Are you a retailer who knows that presenting a customer with the wrong offer is bad for business?

Then, email can be your most effective communications tool. Even if yours is a bricks and mortar store, email is a tried and tested way of increasing footfall and can act as an effective showrooming tool.

How many times have you signed up to a newsletter, only to be bombarded with an arsenal of sales shrapnel?  

That certainly wasn’t what you opted-in for. You expected relevant emails, with special offers or information that appealed to you, delivered with appropriate frequency.  So, their trigger-happy, scatter-gun actions made you reach straight for the UNSUBSCRIBE button.

If a customer signs up for your newsletter, they are allowing you ‘into their Inbox’. This opt-in can be a golden opportunity for the retailer, but it is also a privilege that needs to be respected and handled with care.

For many subscribers, the opt-in occurred after they had made an in-store or online purchase, so that the very next email they get after that purchase is critical to what happens next. This could be a follow-on purchase, a recommendation or increasing the feel good loyalty. On the other hand, if the email message is not correct it may produce a decidedly negative effect.

Savvy retailers ‘get’ this and personalise their email communications to address their valued customers’ needs. They respect that we are all different. This personalisation can be as simple as asking for subscribers’ gender. In December, I received a beautifully designed newsletter from a high-profile fashion retailer displaying ‘the perfect little black dress’ for the Christmas party season.   (I just didn’t have the legs for it!)

Good email marketing practice nurtures sales, by treating customers and prospects like Mr Selfridge himself might have done, when he introduced his store to London in 1909.

Personalisation should take into account a number of customer attributes, like your age, style -preferences and of course, gender.

(UK high-street retailers, Dune successfully achieves this)

Newsletter.ie is one of the few email marketing platforms that offer this service.

Their ShopperScore  App contains all the features that the savvy retailer needs to help offer their customers a truly personalised service:

• They develop a customer ‘Persona’, aligning the customer with its products.
• This is much more than simply tracking clicks. Leadscoring is used to help gauge prospects by their buying potential value to the retailer.
• A Welcome Series is deployed so that right from the get-go, your subscriber is encouraged to engage by prompting them with relevant and timely emails.
• Using dynamic content, the customer receives material and offers based on their own particular Persona.
• Integrated email surveys are utilised to further flesh-out the subscriber Persona
• Customers can be further segmented and targeted with offers based on their loyalty scheme points.
• Using Clickstream Tracking, even deserted trolleys can be tracked and an email sent to help direct the wayward shopper back towards the checkout.

Click through to find out more on the ShopperScore  App

Ready to treat your customers to the personalised shopping experience they deserve?

…just like Mr Selfridge did!

OBAMA, OLYMPICS, a NUDGE and ……??

DMX Digital Marketing Conference was the first year that  The Marketing Institute (Ireland) have held this conference. Their aims were to condense the best of digital marketing and connect marketers with new thinking and practises.  In the quality of the speakers and breath of subjects covered, they certainly succeeded in holding an excellent event. ( If I were to offer one piece of constructive criticism, I would  say that while the Aviva is undoubtedly one of the world’s top rugby stadiums, as a conference venue, it leaves a lot to be desired)

These are a few random observations on the day’s highlights, for this attendee.. 

OBAMA 

‘Lessons from the Obama Campaign’

-Teddy Goff, Digital Director for Obama Election campaign 2012

Email Marketing for POTUS!

He led the mass email team, writing and editing fundraising, recruitment and messaging emails and developing communication and segmentation plans. Teddy related how one email campaign alone, rose over $2m. This was achieved by split testing their emails into 18 different segments in order to achieve the optimum results.

Key takeaways:

• Teddy stressed that email was a key component of the overall digital campaign.

• He emphasised the importance of testing subject lines ( A useful tool for testing your own subject lines is Free Spamchecker Tool by Newsletter.ie )

• Teddy’s campaign raised $690 million and registered more than 1m people online.

• His team built followings of 45m and 33m people, respectively, on Facebook and Twitter and generated over 133m video views

 As I watched Teddy relating his experiences of working with President Obama, I was seeing Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) from The West Wing TV series!

OLYMPICS

‘Doing it right – how the Olympic and Paralympic Games became digital by default’

- Alex Balfour, Head of Digital for London 2012 Olympics

When this campaigns started in 2006, there were still more dial-up than broadband connections in the UK. Facebook was 18 months old and Twitter was yet to be born. This illustrates the short timeframe in which social media has come to permeate our lives. As the whole marketing landscape evolved over the subsequent 6 years, this campaign became digital by default.

Key takeaways:

• Over the 6 year span of the London 2012 Olympic campaign, Alex’s  team delivered 80 websites, mobile apps, such as 1.86m Facebook Likes  and 1.9 m Twitter followers for 48 Accounts.

• Google Doodles produced massive website traffic

Alex related some awesome statistics. For a detailed breakdown check out this Slideshare

NUDGE

‘The Mighty Nudge: The Future of SEO, Social Media & Content Marketing’

By  Rand Fiskin ,CEO & co-founder of SEOmoz

Rand spoke a lot of sense about the effectiveness of the nudge rather than the beg, borrow or steal approach to influencing consumers with tricks and interruption marketing

This method resonated with me as being very much in line with Hubspot’s Inbound Marketing approach.

