Leaders from across Northern Irish society are being shaped with the support of six corporate partners, who are inspiring and challenging them to make a greater impact on contribute to building a brighter tomorrow.
The Centre for Democracy and Peace’s Fellowship Programme is supported by Allstate NI, Camlin Group, FinTrU, Fujitsu NI, NIE Networks and Ulster Carpets. It also receives support from the Irish Department for Foreign Affairs, and the Irish American Partnership.
The current cohort have now passed the midway point of their seven-month programme, and the class of 2025 is the biggest cohort to date, with 28 leaders from business, political and civic sectors.
Later in January they will be undertaking their second residential in Dublin after a successful time away in Oxford in September.
Fellows will focus on British-Irish relations, meeting Elin Burns, deputy head of mission at the British Embassy, and engaging with colleagues from Trinity College Dublin. They will also be hosted by Bank of Ireland in College Green, and spend time with deputy secretary general Sonja Hyland from the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs as part of their three-day trip.
Leading the programme’s advisory board is chair Darragh McCarthy, founder and chief executive of FinTrU, who said: “We’ve never had greater momentum. This is our largest cohort, with 28 Fellows who are gelling incredibly well and we’re looking forward to the second half of the programme.
“The Fellowship Programme is a breeding ground for optimism. Everyone involved believes in a better Northern Ireland and is eager to contribute to that vision. With almost 100 alumni already, we’re excited about the future.”
Allstate NI vice president and managing director Stephen McKeown said: “The Fellowship is really encouraging participants to think critically and to collaborate, and those are skills that are going to benefit people in any walk of life, but even more so for these established leaders in their various sectors.”
Gordon Parkes, executive director for people & culture at NIE Networks added: “The Fellows are being given insight into sectors to help them better collaborate, make society work better and develop the appropriate structures that Northern Ireland needs as an economy to succeed.”
Nick Coburn, managing director of Ulster Carpets, said: “One of our guiding principles is creating a sustainable future for the next generation and we see this programme as being beneficial for Northern Ireland as a whole.”
David Clements, client director at Fujitsu NI said: “I really believe in the aspirations of the Fellowship Programme. It’s about helping further develop the skills of leaders, enable them to motivate people to communicate with other organisations, and working together, I think the leaders of Northern Ireland are going to create a prosperous future for us all.”
Peter Cunningham, chief executive of Camlin Group, added: “This programme really lines up with our values and this is all about trying to bring business, communities and politics together, so that we can find a way to work together for a better future.”
The 2024-25 Fellowship Programme will conclude with a graduation ceremony at Hillsborough Castle in March.
