Listen in to a wide-ranging, open and honest fireside chat between ICBA Chair Dr. Deirdre Giblin and Canadian Ambassador to Ireland, Dennis King. It was recorded at a live audience event hosted by FFH Management Services in Dublin, which is part of the Fairfax group.

The conversation spans many topics including Ambassador King’s journey from provincial politics to diplomacy, his first year in Ireland and how he has settled in to life in a new country, the impact of Prime minister Mark Carney’s speech in Davos, Canada’s evolving global role and why the Ireland Canada relationship matters more now, than ever.

For photos of the event visit the ICBA website

The Ireland Canada Connection is brought to you by the Ireland Canada Business Association. We are the voice of the Ireland Canada Business community.

Our membership is composed of chief executives and senior management of Canada's leading enterprises who have located their European operations in Ireland.

Since 1978 we have been connecting executives and organizations in Canada and Ireland for the purpose of bilateral investment, trade and entrepreneurship. As a membership organization, our members make our mission possible. They span over 20 business sectors and directly and indirectly support more than 20,000 jobs across the country and hundreds of small businesses.

Our partnerships with the Canadian Embassy and the Ireland Canada Chambers inform our work.

In the final episode of our mini-series ‘Navigating the Irish Market’, Joseph Quinn and Brian Keenan of Klohn Crippen Berger (KCB) join Patrick Haughey to share their experience of setting up an office in Ireland.

KCB is a global award-winning engineering, geosciences and environmental consulting firm headquartered in Canada, and with a number of international offices around the globe, the most recent being in Naas, Co Kildare.

Joe and Brian talk about why the company made the decision to establish a base in Ireland, what they did in those early stages that gave them a successful start, what their experience has been so far, and advice they would share with other Canadian companies planning to open a base in Ireland

‘Navigating the Irish Market’ focussed on what Canadian companies need to know about doing business in Ireland. We’re analysing the Irish business landscape from a number of perspectives, including the tax system, the legal system, employment and HR, banking, government supports, networking and business culture, and more. And we are doing so In the company of some of Ireland’s leading experts in these areas.

Alison Hodgson is Partner for Transformation, HR and Change Practice at RSM Ireland. In this episode Alison talks about the employment and HR landscape in Ireland and what Canadian companies need to know about employment law, the importance of those first hires and the types of employee benefits that will make them attractive to an Irish workforce in a very competitive employment market. We also discuss very important factors around communication styles in Ireland and what works best when giving feedback and trying to build rapport.

'Navigating the Irish Market' is a special series designed to help Canadian companies that are setting up operations in Ireland, or are considering doing so.

The series analyses the Irish business landscape from a number of perspectives, including the tax system, the legal system, employment and HR, banking, government supports, networking and business culture. Host Patrick Haughey is joined by leading experts in the key areas that Canadian companies need to be familiar with in order to successfully operate in Ireland.

This podcast is brought to you by the Ireland Canada Business Association. If you would like to find out more about the ICBA and how we can help you to successfully navigate the Irish market, please visit us at Irelandcanada.com

Cormac Kelleher is a Partner in the leading accounting, tax and advisory firm Forvis Mazars Ireland. In this episode Cormac talks about the tax environment in Ireland and what multinational companies need to know about the Irish tax system in order to set up correctly from the very start. We also talk about some of the aspects of tax that companies often overlook and why it is so important to address them early on, and the business culture in Ireland and how to succeed within it.

'Navigating the Irish Market' is a special series designed to help Canadian companies that are setting up operations in Ireland, or are considering doing so.

The series analyses the Irish business landscape from a number of perspectives, including the tax system, the legal system, employment and HR, banking, government supports, networking and business culture. Host Patrick Haughey is joined by leading experts in the key areas that Canadian companies need to be familiar with in order to successfully operate in Ireland.

This podcast is brought to you by the Ireland Canada Business Association. If you would like to find out more about the ICBA and how we can help you to successfully navigate the Irish market, please visit us at Irelandcanada.com

Deirdre Moran is Country Manager for Canada at IDA Ireland and Hugh McGrath is Head of Corporate Services, Ireland, at investor services group, IQ-EQ. In conversation with host Patrick Haughey, Deirdre and Hugh talk about Ireland’s attractiveness as a location for multinational companies, the many supports that are available to companies who choose Ireland as their European base, and what you need to know about the geography of Ireland and the regions that might suit your sector best.

'Navigating the Irish Market' is a special series designed to help Canadian companies that are setting up operations in Ireland, or are considering doing so.

The series analyses the Irish business landscape from a number of perspectives, including the tax system, the legal system, employment and HR, banking, government supports, networking and business culture. Host Patrick Haughey is joined by leading experts in the key areas that Canadian companies need to be familiar with in order to successfully operate in Ireland.

This podcast is brought to you by the Ireland Canada Business Association. If you would like to find out more about the ICBA and how we can help you to successfully navigate the Irish market, please visit us at Irelandcanada.com

Kieran Trant is a Partner in the corporate department of Matheson - one of Ireland’s largest law firms. Kieran works with international companies on the establishment, expansion and operation of their businesses in Ireland and we talk about what the Irish legal system is like and how, as a common law system, it shares a lot of similarities with the Canadian legal system. But we also discuss the key differences and what companies need to know about those.

We also learn about the ease of doing business in Ireland and why the pro-business environment has proven so popular with companies looking to internationalise.

For more information about the main legal issues involced in setting up an international business in Ireland click https://www.matheson.com/doingbusinessinireland

'Navigating the Irish Market' is a special series designed to help Canadian companies that are setting up operations in Ireland, or are considering doing so.

The series analyses the Irish business landscape from a number of perspectives, including the tax system, the legal system, employment and HR, banking, government supports, networking and business culture. Host Patrick Haughey is joined by leading experts in the key areas that Canadian companies need to be familiar with in order to successfully operate in Ireland.

This podcast is brought to you by the Ireland Canada Business Association. If you would like to find out more about the ICBA and how we can help you to successfully navigate the Irish market, please visit us at Irelandcanada.com

Kevin Elliott is EVP and Head of Global Foreign Direct Investment at Bank of Ireland. Kevin works with international companies to establish and scale their operations in Ireland. In this episode we learn about the banking environment in Ireland, how it compares to other EU countries, some of the common pitfalls to avoid, and advice for building relationships and networks in Ireland. For more information on setting up in Ireland and the key banking considerations, visit https://corporate.bankofireland.com/sectors/fdi/

'Navigating the Irish Market' is a special series designed to help Canadian companies that are setting up operations in Ireland, or are considering doing so.

The series analyses the Irish business landscape from a number of perspectives, including the tax system, the legal system, employment and HR, banking, government supports, networking and business culture. Host Patrick Haughey is joined by leading experts in the key areas that Canadian companies need to be familiar with in order to successfully operate in Ireland.

This podcast is brought to you by the Ireland Canada Business Association. If you would like to find out more about the ICBA and how we can help you to successfully navigate the Irish market, please visit us at Irelandcanada.com