Fewer choices … more actions (Don’t make me think !)

            OR              

Book ‘Nudge’ by Cass Sunstein and Richard Thaler

Just a few of the many other great presentations:

‘’Inbound Marketing: The Art of Not Sucking’

-Kieran Flanagan, Marketing Director (EMEA) at Hubspot

Kieran spoke about how Hubspot ‘create marketing that people love’.

Their CEO and co-founder, Brian Halligan, did, after all, coin the phrase ‘Inbound Marketing’

Other platforms that are ‘inbound’ in their approach are Marketo, SEOmoz,  Newsletter.ie and ExactTarget).

Click to view Kieran’s entertaining  Presentation

(Also, see my previous blog :  ‘Dublin – Digital Hubspot of Europe?’ )

‘Get the culture right and the tweets will look after themselves’

-Martin Thomas, Author of ‘Crowdsurfing’

Key takeaways:

• Martin stressed that the challenges facing organisations seeking to embrace social media are not technological but cultural

• Social merely dramatises the weakness that impede most modern organisations, which include excessive bureaucracy and lack of trust in employees

• Sorting these things out will mean that social media will look after itself.

Slideshare Link to Martin’s presentation

‘Generating ROI from Social Marketing’

- Rebecca Quin – Wildfire

Rebecca spoke of the rise of the social consumer and how effective social media marketing delivers on concrete business objectives. She gave a number of real life examples of how several organisations are succeeding in social.  Her presentation was based on Wildfire’s downloadable strategy report: The Road to ROI – Building a Strategy for Social Marketing Success

Key takeaways:

• 80% of consumers try products based on peer suggestions, while 74% encourage friends to try new products.

• ‘Google + is Google’s fastest growing product ever ‘

As this company was recently acquired by Google, and due to the generous peppering of references to Google products, I tweeted and received the following reply 

So that was Obama, Olympics, a Nudge….and look what I spotted on the hallowed grounds of the Aviva :

Hubspot’s co-founder and CEO, Brian Halligan, opened his keynote talk at the launch of their new European HQ in Dublin, by showing us a picture of his Dad. Mr Halligan (Snr) got all his information from his favourite TV stations and newspapers. These were the channels through which advertisers marketed to him (by ‘interrupting’ his viewing and reading)

Our parent’s generation received their media information from the traditional channels of television, radio and newspapers, so marketers targeted them through these media. Marketing has had to change radically to deal with how we receive information today. Marketers now need to reach and influence us through alternative channels, mainly online, such as our social networks, email and search. 

Outbound v Inbound

The term ‘Inbound Marketing’ was coined by Brian Halligan in 2005 and was an evolution of the concept of ‘permission marketing’, popularized by marketing thought leader, Seth Godin. Inbound marketing promotes a company by earning prospective customers’ attention. The viewers are drawn to a company’s website by downloading their useful content. This can be in the form of free eBooks, blogs, podcasts, whitepapers, enewsletters and social media.

Outbound Marketing uses the more traditional interruptive marketing approach of ‘buying attention’ using TV and radio  adverts, cold calling , direct mail, telemarketing and email marketing. Interestingly, those platforms using email progressively are ‘inbound’ in their approach, (e.g. Marketo, Eloqua, Newsletter.ie and ExactTarget).

Hubspot’s mission is ‘to replace the world’s annoying, interruptive marketing with marketing that people love’.  Their lead intelligence tools help to generate leads and convert them into customers.

Brian Halligan, who was named by Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2010 & 2011,   mentioned  Steve Jobs’ Influence on Hubspot. He also expressed his admiration for Amazon’s business model, in the smart way that the more often he visits the site the more personalised it gets about offering suitable products to him. (The meeting rooms in Dublin’s European HQ are aptly named after those inspiring entrepreneurs, Jobs, Bezos and Branson)

Founded in 2006, Hubspot has more than $100M in VC funding from investors that include Google Ventures, Salesforce.com and Sequoia. With over 450 employees, the company grew revenues by 82% in 2012 alone, to $52.5m

Why Hubspot ?

At the launch of their new European HQ, in Dublin, Ireland, we heard some interesting inbound marketing stories, from Hubspot users, Brightfire in Scotland.

Why Ireland?

When I asked Brian why they choose Ireland for their European HQ, he admitted that the tax incentives were attractive. He also cited the talent in Ireland as another big advantage. He stressed however, that Hubspot wants to do more than simply establish a presence here, but rather to move up the value chain by building product. They are establishing a strong team of engineers in Dublin and R&D will be a major component of the 150 employees that they plan to have here, within the next couple of years.

So, with digital pioneers like Hubspot joining Google, Facebook, Twitter and many others, in choosing Ireland as their gateway to the massive European market, Dublin truly is becoming a ‘digital Hubspot’ between ‘Boston and Brussels‘ !

* Disclaimer: I provide marketing services to some of the companies mentioned -P.C.

Last weekend was my second time been privileged to witness a speech by President Bill Clinton. Both occasions took place in my native city of Limerick, Ireland, The first occasion was fourteen years ago, when I was amongst a crowd of 40,000 who turned up to greet him. At that time he was two years into his second term of office, as the 42^nd US President.

