NI Chamber's Annual Lunch 2025
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The NI Chamber Annual Lunch is a prestigious and highly anticipated event. It offers a relaxed atmosphere and serves as a celebration of the Northern Ireland business community. With 500 guests in attendance, it attracts a distinguished audience of business leaders and government representatives.
The afternoon will be hosted by broadcaster Claire McCollum, with a welcome address from Suzanne Wylie, Chief Executive of NI Chamber. Paul Murnaghan, Northern Ireland Regional Director at BT Enterprise, will then speak on behalf of NI Chamber’s long-standing Communications Partner, BT.
Following lunch, Claire McCollum will return to the stage for an exclusive on-stage conversation with Fiona Bruce, one of the UK’s most respected broadcasters, renowned for her work on BBC’s Question Time and Antiques Roadshow, who will share reflections and insights from her celebrated career in journalism.
The programme will also feature the first formal address from Kalish Chada, Group Chief Executive Officer of Phoenix Energy Holdings Ltd, in his role as NI Chamber President.
📅 20 June 2025
⏲️ 11:30 am - 15:00 pm
| Time | Detail |
| 11:30 AM | VIP PHOTOGRAPHY (APEX – Level 2) VIP RECEPTION (Andrew’s Gallery – Level 2) |
| 11:40 AM | GUESTS ARRIVE, MAIN DRINKS RECEPTION & PHOTOGRAPHY (Olympic & Britannic Suite, Level 5) |
| 12:00 PM | CALL TO TABLES 11.50AM – VIP Drinks reception 12.00PM – Main reception |
| 12:30 PM | WELCOME CLAIRE MCCOLLUM, BROADCASTER AND JOURNALIST SUZANNE WYLIE, CEO, NI CHAMBER COMMUNICATIONS PARTNER – PAUL MURNAGHAN, NI REGIONAL DIRECTOR, BT |
| 12:40 PM | MAIN COURSE IS SERVED |
| 1:30 PM | CLAIRE MCCOLLUM IN CONVERSATION WITH FIONA BRUCE |
| 2:20 PM | PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS – KAILASH CHADA, PRESIDENT, NI CHAMBER |
| 2:30 PM | DESSERT IS SERVED |
| 2:55 - 3:00 PM | CLOSING REMARKS AND CHARITY DRAW |
| 3:00 - 4:00 PM | NETWORKING |
| 4:00 PM | Bar close |
Annual Lunch hosts and speaker
Event Speaker
Fiona Bruce
Journalist
Fiona Bruce is a ground-breaking journalist and presenter whose career has been marked by breaking through many broadcasting glass ceilings. She was the first woman to present the BBC Ten O’Clock News and the first to host a general election results programme.
As well as writing and presenting numerous documentaries, Fiona is a seasoned interviewer with Prince Phillip, Bill Gates and Lord Alan Sugar among the decision makers she has questioned.
Fiona has also presented a raft of BBC programmes, including Antiques Roadshow, Crimewatch and current affairs strand Real Stories.
Event Hosts
Claire McCollum
Reporter, Presenter
Claire McCollum has been a familiar face on our screens for over 20 years. She has presented on BBC Northern Ireland since 2009, following almost a decade with UTV Sport. In the last 13 years, Claire has presented high profile, live television events for BBC NI which include; Proms in the Park, Children in Need, the opening ceremony of the World Police and Fire Games, the Olympic Flame arriving at Belfast City Hall, The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and The Tall Ships visit to Belfast.
Eight years ago, she made the move to network television, presenting BBC One's Songs of Praise and covering stories for Sunday Morning Live. Filming has taken her from Yorkshire to Somerset, the far north coast of Scotland to Cambridge and from Coventry to Kenya.
Best known to audiences in Northern Ireland, Claire got her broadcasting break with local radio station Downtown in 1999, before moving to the world of television, where she won the IPR Newcomer of the Year Award in 2001.
Kailash Chada
President, NI Chamber & CEO, Phoenix Energy
In a career spanning more than 30 years, Kailash began work with PwC in Edinburgh before undertaking a number of senior roles in major international banking and other financial services businesses in London. Kailash moved back to Northern Ireland in 2013 with Ulster Bank, where he was interim CEO for a division of the Bank prior to taking up a role as Chief Finance Officer at Phoenix in 2017.
