The London-based Association for Project Management (APM), the chartered body for the project management profession, has established a Regional Network in Ireland.

This significant expansion reflects APM’s ongoing commitment to international growth and follows the successful launch of a new Regional Network in Dubai, UAE, in recent weeks. 

Celebrating Growth and Development

The project management sector in Ireland has seen remarkable growth over the last few years, in tandem with the current economic growth and the broad range of public and private infrastructure projects undertaken right across the country.

APM’s Regional Network will support growth and professional development in Ireland through a range of events and activities including CPD (Continuing Professional Development) sessions workshops, networking events, and conferences, as well as hosting volunteer opportunities that support specific focus areas like education outreach, corporate engagement, and emerging professional activities. APM is partnering with leading companies and organisations across industries such as finance, IT, construction, and pharma, to drive engagement and facilitate knowledge sharing, with the aim of strengthening industry collaboration in Ireland.

Professor Adam Boddison OBE, Chief Executive Officer at APM, stated: “We are delighted to launch our Regional Network in Ireland, making it easier for project management professionals here to broaden and deepen their skills in the sector and to achieve Chartered status within the profession.  Using our knowledge and experience, combined with key stakeholders in the country, we will also look to collaborate at a government level to ensure that Chartership is a mandated standard on significant public projects, thus improving the overall process and contributing to more successful project completions.” 

APM’s new Regional Network in Ireland aligns with the Irish government’s ‘Project Ireland 2040’ strategy, which combines the National Planning Framework (NPF) and the National Development Plan (NDP) to guide the country’s future development. This strategy includes €165 billion in capital investment for key areas of the economy, addressing sectors such as public infrastructure, energy, transport, and construction.

Anthony McCarthy, Director at Dublin-based construction and property consultancy, Cogent Associates, will lead the Ireland Regional Network, supported by Deputy Lead, Ricardo Santos, Programme Manager with Iarnród Éireann. Their leadership will ensure the network supports local engagement and professional development through best practices across all sectors.

“Project management, in its many forms, in Ireland is going from strength to strength and offers a varied and rewarding career for professionals across a broad swathe of sectors.  Myself and Ricardo are really excited about playing our part with the Irish Regional Network of the APM in contributing to and developing ever higher professional standards within the project management sector in Ireland.”

50 years of expertise

With more than 50 years of expertise in developing and applying best practice to the project management sector, the APM is at the forefront of the latest developments in project management theory and practice.

The APM Regional Network is arriving at a crucial point in the development of the project management sector in Ireland.  In recent years, the integration of digital technologies is reshaping project execution and management throughout Ireland. Tools such as Data Analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are becoming essential in project planning and operations. The use of Digital Twins – virtual replicas of physical systems – is being explored to optimise urban planning and infrastructure management throughout the country. It is now common to see the use of Data Analytics in risk management and cost estimation, as well as the use of Artificial Intelligence in flood modelling and asset management, amongst others.

The APM Regional Network in Ireland will help to accelerate these developments and contribute to more successful management of projects here, including largescale, multi-faceted ones, some of which, in the past, have run over schedule in terms of both costs and timings.

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