Addressing more than 500 business leaders in Titanic Belfast today, NI Chamber President Kailash Chada said that “brave politics needs business support. If we want stable institutions and a thriving economy, we must give the Executive the mandate to be visionary, not just to be pragmatic.”
Mr Chada was speaking at the membership organisation’s 2025 Annual Lunch, a platform which he used to encourage bold decision-making and greater ambition. “I want us to be brave”, he said, “think big, and get on with making things happen.”
Turning to the opportunities, he said:
“This region is bursting with potential – in our people, in our ideas, in our position in the world. We need to turn that potential into actual performance.
“Last year, Northern Ireland was an outlier; we were the only part of the UK to see growth in goods exported. That is dual market access in action – a unique relative advantage that we hold here. But we must be much more ambitious about using barrier-free market access and challenging the unnecessary red tape that is holding our businesses back.
“Now is the time to position ourselves not just as fast followers, but as global leaders – in innovation, in trade, and in sustainability. As President, I will be a vocal advocate for low-carbon growth, for sustainable business models, and for investing in skills that prepare our workforce for a net-zero economy.”
Stressing the need for a long-term economic plan, he told guests:
“Let’s think long-term about our ambition for this place, which too often is beset by short-termism.
“Let’s be bold and explore a much more ambitious plan for Northern Ireland, built on investment in infrastructure, skills, high-growth sectors and a more competitive rate of corporation tax. A long-term plan that unlocks investment in people and critical infrastructure, not least wastewater, innovation and the decarbonisation that our planet demands. That’s not just good policy, it’s good business.”
NI Chamber’s Annual Lunch was supported by its Communications Partner BT, as well as Cleaver Fulton Rankin, Budget Energy, Flogas, GMcG and DELL Technologies.
Speaking at the event, BT’s Paul Murnaghan said:
“BT are once again delighted to support the NI Chamber of Commerce and Industry as patron and Communications partner for this, the prestigious President’s Lunch. We would like to congratulate outgoing President Cat on a wonderful year in the “hot seat” and very much look forward to supporting and working with Kailash in the year ahead.”
Guests at NI Chamber’s sold-out Annual Lunch also heard from BBC Broadcaster Fiona Bruce, during an onstage interview with Claire McCollum.
