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The board consists of influential professionals from the Northern Ireland diaspora, who will work to support the country and create new US investment opportunities.
Northern Ireland has launched a new advisory board to strengthen trade and investment between the countries’ life and health sciences sectors.
This advisory board contains US leaders in the sector, who will provide expertise and insight to support the growth of the sector in Northern Ireland. The board was brought together by Invest NI and NI Connections, the country’s diaspora outreach initiative.
These organisations identified influential professionals from the Northern Ireland diaspora who could support the country and create new investment opportunities.
The creation of this board was welcomed by Joe Kennedy III, the US special envoy to Northern Ireland for economic affairs, who said it will help Northern Irish companies benefit from the knowledge and experience of “some of the top professionals in the sector”.
“The US is the largest export market for Northern Ireland life and health sciences companies, so it makes sense to nurture relationships between the two regions and promote mutually beneficial opportunities,” Kennedy said.
The board currently consists of 14 members and is being chaired by Belfast-born Mark Goldstone, who has more than 25 years of experience in the healthcare industry.
Goldstone said the combined industry knowledge and experience of the advisory board members will help advance Northern Ireland’s economy by championing the country’s “significant life and health sciences capabilities”.
“The board is passionate about promoting Northern Ireland as a great investment location and a centre of innovation excellence,” Goldstone said.
Invest NI interim CEO Mel Chittock said the board will help inform a life and health sciences international strategy, which is aligned to the country’s “10X Vision”. This vision was announced by the Department for the Economy in 2021.
“The board members have built impressive careers spanning many years and this experience combined with their knowledge and their connections will be of significant value to our life sciences sector,” Chittock said.
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