney, an integrated agency…
Read MoreJames Kelly, Head Of 3D Service Offering
Appointment Date: 21.06.2011 Company: vStream Business Type: Digital and Interactive Content Creation Position: Head of 3D Service Offering vStream, has appointed James Kelly to head up its 3D service offering. In this role, Kelly is responsible for the production of stereoscopic 3D films, including the recent Aviva Stadium 3D Experience, which he worked on as a contractor to vStream, 3D modelling and design for games and augmented reality apps, and high end visual effects for film productions and TV commercials. Kelly has over 13 years’ industry experience working in the gaming industry and then as a character artist for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. He holds a higher diploma in animation…
Read MoreBegin Again 36-55 Age Group Wants Jobs
Men and women in the 3655 age bracket are the most active in trying to get back into the workforce, according to Begin Again, a career advancement programme developed by the Irish Centre for Business Excellence (ICBE). Men account for almost two thirds (64pc) of participants amongst the 36–55 age bracket taking part in the programme, whilst women account for 60pc of participants in the second highest age bracket, 25–35 years. There is a very low level of interest (4pc) amongst people in their late teens and early 20s (18–24 age group). “It isn’t surprising that the 36–55 age bracket is the most active, as for the most part these…
Read MoreAirbus reveals concept cabin for 2050 air travel
Envisioning what it will be like to fly by 2050, Airbus is showcasing its concept cabin, which it says is inspired by nature and features green technologies to make flying a more interactive experience for passengers. As part of its ‘Vision for Aviation in 2050’, the aircraft manufacturer will be showing its concept cabin to the public at the Le Bourget International Airshow in Paris next week. Airbus says the aircraft’s bionic structure mimics the efficiency of bird bone with an intelligent cabin wall membrane that will control air temperature and can become transparent to give passengers panoramic views. Airbus says passengers in 2050 can sit back and enjoy the…
Read MoreLunar Eclipse to be Visible in Ireland
Irish skywatchers hoping to catch a glimpse of the last lunar eclipse in this part of the world until 2015 could be in luck this evening with Met Eireann predicting “good clear spells” in most areas. According to Astronomy Ireland , observers in the east of the country will see the rising moon covered in a dark red colour while people in the west will see most of the moon obscured by the shadow of the Earth. The astronomy club, which has over 12,000 members, says the moon will begin rising towards the east of the country at 10 pm, and viewers will be able to see a red colour on the…
Read MoreBusiness opportunities for Ireland’s bioenergy sector
Ireland’s bioenergy sector could have the potential to create thousands of green jobs across the country, particularly in the biogas area, according to speakers at a bioenergy conference held in Dublin today. The Business of Bio-Energy conference, which was hosted by Byrne Wallace and RSM Farrell Grant Sparks in Dublin, looked specifically at Ireland’s biogas sector. Sean Wallace, a partner at Byrne Wallace, compared Ireland’s “underdeveloped” biogas sector with that of Germany, which has 4,700 biogas plants in operation and over 350,000 employed in the sector. He argued that Ireland could aspire to have at least 1,000 small anaerobic digestion units in operation. Anaerobic digestion is a natural process of…
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