Tuesday 3 December 2024

Engineers Ireland president Laura Burke gave the keynote address at the 2024 Chemical and Process engineering division’s year-end forum and networking social event held in the majestic National Maritime Museum in Dun Laoghaire recently.

She is the first UCD chemical engineer to be elected president of Engineers Ireland.

The panel of speakers discussed the challenges ahead for the biopharma, semiconductor and brewing sectors where Ireland has had tremendous success in recent years.

Recognising icons of the industry who have contributed a lifetime of service to process engineering was a feature of the evening and special parchments were presented by the president to:

• Gerry Loughrey of Jacobs;
• Joe Harford of the Irish Academy of Engineering and ex-Astellas;
• Brendan O’Callaghan of Sanofi and formerly MSD;
• Patricia Kieran of the Department of Chemical Engineering at UCD;
• Martin McCarthy – Chemical and Process Engineering division committee member and formerly Jacobs.

Among the companies attending were Intel, Amgen, Abbvie, BMS, Jacobs, IPS, PMG, Mercury, Arcadis and KPC.

The event was well supported and the presentations were followed by a networking social at the National Maritime Museum before retiring to the National Yacht Club afterwards to continue the discussions.