"We want to make doing business in and from Ireland, North and South, more efficient, productive and profitable," said Dr Martin Naughton, executive chairman and majority shareholder of Glen Dimplex, who was appointed chairman of the Trade and Business Development Implementation Body in Newry, Co Down, yesterday.
Mr Naughton said the new organisation would assist businesses throughout the island to improve their capability and increase their capacity, to become more competitive globally and create more employment. It would do this by starting with suggestions as to how it could move quickly, pull ideas together and commission studies, he added.
Members of the body have identified trade, promotion and e-commerce as priority areas for debate and analysis. Yesterday they agreed to an operational timetable for the next 12 months, a year 2000 corporate plan with a budget of about £9 million, a three-year draft plan covering 2001-2003 and recommendations on a range of business areas.
The grouping will develop a number of specific operational schemes for North-South Ministerial Council approval. These will include a programme to enable companies to undertake joint product and process development projects of commercial benefit; implementing a science and technology awareness programme on a North-South basis; an innovation award scheme; and proposals to increase competitiveness in critical areas such as e-commerce.
The body has also the task of bringing forward proposals to the NSMC for developing a North-South equity investment fund programme within three months. This is expected to complement the work of existing development agencies such as the IDA and IDB.
The Border regions will especially benefit because they had previously had investment diverted away due to the effects of the Troubles, Mr Naughton said.
The post of chief executive of the Trade and Business Development Body will be advertised next month, with Mr Liam Nellis, of the IDB, continuing to act as interim chief executive in the meantime.
Mr Harold Ennis, former chairman of Boxmore International, who was appointed vice-chairman of the 12-member board said: "This is a forum where we can also discuss more strategic and long-term matters such as increasing enterprise competitiveness, North and South, particularly in areas such as telecoms, IT and e-commerce."
The new organisation is to be headquartered in Newry and will initially employ up to 42 people.