He was then still dealing with the repercussions of the Monica Lewinsky scandal. While his sexual indiscretions were far from appropriate to his high office, his major error of judgement was to lie and deny his affair, when he initially had the opportunity to do so. He did, however eventually, admit his untruths and publicly apologise to the nation and his wife. Unlike President Richard Nixon before him, however, despite being caught out in his deception, he managed to finish his full second term. In many ways, Clinton’s sex life was scrutinized more than his career accomplishments, of which there were many , not least of which being that he presided over the longest period of economic expansion in American history, culminating in a budget surplus of €265 billion in 2000.

Last Saturday, I was amongst just 600 guest at the University of Limerick, where President Bill Clinton was guest of honour at The JP McManus Annual All-Ireland Scholarship Awards.  Mr McManus, one of Ireland’s most successful  businessmen,  presents these awards to 125 students from every county, North and South to a total annual value of €3.4 million.

On introducing the former US president, Mr McManus referred to the fact that it was very appropriate that he should be guest of honour at this All-Ireland Award ceremony, as he had been so instrumental in overseeing the Northern Ireland peace process, without which, this 32 county element of the awards, may not have been possible.

Mr.Clinton spoke of how he himself benefited greatly from scholarships , firstly to Georgetown University ,in Washington DC and later on to University College, Oxford, before later returning to Yale back in the US. He referred to Ireland’s current economic challenges, but that they will pass and we will again prosper. He stressed the importance of overcoming adversity and avoiding becoming victims, of our circumstances. He gave the example of Nelson Mandela , who after many years in captivity on  Roden Island, on gaining his freedom and eventually becoming President, he invited his former captors to join him in ruling South Africa.

He went on to talk about the freedom and opportunity that education offers and the need to remain positive about the future, as the current recession will pass but education will endure and “Nobody ever got anywhere by expecting tomorrow to be like yesterday.”

President Bill Clinton at JP McManus All-Ireland Scholarship Awards Limerick,Ireland.

Among the guests were ;

American Ireland Fund Chairperson, Loretta Brennan Glucksman and CEO Kieran McLoughlin.

Businessmen; Dermot Desmond, Denis O’Brien and John Fitzpatrick.

Also present were the current and past Presidents of the University of Limerick, Don Barry and Roger Downer, as well as Dr Martin McAleese, Tim O’Connor and Ian Hyland,

Politicians; Irish Minister for Finance Michael Noonan  and Housing Minister Jan O’Sullivan and Northern Ireland Minister for Employment and Learning Dr Stephen Farry; and Northern Ireland Minister for Education John O’Dowd.

From the world of sports were local heroes, former Irish rugby captain Keith Wood and Munster and Irish rugby star Paul O’Connell.

It’s also a great time to ask questions of your customers. Getting product reviews now can help shape your inventory or order plans and add to your customer’s preferences. Perhaps your customer took up cycling and is now in the market for a new helmet or bike? This is good to know if you are a sports retailer, right? Carefully construct a survey that will update your customers’ preference and product feedback; then use the survey results in the campaign. Be sure to thank them for their feedback with a coupon or discount.

Protip: Use the Dynamic content feature in your email platform so that the message contains the data stated in their preferences.

If you have not done so already, make sure you are collecting data from your customer at POS and by that, we mean both online and offline. Coupons and special offers that are specific only to the Holiday season should be considered today and incorporated into the Holiday plan. Once they have opted in to your email communications, you can keep them up-to date on new deals or offers especially on the countdown to the Holiday season.

An email series is a great way to automatically remind customers on a schedule. The Advent calendar and Post office deadlines are popular scheduling guides as they are a credible source for delivery times. Use these to remind subscribers that by acting now, they can save money and avoid any shipping delays.

Protip: With an email series it’s easy to set a schedule ahead of time and autosend different messages over the season making sure that no one gets the same message twice.

Now what about Facebook and Twitter? Timely posting is important and make sure it coincides with your plan. There are tools available to do this and of course you can post to Twitter/Facebook directly from most email platforms too.

It’s a common schoolboy mistake to assume the endgame of your Holiday season marketing is Christmas Day. Including Thanksgiving, Boxing day/St Stephen’s day and New Years are all important milestones in the Holiday season too. Looking back at last years’ email campaign, you will have noticed that many of your subscribers opened the email on Christmas day. So do not forget to include a series of emails over the holiday for Boxing day and New Years deals.

Protip: Look at your email analytics dashboard to determine which days were most active for your campaign. Use this information to create an even better schedule this year.

Are you ready yet !?

Sign Up for Newsletter.ie Freemium Account with up to 2,500 Contacts .

Ireland has the unique distinction, for a small island of just 6 million souls, of having up to 80 million people globally, claiming to have Irish heritage. 40 million of these are based in the US. The UK alone has nearly 1 million first generation Irish-born people and 5 million with a direct Irish relative.

For many centuries the Irish have had to emigrate beyond this small island and adapt to different cultures, in many distant lands.  In the process, we have developed  great Networking skills. Perhaps this is helped by our ‘ Gift of the Gab, but we seem to have a genetic propensity to excel socially.

