At the Irish Innovation Lecture, Denis Haughey, Minister in the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, focused on the continuing importance of innovation and business creativity.

The Minister was responding, on behalf of the Northern Ireland Administration, to business guru, Professor John Kao’s speech to the eighth Irish Innovation Lecture, held in the newly opened Ramada Hotel on Wednesday, February 6.

The Lecture, which was attended by 230 business leaders from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, is one of the highlights of the business calendar and has attracted an array of top lecturers.

Mr Haughey said: “Even before the tragic events of 11 September, the climate of the world economy was becoming more difficult. To meet this challenge we must renew, redouble and reinvigorate our efforts to promote innovation within our businesses.

“Over the past few years, Northern Ireland has enjoyed unprecedented growth. To sustain long-term economic success in a highly competitive ‘global’ marketplace, we require our companies, our industries and our entrepreneurs to be committed to continuous, ongoing innovation, as part of this business ethos.

“The term ‘serial innovator’ has been applied to describe John Kao’s work and he has placed it in context during his memorable speech. It is also a phrase that I would like to see applied to describe all the companies of Northern Ireland.”

Professor John Kao, who founded The Idea Factory and is a former professor at Harvard Business School, delivered this year's lecture.

Professor Kao’s achievements include financing the award winning film Sex, Lies and Videotape and advising some 100 companies and organisations across the world, including Dupont, Lotus, American Express, Twentieth Century Fox, the World Health Organisation, UNESCO as well as the government of Singapore.

In 1996, Professor Kao wrote a best-selling book on creativity in business called Jamming. A year later, he began The Idea Factory, basing the consultancy on ideas first formulated in his book. The purpose of this venture is to provide technology-based tools and advanced training methods help companies that wish to use his ideas to energise their businesses.

Organised in Northern Ireland by the IRTU and in the Republic by FORFAS, the Irish Innovation Lecture is a joint North/South initiative by Northern Ireland’s Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment and the Republic of Ireland’s Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment.

Past speakers have included the Chairman of Ford of Europe and the EU Commissioner for Science, Research and Development. (SP)