Government Chief Whip and Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton this week launched University of Galway’s new Masters in Sustainability Leadership at a special regional business summit.

The event was hosted at University of Galway’s J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics and attracted more than 150 participants from various regional industries and sectors.

As part of the wider Thinking Beyond – An Event Series for the Public Good, the Regional Business Summit – Engaging People and Leading on Sustainability focused on talent attraction and retention and sustainability leadership, with keynote addresses, panel discussions, and contributions from industry leaders and university colleagues.

The aim of the summit was to foster collaboration between regional businesses and the university to address the key challenges they are facing on talent engagement and sustainability.

The two-year programme is designed to equip students with the leadership skills to address the challenges, risks, and opportunities that environmental sustainability and social responsibility present for contemporary businesses and organisations.

Speaking at the event, Minister Naughton said that the Government had set some ambitious targets in the area of sustainability, including a commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

“To achieve these targets, we need to work together, and programmes such as this masters provide an excellent opportunity for businesses and academics to come together to drive sustainable transformation,” she said.

Professor Alma McCarthy, Dean of the J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics at University of Galway, said they were delighted with the success of the summit and the engagement from local industries.

“We believe that collaboration between the university and local businesses is key to driving innovation and economic growth, and we look forward to building on the momentum generated by this event,” she added.