Wherever we find ourselves in the world, our natural ability to Network helps the Irish to adapt to new environments.

10 of the Top International Irish Networks

1. Irish International Business Network (IIBN) : This network is committed to supporting the growth and development of Irish entrepreneurs and business professionals across the globe.   This network’s origins were facilitated by the Irish Embassy in London.  The  HQ is in London, with chapters also in New York and Dublin, with further satellite branches  planned for Belfast, later this year and Asia in the near future.
2. Irish Network-USA (IN-USA)  : The network  assists Irish, Irish-American and friends of Ireland, to form local IN chapters in their communities. This  national umbrella organisation of the current 12 US city chapters allows members to connect with their peers and develop relationships that help foster success in their business  and social ventures.   Like the IIBN, this network originated from the Irish Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs.
3. WorldIrish : Irish actor, Gabriel  Byrne describes  WorldIrish as a  ‘virtual global Irish tribe’ . This is an on-line network for Irish people and people who love Ireland, all over the world.  An initiative from John McColgan ( Producer of ‘Riverdance ), this idea emerged  from  Ireland’s Global Economic Forum ( WI is currently in ‘Beta’ ,with  launch of full version ,due later in  2012.)
4. The Worldwide Ireland Funds : This large network of friends of Ireland is dedicated to supporting programmes of peace and reconciliation, arts and culture, education and community development, throughout the island of Ireland.  It operates in 12 countries and has raised over $430 million for more than 1,200 organizations.  Donors enjoy access to an extraordinary network of global supporters and events. A partnership with The Worldwide Ireland Funds provides the opportunity to make a tangible and lasting gift that helps Ireland bridge the past and the future.
5. The Ireland-US Council : The purpose of this Network is to build business links between America and Ireland. In pursuit of its aim, the Council hosts frequent events in Ireland and in the United States. The Council also operates a variety of scholarship and student internship programs. The Council seeks also to focus on activities that will develop communications, dialogue and improved understanding between leaders in business and government on both sides of the Atlantic.
6. Global Irish Network : This Network concept emerged from the Global Irish Economic Summits and  comprise over 300 of the most influential Irish and Irish-connected individuals around the world. Members of the Network, who come from a diversity of fields and are based in almost 40 countries, provide Ireland with an invaluable resource of international expertise from which we can draw as we work towards economic recovery.  The Network works closely with the Irish Government and State Agencies in promoting Ireland’s economic, cultural and tourism messages in key markets. The Network is also a key partner in our ongoing efforts to restore our international reputation.
7. Irish Technology Leadership Group (ITLG) : This is an independent organization comprised of a number of high-level technology leaders in Silicon Valley who are Irish or Irish-American. The Group includes senior executives from some of the Valley’s leading corporations, each of whom are committed to promoting the technology connection between Ireland and Silicon Valley, and helping Ireland address the challenges of embracing new technology opportunities
8. RendezVous353 : The mission of this on-line, global-Irish, business & social network is to organize and mobilize the goodwill and patriotism of the Irish Diaspora and its people at home in Ireland. There is a strong emphasis on assisting jobs seekers, who recently left Ireland, particularly information on positions in Australia and New York and the network also has good representation of Irish in the Arabian Gulf states
9. Irish Executives : The Irish Executives network began on LinkedIn in 2008, a time when people and businesses first realised the pressures being exerted on the global economic climate. Connecting business people within Ireland and around the world, Irish Executives continues to respond to this pressure with a commitment to sharing ideas, insights, expertise, solutions and know-how which exists among the Irish Diaspora at home and abroad. The largest Irish LinkedIn Group also made its ‘offline’, with the first , ‘Irish Executive Summit’,  in Galway, Ireland in 2011.  See:  2 ½ Minute Video – containing interviews with the network’s  founder, John Keogh and Kingsley Aikins, of Diaspora Matters and former President of  Worldwide Ireland Funds
10. Irish American Business Network (IABN) : This network is founded on the cultural and historical contributions of Irish descendants throughout North America. Using a light hearted, satirical approach, it seeks to use the collective experiences and insights to further their social, professional, and individual pursuits.These great networks are promoting Ireland globally to help the Irish people through their current economic challenges. This combination of the Irish in Ireland and the Irish Diaspora globally, have the potential to unleash immense powers of creativity and energy, in the arts and business worlds.

These great networks are promoting Ireland globally to help the Irish people through their current economic challenges. This combination of the Irish in Ireland and the Irish Diaspora globally, have the potential to unleash immense powers of creativity and energy, in the arts and business worlds.

Great Initiatives that will help Ireland’s Economy – through active Networking :

The Gathering 2013 :

A year-long celebration of Ireland, its people and our impact on the world – Be Part of It!   This initiative, facilitated by Irish state agency, Tourism Ireland, aims to attract 300,000 visitors to Ireland to help boost the economy and  have a lot of fun at the same time !

ConnectIreland :

Earn money for yourself or your favourite charity, by creating jobs in Ireland. The ConnectIreland mission is to attract companies that are expanding internationally, to locate in Ireland and create new jobs in the Irish economy.  They have been appointed by the Irish Government and IDA Ireland as part of the Irish Government’s Action Plan for Jobs.

