Young at Heart Business Leaders Step up to a New Challenge
Young Enterprise Northern Ireland recently welcomed more business leaders to its board of directors. Chris Conway, MD of Corus Steel, assumed the post of Chairman, and Philip Cassidy, CEO of Gem, was appointed Director.
Young Enterprise is Northern Ireland’s foremost business and enterprise education charity, and a member of the Junior Achievement Worldwide network, the world’s largest and fastest growing business and enterprise education organisation.
Input from the local business community is vital to the work of Young Enterprise Northern Ireland. This year it aims to engage with over 90,000 young people in Northern Ireland, and all activities are delivered by fully-trained business volunteers from partnership organisations, funded by a variety of public and private sector organisations. All of its programmes are based of the principle of ‘learning by doing’, to promote a culture of enterprise from an early age.
Chris Conway, the new Chairman of the organisation and MD of Corus Steel, commented ‘I am delighted to assume the post of Chairman at Young Enterprise Northern Ireland. Developing young people and equipping them with relevant business skills is vital to the success of our economy, particularly in the current climate.’
Uniquely, a business partnership with Young Enterprise Northern Ireland offers many mutually beneficial advantages, as Chris explains. ‘Many organisations choose to become involved with the work of Young Enterprise Northern Ireland, as it provides a practical CSR solution that also offers many PR opportunities, while supporting the important work of inspiring the business leaders and employees of the future.’
Business volunteers can also reap the rewards, as Philip Cassidy, new Director and Chief Executive Officer of Gem, explains. ‘At a time when many organisations are reducing their staff development budgets, volunteering with Young Enterprise can help employees enhance their personal and professional skills at no cost to the organisation. In many instances, volunteer work of this nature can attract CPD accreditation for many professional bodies, while boosting employee morale.’
Chris and Philip join the existing directors, Deirdre Stewart (CBI), Dermott Brooks (ICSA) and Cecil Russell of HSBC, national Young Enterprise supporters.