Belfast’s High Sheriff, Dr John Kyle today hosted a delegation of 25 delegates from Auburn University, USA, along with Mark McCormack, Managing Director of Aflac, one of the city’s biggest FDI success stories, having launched their Belfast branch four years ago.
Head quartered in Columbus Georgia, Aflac works closely with Auburn University. The visiting delegation is made up of some of Auburn state’s most experienced business leaders, currently undertaking an MBA at Auburn university, whilst employed in senior positions with companies including Amazon Web Services, AvAirPros, Boeing, Deloitte, InovaHealth, and Logic Source.
They’ve been immersed in Dublin and Belfast’s economic affairs over the past week and visited Belfast City Hall to learn about the city’s history as an industrial powerhouse, its current investment proposition, and ambitions to attract further high-quality inward investment.
Belfast High Sheriff Dr John Kyle said: “It’s been a pleasure to host this US delegation, and to have the opportunity to share our recent growth and business successes, as well as our ambitions to position Belfast internationally; especially in the USA, where we’ve developed significant ties over the years.
“It’s really encouraging to see the momentum of positive interest in Belfast continuing to build, following the success of last week’s Northern Ireland Investment Summit. And thanks to investment from sources including the Belfast Region City Deal, Shared Prosperity Fund, and PeacePlus, we’ve entered a decade of opportunity. As part of our Belfast Agenda, we’re committed to attracting further international investment so that we can create more and better opportunities for people living here.”
During their visit to the city, the Auburn University delegation also met with Invest NI and heard about employee experiences with US FDI companies based in Belfast including Allstate, Citi, CME, Oracle and State Street. They also heard Kainos’ local success story - from indigenous start-up tech company as a university spin out, to playing in global markets.
For more information on Belfast as an investment destination, visit www.investinbelfast.com.