Fintan lays out collaborative vision for securing Sligo’s future
Collaboration between state agencies, local government, business and academia will be essential for Sligo to address the challenges inhibiting its economic growth, says the new President of Sligo Chamber of Commerce Fintan Kennedy.
A native of Aclare in South Sligo, Fintan served as Branch Manager of FBD Insurance in Sligo town for 20 years before setting up Agile Risk Solutions, a business continuity consultancy in 2021. He recently completed a four-year term as chair of Sligo LEADER Partnership and now lectures in business at the Atlantic Technological University in Sligo.
The 52-year-old became president earlier this year and believes his professional experience, combined with his network in business and sport, will aid his mission to bring together various agencies to help Sligo achieve its potential and overcome its difficulties in areas such as housing and energy.
“Part of my role is to engage stakeholders like Sligo County Council, ATU Sligo, Enterprise Ireland, Fáilte Ireland, Sligo LEADER, and others, so that we can all work together to improve the economic outlook. What I’ve noticed in my time as President so far is that, across the board, there is a great will for Sligo to grow, ” he says.
“One issue that I’m keen to see addressed is the shortage of available accommodations for students of the ATU. I know from working in the university that a large proportion of students in the ATU are commuting to Sligo. The effect of this is that students are not getting the full experience of life in the town and the town isn’t getting the full economic benefit of the university’s large student body, or the knock-on benefit of people establishing connections to Sligo.”
He continues: “I’m proud and passionate about Sligo and the opportunities that are available to us as a university town. Indeed, I’m a graduate of the ATU’s MA in Professional Leadership, which I was able to do with the support of Sligo Chamber Skillnet. I have first-hand experience of what good can come from agencies collaborating to provide an innovative offering in a regional setting.”
While Fintan is adamant that Sligo must vastly improve its existing energy infrastructure to sustain its current level of commercial activity, he also believes the county can leverage the unique advantages of Sligo’s location and natural surroundings to become home to renewable energy infrastructure.
“The demand for energy is growing at the same time as government is setting higher targets for the reduction in carbon emissions. To increase capacity in the grid, there will be major investment in sustainable forms of energy in the coming years and Sligo can be a significant part of that,” he says.
“Our region is ideally positioned to capitalise on the growth of renewable energy sectors such as bio-gas, offshore wind, and solar power. These industries not only promise sustainable development but also significant economic opportunities for our community.”
The new President is also keen to increase the number of Sligo Chamber networking events.
“Sligo is a special environment, home to world-class people working in high-quality roles. It’s the job of Sligo Chamber of Commerce Board, to promote the county and be a representative for the wider region. We have a fantastic team, led by our CEO Aidan Doyle. Together with our new Vice President Ann Butler, we bring a new energy to represent the excellent board we have.
“We’re a member-focused organisation so, on top of our priorities around housing and energy, we want to increase networking events so that we can create more opportunities for cross-pollination of ideas between sectors like technology, agriculture, hospitality and culture.”
He continues: “We have just completed a full governance review of the board, and we will be launching our new strategic plan in January 2025. I want to commend the most recent board who have done trojan work on this over the last 12 months. We are just building on the great work that has been done over the last 100 years of Sligo Chamber of Commerce.”
A Sport Ireland Coach Developer and accredited Performance Analyst with the GAA, Fintan has worked with inter-county set-ups, including Sligo’s U20 Connacht Championship-winning footballers in 2022, the Mayo senior women’s team, the Roscommon U20s, as well as the Dublin women’s senior footballers in 2024.
“I’ve been fortunate to work with several high-performance teams, the main thing I’ve noticed is the importance of creating a great environment so that everyone can reach for their potential and flourish. It’s all about people, they just are great people who happen to play football. If we can apply that in a business and development context, the future will be bright for Sligo, the Land of Heart’s Desire” he adds.