The major business events happening this week

MONDAY

Results: YouGov

Indicators: Euro zone labour cost index and wage growth (Q4)

Meetings: Girls in Tech launch event (Bank of Ireland, Grand Canal Square, Dublin); 3D printing – Let's Get Technical workshop (Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Lexicon Library, Moran Park, Dún Laoghaire).

Theresa May puts her finger on the Brexit trigger

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Pound rallies to two-week high as gilts sell-off

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Alan Joyce’s advice to airlines after his Qantas success? Adapt

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A smart Swatch? Swiss watchmaker gets in on the trend

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Girls in Tech

Dublin will become home to the 61st chapter of the Girls in Tech organisation when it launches on Monday. Predictably oversubscribed, and absolutely sold out, the organisation's Irish launch will open the doors to a communal home for women involved in both the tech and entrepreneurial worlds. The not-for-profit offers wide ranges of services to its members (membership itself being free and determined only by participation) including coding classes, "hackathons" and mentoring among others. The purpose of Monday's inaugural is to seek guidance on exactly what Ireland's female tech population requires or what this new chapter should be starting out with. "It was just a matter of time before we got to Dublin; it's a no-brainer," said Coral Movasseli, managing director, with a nod to Ireland's growing position as a tech centre.

Girls in Tech began 10 years ago in the US, and has been steadily consolidating its base there and more recently in European cities. It now boasts more than 50,000 global members. Founder Adriana Gascoigne will address Monday's launch, as will Sarita Johnston, manager of female entrepreneurship at Enterprise Ireland, and Gill Murphy, head of analytics at Bank of Ireland.

TUESDAY

Results: Independent News and Media (INM), Mincon, 888 Holdings, Bellway, EnQuest, Coca-Cola European Partners, FedEx, Nike, Porsche

Indicators: UK core inflation, public sector borrowing and retail price index (Feb)

Meetings: Plans for the Future of the Irish Internet Association (Bank of Ireland, Hamilton Building, Trinity College Dublin)

WEDNESDAY

Results: Kingfisher, Savills

Indicators: Euro zone current account (Jan); US mortgages (March), house price index (Jan), existing home sales (Feb)

Meetings: Rethinking Retail Summit 2017 (Killashee Hotel, Naas, Co Kildare); Cloud Strategy for Business Transformation (Aviva Stadium, Dublin)

THURSDAY

Results: IFG Group, Mainstay Medical, Accenture, Acer, Aegean Airlines, Next

Indicators: Euro zone consumer confidence (March); UK retail sales (Feb); German consumer confidence; US jobless claims (March), new home sales (Feb)

Meetings: Life after Brexit, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants briefing with British Irish Chamber of Commerce ( Clayton Hotel, Lapps Quay, Cork)

Getting Brexit ready

As Theresa May’s trigger finger gets almost unbearably itchy – article 50 is due to be activated by the end of the month – the lion’s share of intrigue will be focused on how the next two years might alter Irish-UK trade relations. Among those peering into a frustratingly cloudy crystal ball is John McGrane, director general of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce, who will address the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants in Cork on Thursday.

Mr McGrane's talk will be delivered against the unsettling knowledge that trade and investment between the two islands is currently estimated to be in the region of €1 billion a week, not to mention the 400,000 jobs it supports. Such conferences, meetings and think-ins will no doubt be omnipresent in the weeks and months ahead, and this Clayton Hotel briefing comes right on the brink. Mr McGrane co-founded the British Irish Chamber in 2011, a private sector organisation which represents businesses interests on both sides of the Irish Sea. He has had a 40-year career with the Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank Group in Ireland, working in the enterprise and corporate sectors, focusing on both indigenous and foreign direct investment.

FRIDAY

Indicators: Euro zone composite, manufacturing and services PMI (March); UK mortgage approvals (Feb); German composite, manufacturing and services PMI (March); US composite, manufacturing and services PMI (March)

Meetings: Irish HR Champion Awards 2017 (Guinness Storehouse, St James's Gate, Dublin)