Choosing  just ten networks from so many great Irish Networks is challenging.  Some of the notable exceptions are Tangible Ireland, Irish Arts, Performance & Heritage Network,  Irish Abroad,  Irish American Business Chamber Network-Philadelphia,  Irish Business Organisation-NY, London Irish Business Society, IN-GB, Irish Business Network-Germany, Lansdowne Club-Sydney, Irish Club-Moscow,Russia and Le Cheile-Shanghai, China.

~ More business decisions occur over lunch and dinner than at any other time, yet no MBA courses are given on the subject. ~ Peter Drucker

To contact : info@touchcommunications.ie

Sometimes, it seems that the great work undertaken, for all things Irish, by the Irish abroad , is not given the recognition it merits and the acknowledgement it deserves.

Today this was ably rectified by the the irish Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade. Minister Eamon Gilmore, T.D., announced details of the first recipients of the new Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad. This initiative which emerged from the 2011 Global Irish Economic Forum,at Dublin Castle, is a timely recognition of ten individuals who have proved to be wonderful ambassadors for Ireland in other countries, globally.

While I’m sure all ten chosen for these prestigious awards are fully worthy of the honours bestowed, three of them strike me ,personally, as being of particular merit.

• Chuck Feeney This ‘reluctant billionaire’, who  founded  Atlantic Philanthropies, has made an enormous financial contribution to all Irish universities, particularly, the University of Limerick. He also played an instrumental in the most historic event in living history of our island, the Irish peace process.

• Loretta Brennan Gluckman In addition to being Chairwoman of the philanthropic American Ireland Fund,which does such excellent work for Ireland, Loretta has made significant contributions to Irish universities, UUC,UL and Trinity College.  I was pleased to have had the pleasure of meeting this gracious and charming lady in New York, recently.

• Andy Rogers Last, but certainly not least of these three heroic Irish figures, Andy is another ‘larger than life’ personality. It is difficult to think of any Irishman who has unselfishly  contributed more to the Irish community of the UK, than this gentle giant. A proud Sligo man, Andy is a co-founder of the world’s premier business group for Irish entrepreneurs, the Irish International Business Network - IIBN .  Andy has  contributed to too many great Irish causes to mention, but a small selection are the following; Ireland Funds GB, Fundraiser for London Irish Rugby Club and theIrish National Youth Orchestra.  In November 2011, Andy received a Royal Knighthood, KMCO ( a Knight of Merit of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St George)

Full Details:

Tánaiste announces recipients of first Presidential Awards for Irish Abroad

The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Eamon Gilmore, T.D., has announced details of the first recipients of the new Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad, following today’s Government meeting.

“I’m delighted to recognise the distinguished and sustained work made by these ten individuals to Ireland, Irish communities abroad or Ireland’s international reputation by people living abroad. We are honouring individuals who, in their own separate ways, have made a remarkable contribution to this country,” the Tánaiste said.

“I made a commitment at the 2011 Global Irish Economic Forum to establish an Award system which would provide formal recognition by the Irish State to individuals resident abroad. The Award will now be presented on an annual basis”.

Mr Gilmore welcomed the decision to recognise the following individuals in 2012:

Arts, Culture and Sport:

Mr Pat Kelly (Canada);

Mr Pierre Joannan (France);

Mr Jim Stynes (deceased, Australia)

Business and Education:

Mr Donald Keough (United States);

Mr Andy Rogers (Britain)

Charitable Works:

Mr Chuck Feeney (United States)

Irish Community Support:

Ms Sally Mulready (Great Britain);

Sr Lena Deevy (United States)

Peace, Reconciliation and Development:

Fr Michael Kelly (Zambia);

Loretta Brennan Glucksman (United States)

Press Office

5 August 2012

Note for Editors

Background

The Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad is neither to be an honours system nor does it confer any legal entitlements upon the recipients.

In order to be eligible for consideration, nominees must be habitually resident outside the island of Ireland and are required to satisfy the following additional requirements:

(i)     have rendered distinguished service to the nation and/or its reputation abroad;

(ii)   have actively and demonstrably contributed to Ireland and/or its international reputation and/or Irish communities abroad in at least one of the categories listed above;

(iii)  have a track record of sustained support and engagement with Ireland and/or its international reputation and/or Irish communities abroad over a period of not less than 5 years.

The scheme is managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and a High Level Panel was established to make recommendations to Government.  This Panel includes: Mr David Cooney, Secretary General of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Chair), Mr Martin Fraser, Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach; Mr Adrian O’Neill, Secretary General to the President; and four representatives from the non-Government sector-  Ms Sally O’Neill Sanchez, Prof Declan Kiberd, Mr Kingsley Aikins and Fr Bobby Gilmore.

Nominations were made by Irish communities abroad through Ireland’s network of Diplomatic Missions.

The Awards will be presented to the individuals listed at a ceremony in Áras an Uachtaráin on 15 November 2012.
Award

Following a competitive process, the Distinguished Service Award was designed by Spear Product Design- an award-winning multidisciplinary design studio based in Dublin. The project team developed the concept of an open door which leads to the landscape of Ireland encapsulating the welcoming nature of both the Irish people and Ireland as a nation. The award will be made from Irish hardwoods and other locally sourced materials using a combination of modern and traditional technologies at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology Letterfrack.

