Engineering Industries Ireland, the Ibec group that represents engineering businesses, has announced the appointment of Niall Fay, Director of Grant Engineering, as its new Chair.

Marking the appointment, Mr. Fay stated: “It is a huge honour to be appointed Chair of Engineering Industries Ireland. Despite the changing economic headwinds of recent months, the Irish engineering industry remains a strong, vibrant sector within manufacturing and services.

“We are living in an age of unparalleled technological disruption and accelerated business transformation. The renewable energy space will present growth opportunities, as will activities linked to electrification and connected and autonomous vehicles. The very real threat of climate change around the globe requires flexibility and agility from the Government and the engineering sector, collaborating to reduce the dependency on carbon and manage industry activities in a more sustainable way.

“Furthermore, with international trade facing many new barriers and previously stable economies looking increasingly risky, the lack of an export credit agency is becoming even more of a serious problem for Irish engineering exporters. As the only material EU country that does not have a state-backed export credit insurance or agency, Ireland is putting itself at a competitive disadvantage against other EU competitors that can access such schemes and we are at risk of losing, long established engineering multinationals with a base here. It is imperative that we underpin our competitiveness by putting in place a State backed export credit insurance scheme and an Export Credit Agency to ensure Irish engineering businesses can compete on a level playing field on the international markets.

“I look forward to working with key stakeholders in addressing these shared challenges and encourage companies to innovate and develop solutions towards a better future for Ireland.”

Director of Engineering Industries Ireland, Pauline O’Flanagan added: “It is a real privilege to have someone with Niall’s credentials in the position of EII Chair. His experience and insights will play a crucial role in supporting our ambitions of the EII Strategy 2022 – 2025, both domestically and on an international platform, as we face into a period marked by significant challenges but also opportunities. We look forward to working closely with him throughout his tenure.”