AIB’s Maree Lyng elected new Enniscorthy & District Chamber President

One of Enniscorthy’s most well-known business figures, AIB branch manager Maree Lyng, was elected as President of Enniscorthy & District Chamber last Wednesday, last Wednesday July 5th.

Welcoming the chains of office Maree stated “Firstly, I would like to say what and honour and privilege it is for me to have been elected as President of Enniscorthy & District Chamber. On behalf of all the chamber members, I thank John O’Leary for his exceptional guidance as President for the past two years and for passing on a very stable organisation to make the very best of the opportunities which lie ahead of Enniscorthy.

My vision for Enniscorthy & District Chamber of Commerce is to promote and improve the business environment, stimulate a vibrant local economy, and produce a co-operative effort to enhance the overall quality of life in the area. We share a positive outlook for the coming two years and plan to build on the success of 2016, where our membership doubled in size in the past twelve months.

I am delighted to announce elected members to our executive council include Michael O’Leary of Sherry Fitzgerald O’Leary Kinsella as Vice President, Connie Doyle as Treasurer, and Secretary Margot Banville Hogan. Eugene Doyle & Sheil Kinnear Accountants are continuing as accountants and auditors. I look forward to working with them. This September we will elect the extended Chamber Council and we are calling for nominations in the coming weeks. A strong board with active contributing members is vital and we look forward to new nominees coming forward.

Enniscorthy & District Chamber of Commerce is lucky to have a most diverse, dedicated, and talented group of people working together to build and nurture a healthy business environment, promoting cultural advancement and social harmony.

I have been Vice President to President John O’Leary from Frizelle O Leary Solicitors and his commitment and leadership has been outstanding and I hope to develop further the ideas and actions he has put in motion. We are also blessed in Enniscorthy to have the full support of our former Presidents and I counted out at least five of them at our AGM and each of these brings such experience and expertise to the Council Table.

I am honoured to work with our Chief Executive Catriona Murphy who is dynamic and strategic and I look forward to a very exciting and positive time for Enniscorthy and District over the next two years.

We would like to host four chamber membership meetings alongside our Chamber Council Meetings where all of the Chamber Membership are welcome to attend. This should ensure that we are always relevant and important in your business, cultural and social lives.

On Friday last, I met with Larry McHale our Engineer on the Enniscorthy Flood Defence Scheme to discuss time lines on our towns development. He advises that there is over a million euros spent already on-site investigation works, traffic management, ecology surveys. We should have a Public Display for the Scheme by November 2017. If you want more information on this please visit enniscorthyfds.ie alternatively Larry is available to talk to anyone also.

I would invite you all to visit our Chamber offices just over the Old Bridge in Enniscorthy, it is a hive of activity, and provides a wealth of information and advice for new start-ups and existing businesses. Our website is enniscorthychamber.ie

I would like to thank all the people of Enniscorthy and District for the support I have always received myself as a business person in the area.  I am honoured to give back to the business community and act as your President for the next two years.”

Micheal O’Leary well known auctioneer of Sherry Fitzgerald O’Leary Kinsella takes up his position as Vice-President and will support Maree stated “As Enniscorthy’s largest business organisation with a network of members reaching from Bunclody to Blackwater and all in between, we hope to continue to facilitate the growth and development of the chamber network and promote the long-term development of our locality. I look forward to supporting initiatives that strengthen our voice through collective action and collaboration”.

Welcoming both into their new roles, Chamber Chief Executive Catriona Murphy “I would like to congratulate Maree and Michael on their election and thank the outgoing President John O’Leary for his leadership and support. The chamber movement is characterised by people giving of their time and in the past year I have valued both John and Maree’s time immensely. Our new President and Vice-President bring a breadth of experience which will become a great asset to our organisation. Enniscorthy & District Chamber works on behalf of its members to ensure our strategies reflect the needs of the business community and to continue to engage at all levels to ensure policies and plans are implemented. Like many organisations this relationship is two-way and I ask our members to engage with us and our activities so we all get the most out of our collective membership.”

Catriona continued “The next twelve months is likely to become the phase of opportunity for the wider Enniscorthy area; the Traffic Management plan will be instrumental to the functionality of the town and the developments will of this project will strengthen investment opportunities in the area. We hope to create the best possible environment for business and encourage smarter business practices”.

The next chamber meeting will take place in the Chamber Offices at Portsmouth House on September 13th at 8pm.