PRESIDENTIAL DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD FOR THE IRISH ABROAD

2012

Arts, Culture and Sport:

Pat Kelly (Canada)

Pat Kelly, has been in Ottawa since the 1970s and has been behind many initiatives to support Irish activities in the Canadian capital city including;

The establishment of the Ottawa Gaels GAA Club in 1984;

Director of the Ottawa Irish Rugby Club,

Founder of the Ottawa Irish Seniors group

Director the Ottawa/ Irish Chamber of Commerce

Financial supporter of the Irish Tara Players

Director of the Irish Society of the National Capital

Financial backer to the St Brigid’s Irish Centre

Pat Kelly and his business partner, Larry Bradley, are among the most successful business persons in Ottawa. Their chain of pubs employ 450 and their construction company is also one of the largest in the east Ontario region. Both businesses have given many young Irish people employment a “start” when they arrived from Ireland. The companies have sponsored many of the newly arrived migrants for permanent residency.  Virtually every Irish initiative, including the St Patrick’s day parade, in Ottawa has been supported financially by Pat Kelly.

Pierre Joannan (France)

Pierre’s foremost contribution has been in the cultural sphere, particularly literature.  He is a prolific author on Irish history, politics and literature and the quality and scholarship of his writing has won Ireland a valuable audience in the Francophone world.  Apart from his writing, he has been very active in fostering greater Franco-Irish cultural and educational interactions through his involvement in academic conferences as well as initiatives of more general appeal.  He has been a great champion of Irish art and artists in France, most notably through his work with the Irish Cultural Centre in Paris, the largest and most venerable Irish cultural centre in the world.

Pierre has also contributed to greater political ties between Ireland and France.  He has engaged actively in raising awareness of the peace process and of raising the profile of Ireland’s peace-builders, such as John Hume.  More recently, with a new Irish Government elected in 2011, Pierre, in close collaboration with the Embassy, brought about an in-depth interview between the new Taoiseach and a leading French think tank that was subsequently published as a pamphlet and circulated widely.  Over the years he has welcomed many senior political figures from Ireland to France and extended the Franco-Irish political network.

Finally, Pierre has been an Honorary Consul General for many years and in this regard he has been a willing and generous friend of the Embassy and of Ireland

Jim Stynes (deceased, Australia)

Jim Stynes was a sportsman, philanthropist and writer.  In his lifetime he reached the peak of his adopted sport, Australian Rules Football, during a career characterised by fair play, resilience and dedication.  His work for young people through the charity he co-founded – the Reach Foundation –has been widely recognised and acknowledged.  The impact of his life and work permeates all levels of sporting and public life.

The outpouring of grief, tributes and the decision to accord him a state funeral reflects the esteem in which he was held.  It is widely recognised that through his skill and determination he provided the inspiration and the conditions for many of his compatriots to follow in his footsteps, just as he inspired and supported young people through the Reach Foundation.

Jim Stynes is the only non Australian born player to receive the Brownlow medal awarded to the Fairest and Best player in the AFL each season.  He was also awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his work with youth and his contribution of Australian football.

As an Irishman, Jim Stynes has represented his country to the highest possible standards and has been a towering example to young people in both countries and beyond.

Business and Education:

Donald Keough (United States)

In his previous capacity as CEO and President of Coca Cola, Donald played an instrumental role in facilitating investment by the company in Ireland. A graduate of Creighton College and a Navy Veteran, Don is a patriotic Irish-American with a love for Ireland. He is the holder of an Irish passport.

He is one of the most respected US businessmen and has been called the “Corporate Chieftain”. In addition to Coca-Cola’s expanse in Ireland, Don was responsible for arranging a visit of delegates including Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, in an effort to encourage further foreign direct investment.

A previous Chairman of The University of Notre Dame, he made a $2.5 million endowment to allow the opening of “The Keough Institute of Irish Studies” and “The Keough Notre Dame Centre” in Dublin. He has received honorary doctorates from Trinity College Dublin, Notre Dame and Emory University.

In 2007, he published “The Long Journey Home” and more recently submitted “Ten Commandments for Business Failure”, a New York Times Best Seller.

He has served on the boards of many global corporations, past and present, including Columbia Pictures, McDonalds and H.J Heinz Company. At the request of the Taoiseach, he also sat on the Irish Economic Advisory Board.

As the first honorary member of the Irish America Hall of Fame and as a valued associate of the Global Irish Network, he continues to promote investment in Ireland. His involvement in Irish and US business has had huge economic benefits for Ireland.

Andy Rogers (Great Britain)

Andy Rogers is a founder Board member of the impressive Irish International Business Network, linking members in Dublin, London and New York, and soon in Northern Ireland.   Mr Rogers was the instigator of  Re:Connect – the Western Region Development Network, the business diaspora network for the West of Ireland in Britain. This evolved out of his running of the effective Sligo Business Network which he started in 2000. Andy also mentors other Irish business and professional and business networks in London, including the Women’s Irish Network, the London Irish Business Society and the London Irish Graduate Network. He also mentors and gives financial advice to small Irish companies and individual business people. All of the above is done in a voluntary capacity. Andy is also a non-executive director of a number of businesses in both Britain and Ireland.