Kailash holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. Kailash also serves as a Board member of Business in the Community NI.
Suzanne Wylie
Chief Executive, Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Suzanne Wylie, appointed Chief Executive of NI Chamber in August 2023, brings extensive leadership experience from roles in the Jersey Government and Belfast City Council.
Her achievements include securing the £1bn Belfast City Region Deal, developing the Belfast-Dublin Economic Corridor, and chairing Innovation City Belfast.
Suzanne is committed to boosting Northern Ireland's economy and fostering business innovation. She holds an OBE, an honorary doctorate from Queen's University Belfast, an MBA, and is a fellow of the Institute of Directors.
Annual Lunch Communications Partner
Paul Murnaghan
NI Regional Director, BT Enterprise & Past President NI Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Appointed to the Head of Central and Local Government NI in 2013, he became the Regional Director of BT Enterprise NI in January 2017.
Paul has been with BT since 2004, joining through the acquisition of BIC Systems. Before joining BT, Paul held a number of positions in the IT industry including BIS Beecom, in 1991, moving from there to Parity and on to BIC Systems in 1998.
Paul was appointed NI Chamber President in June 2021. Born in Dublin, Paul moved to Belfast in 1974 and is a Queen’s University Belfast Electronic Engineering graduate.
Annual Lunch Supporting Sponsors
Jeanette Donohoe
Director, Cleaver Fulton Rankin (CFR)
Jeanette is a Director and Head of the Dispute Resolution department at Cleaver Fulton Rankin, which is a leading law firm in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Jeanette has over 20 years post-qualification experience practising as a Solicitor in Northern Ireland.
Jeanette leads the Insolvency and Business Restructuring team at the firm, specialising in providing advice on contentious and non-contentious insolvency and banking litigation.
Jeanette is an experienced insolvency and restructuring specialist, advising on high-value and complex issues both locally and nationally. She acts on behalf of Insolvency Practitioners in their appointments as Administrators, Liquidators, Trustees in Bankruptcy, Receiverships and Supervisors of Voluntary Arrangements; and on behalf of Banks in pursuing guarantees and defending actions issued by borrowers challenging facility arrangements.
As an expert in her field, Jeanette sits on various industry committees, including R3 Northern Ireland, the Insolvency Technical Committee in Northern Ireland, and the Insolvency Service User Group Committee. She has recently joined the Board of the Linen Quarter Bid.
Susan Dunlop
Managing Director, GMcG Chartered Accountants
Susan has been with GMcG Chartered Accountants since 1998, becoming Director in 2008 and was appointed Managing Director in January 2020.
A highly experienced chartered accountant and business advisor, Susan has been instrumental in leading the Director team and helping secure the continued growth of the GMcG practice, now employing almost 100 advisers across its Belfast, Lisburn and Portadown locations. Susan has overall service responsibility for a large and diverse portfolio of clients, which includes corporates, SME businesses, charities, clubs and other organisations covering a wide range of business sectors.
Susan is also liaison director for the firm’s membership of The International Accounting Group (TIAG®), has a BSc Degree in Accounting from QUB and is a Fellow of the Institute.
David Allen
Head of SMB Markets, Flogas Ireland
David brings a wealth of experience in the energy industry. He has now joined Flogas as Head of Commercial Markets, where he will be responsible for driving growth within the sector for Budget Energy, as well as Flogas in both Northern and Southern Ireland.
Annual Lunch Drinks Reception Sponsor
Mark Hopkins
General Manager, Dell Technologies Ireland
Mark Hopkins is the General Manager at Dell Technologies Ireland, responsible for leading and driving the company’s business on the island of Ireland. Dell employs 4,500 people across many global functions in Ireland. Previous to this, Mark led Dell’s VMware Business unit in Western Europe for 3 years and was also a channel lead for AI in EMEA and had responsibility for Dell’s Cloud Service Provider business in Western Europe.
With thirty years’ experience, Mark has held several leadership positions across various segments of the technology industry. For over a year, Mark has served as the Public Sector and Northern Ireland Director at Dell Technologies Ireland. In this role, he inspired his team to deliver transformative technologies that assisted in future-proofing organisations in sectors ranging from education and healthcare to banking and financial services.
