12th September: Members and guests of the Irish Business Network Italy (IBNI), Ireland’s network of entrepreneurs and professionals with a global membership across six continents, enjoyed an informal networking reception in the beautiful gardens of the Grand Visconti Palace Hotel in Milan, sponsored by Enterprise Ireland.
We were delighted to welcome Patricia O’Brien, the Ambassador of Ireland to Italy, who gave the opening address and reminded us of the objectives of the newly formed group to foster business relations and communication between the two countries. She also announced the very recent opening of the Consulate General of Ireland in Milan, headed by Maria Sheehy as the new Consul General.
Alberto Rizzini, IBNI representative in the Veneto Region, introduced two of our members who gave a brief overview of their Italian/Irish connections:
– Matteo Penzo, Co-founder and CEO of Dublin-based zick learn, providing a revolutionary approach to corporate training driven by data and advanced technologies;
– Kate Macklin, based in Italy and the owner of Italian Solutions – supplier of a wide range of contemporary Italian and other furniture to private clients all over the world.
We were joined by Max Roveri, the Director of the San Patrizio Livorno Festival, who announced that during Saint Patrick’s week in March 2025 they are planning a series of interesting cultural events that will also include well-known Irish authors such as John Banville and Catherine Dunne.