Mr Rogers uses his extensive business connections to support other Irish –related activities in Britain, including in the following capacities: Patron of SafeStart – (tackling housing and unemployment issues); Fundraiser for ICAP – the Irish Counselling and Psychiatry service; Adviser to GOAL UK; Fundraiser for the annual St Patrick’s Ball; Director of newly-created Irish Festivals Ltd (to promote Irish cultural activities); Fundraiser for Age UK, which provides services to older Irish people; Council Member of the Ireland Funds GB; Fundraiser for London Irish Rugby Club; Board member of the Irish National Youth Orchestra; and, Committee Member of Trinity College Dining Club.

Mr Rogers is Chairman of the Irish Community Group for the London Olympic Games, which promotes the Games among the Irish community and encourages Irish community participation in Games-related activities. This followed from his appointment by the Mayor of London as a member of the London 2012 Forum to encourage wide community support for the 2012 Games bid.

Charitable Works:

Chuck Feeney (United States)

Charles “Chuck” Feeney, an Irish-American whose ancestry traces back to County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland, is a businessman and philanthropist who was born and raised in a working class family in New Jersey. He served as a U.S. Air Force radio operator during the Korean War, after which he obtained a GI Scholarship to attend the Cornell University of Hotel Administration. He made his billionaire fortune through the pioneering business, “The Duty Free Shoppers Group”, a first tax-free airport shop of its kind.

In 1982, Mr. Feeney founded The Atlantic Philanthropies and transferred the bulk of his wealth to the foundation in 1984. This is one of the largest such private foundations in global terms and by the end of 2009 it had given over $5 billion to organizations and charities around the world. The Atlantic Philanthropies has supported many social and health projects in many countries, among which Ireland has been especially prominent. It has also given generously to a number of Irish universities, including Trinity College Dublin and the University of Limerick.

Mr. Feeney has made a hugely significant contribution to Ireland and Irish Society through his support for the peace process, especially during its early stages as a facilitator of contacts and exchanges. He has also been nominated to Irish America Magazine’s Hall of Fame.

The universities of Ireland, North and South, will jointly confer an honorary Doctorate of Laws (LLD) on Mr Feeney on 6 September next. This is the first time such an honour will have been conferred jointly by all the Universities on the island of Ireland.  The universities are coming together to honour Chuck Feeney’s remarkable contribution to Irish society, and in particular to the universities.

Irish Community Support:

Sally Mulready (Great Britain)

Sally Mulready is a member of the Irish Council of State. She is one of seven appointees appointed to the Council of State in January 2012 by President Michael D Higgins. Ms Mulready is the only member of the Council of State who does not live in Ireland. She was appointed by the President due to her many decades of work for the Irish community in Britain.  The theme that runs through all her work is helping and empowering the disadvantaged.

Sally Mulready is head of the Irish Elderly Advice Network, which has helped 4,000 vulnerable Irish in Britain. She has also campaigned on behalf of abuse victims, the Birmingham Six and, more recently, those who were held in the Magdalen laundries.  She is a British Labour Party councillor.

Sr Lena Deevy (United States)

Sister Lena Deevy has been a member of the Catholic Little Sisters of the Assumption order for over thirty years and is a native of Crettyard, Co Laois. She is the Executive Director of the Boston Irish Immigration Center, a non-profit self-help agency that serves the interests of immigrants from Ireland and elsewhere.

Sr. Lena’s unique ability to organize public works programs became her trademark early on. She specialized in creating job centers, drug abuse programs, playgroups for children and home care service centers. Although she has formal degrees in nursing and education, she proclaims that she is self-taught and that many of her projects were created because she saw a need that she felt had to be met.

Her main focus in relation to Ireland has been to help young Irish people to develop and learn how to be an active part of society despite their difficulties in gaining employment during the recession of the 1980s. Her more than twenty years of experience in community organizing of deprived neighborhoods in Ireland as well as fighting for basic human rights for victims of discrimination led her to pursue a Master’s degree from the Harvard School of Education. Upon completion of her degree, she was offered the opportunity to take part in a research project into undocumented Irish immigrants. There, she learned firsthand of the difficulties facing all immigrants.

Sr. Lena went on to become the first Executive Director of the Irish Immigration Center (IIC). The IIC is unique in that its core mission is to provide services for its own constituency while reaching out to all immigrants in an inclusive, non-discriminatory manner. It is believed the organization has helped people from over 112 different nations, many of which were Irish.

Among her several awards, Sr. Lena was presented with the Isaac Hecker Award for Social Justice from the Paulist Center in 1996, an Honorary Doctorate from Stonehill College in 2008 and the Governor’s New American Appreciation Award in 1999.

