Past Events
IBNI New Members Networking Event
12th September: Members and guests of the Irish Business Network Italy (IBNI), Ireland's network of entrepreneurs and professionals with a global membership across six continents, enjoyed an informal networking reception in the beautiful gardens of the Grand Visconti Palace Hotel in Milan, sponsored by Enterprise Ireland.
We were delighted to welcome Patricia O’Brien, the Ambassador of Ireland to Italy, who gave the opening address and reminded us of the objectives of the newly formed group to foster business relations and communication between the two countries. She also announced the very recent opening of the Consulate General of Ireland in Milan, headed by Maria Sheehy as the new Consul General.
Alberto Rizzini, IBNI representative in the Veneto Region, introduced two of our members who gave a brief overview of their Italian/Irish connections:
- Matteo Penzo, Co-founder and CEO of Dublin-based zick learn, providing a revolutionary approach to corporate training driven by data and advanced technologies;
- Kate Macklin, based in Italy and the owner of Italian Solutions - supplier of a wide range of contemporary Italian and other furniture to private clients all over the world.
We were joined by Max Roveri, the Director of the San Patrizio Livorno Festival, who announced that during Saint Patrick’s week in March 2025 they are planning a series of interesting cultural events that will also include well-known Irish authors such as John Banville and Catherine Dunne.
12 settembre 2024: I membri e gli ospiti dell'Irish Business Network Italy (IBNI), la rete di imprenditori e professionisti irlandesi con un'affiliazione globale che abbraccia sei continenti, hanno partecipato a un incontro tenutosi presso il Grand Visconti Palace Hotel di Milano, sponsorizzato da Enterprise Ireland.
Siamo stati lieti di accogliere Patricia O'Brien, Ambasciatore d'Irlanda in Italia, che ha tenuto il discorso di apertura ricordandoci gli obiettivi del gruppo appena costituito: promuovere le relazioni commerciali e la comunicazione tra i due Paesi. Ha inoltre annunciato la recentissima apertura del Consolato Generale d'Irlanda a Milano, guidato da Maria Sheehy come nuovo Console Generale.
Alberto Rizzini, rappresentante dell'IBNI nella Regione Veneto, ha presentato due dei nostri soci che hanno fornito una breve panoramica dei loro legami italo-irlandesi:
- Matteo Penzo, cofondatore e amministratore delegato di zick learn, con sede a Dublino, che offre un approccio rivoluzionario alla formazione aziendale basato su dati e tecnologie avanzate;
- Kate Macklin, residente in Italia e proprietaria di Italian Solutions, fornitore di una vasta gamma di mobili contemporanei italiani e di altro tipo per clienti privati in tutto il mondo.
A questi si è aggiunto Max Roveri, direttore del San Patrizio Livorno Festival, che ha annunciato che durante la settimana di San Patrizio, nel marzo 2025, sono in programma una serie di interessanti eventi culturali che includeranno anche noti autori irlandesi come John Banville e Catherine Dunne.
Artificial Intelligence Roundtable
The IBNI hosted a very interesting event in the PoliHub - Innovation Park & Startup Accelerator in Milan. Our members who managed to attend were very fortunate to hear from top experts Luca Longo and Marina Geymonat, who provided a fascinating but balanced overview of how Artificial Intelligence is changing the business world.
Thanks to sponsor Digitiamo.ai.
AI Roundtable - Irish Business Network Italy Tuesday 14th May at 18:30.
Marina Geymonat, Head of AI Laboratory at Leonardo and one of the maximum experts in the field - working also at the Italian Ministry of Economic Development and
Luca Longo, Lecturer at Technological University Dublin and "AI Person of the Year 2023" in Ireland - founder and general chair of the "World Conference on Explainable Artificial Intelligence"
Experts will discuss ethics, innovation and the impact of Artificial Intelligence. Attendees will be able to reflect upon the opportunities and risks that AI can bring in the workplace and in our society.
If you would like to become a member of the Irish Business Network Italy, please click the link below:
https://lnkd.in/dY-b8QGZ
Launch of the Irish Business Network Italy
As part of the “Ireland Week” festivities, the Irish Business Network Italy was launched by H.E. Patricia O’Brien, Ambassador of Ireland to Italy. The launch took place at the Westin Palace Hotel in Piazza della Repubblica and was attended by 160 guests of the Irish Embassy and the Irish Government trade agencies based in Milan, Bord Bia, Enterprise Ireland, and Tourism Ireland.
Following the Ambassador’s presentation, where she outlined to the large audience of Irish and Italian companies present, Ireland’s current position on the European and world stage with particular reference to the recent celebration of 50 years of membership of the EU. She announced the official launch of the Irish Business Network Italy (IBNI) and provided a summary of its relevance and potential in further strengthening and deepening Irish - Italian relations.
The Honorary Consul of Ireland to Italy, Avv. Antonietta Marsaglia, the President of the IBNI, provided an overview of the new Association and encouraged those present to join. The IBNI’s first event is planned for the end April on the theme of Artificial Intelligence, with events on ESG and cybersecurity to follow.
As part of the launch, John Roche, head of Enterprise Ireland in Italy, invited two members of the IBNI Steering Committee, Nicola Farronato and Dario Cardile, two successful Italian serial entrepreneurs, to give a brief overview of the major advantages of doing business in Ireland, based on their own experience, as well as advice for Irish companies starting and scaling in the Italian market.
