Blow Your Own Trumpets Directors Told

Company directors in the north need to take a leaf out of their compatriots in the south – by being less modest and self-effacing about their achievements.

“There’s strong leadership and a real vision in the DNA of directors in the north, yet for some reason nobody ever seems to shout about it,” First Trust Bank‘s regional head Des Moore said yesterday. “There’s something really special happening in Northern Ireland at the minute, where businesses are building for the future, and those leaders in business need to be recognised,” he added.

He was speaking at the launch yesterday of the Institute of Directors‘ annual Director of the Year Awards, where his bank came on board as headline sponsors.

“First Trust Bank has long been an admirer of the work of the IoD in promoting and developing executive and non-executive directors across the private, public and voluntary sectors, and we are delighted to be the lead sponsor this year,” he told lunch guests in the Merchant Hotel.

“We believe that as an economy we have every reason to be optimistic and should aspire to emerge from this recession in a stronger position. One thing we will certainly need to achieve that goal is strong and committed leaders across all parts of society.

“We believe these awards are an important platform to celebrate individual achievement among senior leader-ship here and will help recognise their contribution to the success of various organisations and the Northern Ireland economy as a whole.

“We look forward to the awards final on December 5 and have no doubt there will be a high calibre of nominees.”

Paul Terrington, chairman of the IoD NI, said: “The IoD First Trust Bank Director of the Year Awards is an opportunity for directors to receive the recognition they truly deserve for their continued determination, good corporate governance and exceptional standards in leadership within their organisations.

“Northern Ireland is awash with business leaders who excel within their respective sectors. Testament to this is that all eight of our winners from last year’s awards have now been short-listed for the UK finals, which just goes to show how rich the pool of business talent is here in Northern Ireland.”

The awards are open to all business leaders in Northern Ireland, whether they are IoD members or not, and there are nine categories up for decision.

Terrington added: “The IoD believes in providing professional development and mentoring programmes to ensure that our business leaders are equipped to succeed on the global stage.

“The category winners will be inspirational figures who are leading and delivering results for their respective organisations.”

Source: irishnews.com