Peace, Reconciliation and Development

Fr Michael Kelly (Zambia)

Michael Kelly was born in Tullamore, Ireland in 1929. He was one of seven children. He and two of his siblings became Jesuit priests. He studied at University College Dublin and was awarded a B.A in Maths and Mathematical Physics in 1952, both with first class honours. He went on to receive a licentiate in philosophy in 1955. He moved to Zambia and has lived and worked there for 50 years, becoming a Zambian citizen. He worked for many years as headmaster of Canislius College in Chiseki in Zambia. He completed his PhD studies in the area of child and educational psychology in 1974 and subsequently became a senior lecturer and Dean of the School of Education in the University of Zambia (UNZA), in 1975. He served as pro-vice chancellor and deputy vice chancellor and became professor in 1989.

In the past ten years Professor Kelly has spent considerable time researching the devastating impact of HIV and AIDS in Africa and in particular its impact on education. He has been at the forefront of research on the interconnection between education and HIV and AIDS. He has worked closely with Irish Aid in the development of its policy on HIV and AIDS in the education sector in Zambia and in other countries in Africa. He also has worked extensively with a number of international organisations such as UNESCO, UNICEF and the World Bank.

In 2003 he received an award from the Commonwealth of Learning for his contribution to the fight against HIVAIDS in Africa.

In November 2004 Professor Kelly received an Honorary Degree from the University of the West Indies. This honour was in recognition of Professor Kelly’s leadership role in the field of education and HIV and AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean.

In recognition of his work on HIV and AIDS Professor Kelly was awarded an Honorary Degree from University College Dublin in 2006.

In addition, in 2006, he was honoured by the Minister of State for Overseas Development Cooperation and Human Rights for his work on HIV and AIDS. This award consisted of an annual lecture series in his name, the first of which took place on December 1st, 2006 and also a fellowship scheme in his name for Zambian students to undertake further education and research on HIV and AIDS.

He is the author of many books and publications, including “HIV AND AIDS – A Social Justice Perspective” (Paulines Publications Africa 2010).

Loretta Brennan Glucksman (United States)

Loretta Brennan Glucksman is an Irish descendant through her grandparents and was brought up with this cultural background in mind in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Loretta was an early achiever earning a scholarship to Chestnut Hill College, before going on to teach at The College of New Jersey. After this, she began hosting a television public affairs and politics program, ‘The Thursday Night Report’, continuing this for almost twelve years, while also establishing her own PR firm.

In 1984, she met her husband, Lewis L. Glucksman, a former Lehman Brothers CEO and Chairman. In 1987 he brought Loretta to Ireland for her first trip where she developed a love of the country and people, establishing herself as a true philanthropic. Between 1987 and 2006, Lew and Loretta Glucksman made several significant contributions to Ireland and Irish America. In 1993 they founded the ‘Ireland House’ and New York University and subsequently played a vital role in the pursuit of peace on the Island of Ireland. Loretta believes strongly in integrated education and has stated, “It’s so crucial to break down barriers by educating children together”.

Today, Mrs. Brennan Glucksman is Chairwoman of the American Ireland Fund which has raised over $300 million for Irish culture and development, as well as being a member of the Irish Economic Advisory Board. She has also spearheaded many specific fundraising initiatives such as the Ireland Funds’ Hope and History campaign.

In addition, Mrs. Brennan Glucksman contributes to many boards in Ireland, currently including Trinity College Dublin, the Royal Irish Academy and the National Gallery of Ireland. She previously served on the board of Industrial Development Agency. Mrs. Brennan Glucksman is also Honorary Patron and benefactor of the Glucksman Gallery in Cork, named in honour of her late husband. She also has a house in Cork.

You need to change a setting so you don’t get hacked:

While on FB, look at your URL address [the very top box on your screen]. If you see “http:” instead of “https:” then you DO NOT have a secure session & can be HACKED.

Go to Accounts – Account Settings – Security – click Change, Check box [secure browsing], click Save.

FaceBook has automatically set it on the Non-Secure Setting

This initiative,which  involves organising business networking events for Small Business owners and Employers across the country.

National Coverage:

FocuSME The Small Business Blog

All About Business

The events have been organised for SMEs who want to connect with each other and talk about positive solutions to things effecting small business in Ireland.

There are no fee’s or charges- #SMEcommunity is designed to be available to everyone, not just those who can afford it.

The venues advertised here have given their venues to us at no charge and are delighted to be part of something that benefits SMEs.

Here are some of the many ‘Tweet Up’ Events across the Island of Ireland….so far :

Waterford 2nd Sept Arc labs WIT West Campus Friday 2nd 1.30 – Organiser @FinolaHoward and @Emagine_Media

Letterkenny is on 8th Sept at 1 pm – Letterkenny Chamber Offices Organiser @carldiver

Limerick/Clare Thursday 8th Sept Absolute Hotel 5pm
Organisers @PatCarollTouch and  @focuSMEireland If interested in this event ,please register:  http://smecommunitylimerickclare.eventbrite.com/

Cork ,11am-1pm on 15th Sept Clarion Hotel – Organiser @AnthonyLingwood

2 Meet-ups for Kildare !  -Sept 8th Osprey Hotel Naas                & Sept 29th Glenroyal Hotel Maynooth,1830-2030. – Organiser @Aliara_Ireland

Tipperary/North Cork –no dates yet Organiser @girlfriday

Newry, Northern Ireland, no dates yet – Organisers @Nicolabates @Eveearly

All Ireland event 4* County Arms Hotel Birr Co. Offaly in Mid January 2012