Prior to this, Mark had been a Sales Leader at BT Ireland and Northern Ireland, and a Business Manager at Microsoft’s Health Solutions Group, where he gained unprecedented insights into skilfully creating new markets and gaining market share. Mark holds a BSc (Hons) in Business Information Technology from the University of Northumbria.
About the Annual Lunch Brand Partner and Sponsors
BT, Communications Partner
BT Group operates as a single business, made up of different organisational units. Our business is built around our customers – serving their needs and delivering value to them. We do this by rapidly developing and delivering innovative solutions; selling products and services that are an essential part of modern life.
We have four customer-facing lines of business: Consumer, Business, International and Openreach. They are supported by our internal service units: Digital and Networks.
Supporting Sponsors
Cleaver Fulton Rankin
Cleaver Fulton Rankin is a leading commercial law firm in Northern Ireland, providing a full legal service to both commercial and individual private clients.
In addition to our excellent Legal Professionals, our commercial law firm includes Marketing, HR, IT, Accounting professionals, and our business support teams. They each play a key strategic role in the development of Cleaver Fulton Rankin’s services and the growth of the business.
Our people work together for you. We collaborate and innovate to drive the commercial law firm forward and ensure a client receives expert advice to achieve all commercial objectives and the best possible results.
Budget Energy
We are Budget Energy, an energy provider based in Derry Northern Ireland. We are dedicated to bringing a cost effective choice to the Northern Ireland electricity market.
Since 2011, thousands of homes, farms and businesses have switched to Budget Energy.
We understand what you need from an energy provider because all our staff are home electricity users, we are a local business and we have a dedicated expert farming team. That’s why we work to provide a variety of electricity tariffs which suit your electricity requirements – so you only pay for what you need.
Flogas
Flogas Ireland, a DCC Energy Business, is a leading supplier of Liquid Gas, Natural Gas, Electricity and sustainable Energies across the island of Ireland. We service a diverse range of market sectors and applications including the industrial, commercial, domestic, catering, agricultural and automotive markets. Our vision is to be ‘Ireland’s leading provider of total energy solutions to meet customers changing requirements, delivered to the highest possible standards’.
DCC is a leading international sales, marketing and support services group. We provide solutions the world needs across three transformative sectors: energy, healthcare and technology; where we acquire, improve and grow diverse businesses. We bring our growth mindset to our businesses in 22 countries across four continents, empowering our 16,000 employees to create long term value – for our shareholders, customers, society and the planet.
GMcG Chartered Accountants
The GMcG Group of chartered accountancy practices comprises GMcG Belfast, GMcG Lisburn and GMcG Portadown. All three offices have developed their profile to be recognised as leading chartered accountancy practices in their respective geographical area.
We have shared resources throughout the three offices particularly at senior level where expertise of one individual may be relevant to an assignment in another location. Common GMcG branding and group recognition has been adopted to demonstrate the fact that we can and do provide services throughout Northern Ireland and to related clients throughout Ireland.
Drinks Partner
Dell Technologies
Technology drives human progress. This tenet is the core of our business and vision. Our customers and team members are integral to our continuing success as we provide the essential infrastructure for organisations to transform their digital futures.
Table Wine Partner
United Wines
United Wine Merchants, incorporating HEINEKEN NI, is a dedicated agency-led wholesale business within the Licensed Trade, servicing the entire On and Off Trade.
As a subsidiary of HEINEKEN IRELAND, we are the licensed wholesale company responsible for developing the HEINEKEN portfolio, including Orchard Thieves across Northern Ireland. Now in our 34th year of operation, we pride ourselves on our market-leading and award-winning portfolio of Beers, Wines, Spirits, and Soft Drinks.
Beyond timely supply and reliable delivery, we have a range of marketing support and an experienced sales team to help you select the right range for your customers.
We can design your wine lists, supply POS, and provide your staff with product training as our Sales and Marketing team are all WSET qualified.
President's Charity
North Belfast Foodbank, part of Trussell Trust
“The foodbank was there when we really needed it, it was an absolute lifeline.”
We don’t think anyone in our community should have to face going hungry. That’s why we provide three days’ nutritionally balanced emergency food and support to local people who are referred to us in crisis. We are part of a nationwide network of foodbanks, supported by The Trussell Trust, working to combat poverty and hunger across the UK.