It was great to finally get back out and see some old familiar faces, along with some new ones too at our annual Christmas Lunch in the Hilton Airport Hotel on Friday, December 2nd. The event began with a mulled wine reception (including an alcohol free option) in the reception area and the formalities got under way with a heartfelt speech from the president, Marina Bleahen. She spoke briefly about the collective need for collaboration amongst smaller organisations and how we must rally together to have a voice for government on the north side of the city. She followed this with a presentation to Ellen Drumm, a stalwart in the organisation, who has given so much over the years and also the person who held the mantle right into the pandemic when Marina took over.
After a fantastic lunch laid on by our anchor partners, The Hilton Hotel Group we heard from Lachlan Roach, Operations Manager for Harvey Norman Ireland in a fireside chat facilitated by Stephen Kennedy of Talent Partners (another stalwart of North Dublin Chamber and a past president as well). They had a lighthearted conversation about sport and the trials and tribulations of moving your family from Australia to Ireland in the middle of a pandemic. Lachlan also spoke about the benefits of a good company culture and how Harvey Norman held all their staff through the various lockdowns. They also recognised the pressure felt by their client facing staff and the group maintained their average bonuses during the difficult period.
A big shout out has to go to Jason Cairns, the Sales Manager at the Hilton who seemed to recognise what needed to be done and in place before we did. Thank you very much from all the team at the North Dublin Chamber.
Here are some images taken on the day:
