The Londonderry Chamber has welcomed the newly appointed Special Envoy to the United States on Northern Ireland Trevor Ringland MBE to the North West on his first official visit to the region.

Mr Ringland was appointed by Brandon Lewis, Secretary of State of NI, in June 2021 as Special Envoy to the United States on Northern Ireland with the aim of strengthening ties.

The visit was to provide the new Special Envoy to the United States on Northern Ireland with a greater understanding of the North West City Region and to see and hear first-hand the North West’s potential as a prime location for US foreign direct investment.

Accompanied by Chamber CEO Paul Clancy and President Dawn McLaughlin, Mr Ringland met with key city partners including Derry City and Strabane District Council, North West Regional College, Ulster University, Visit Derry, City Centre Initiative, C-TRIC, and Invest Northern Ireland.

Mr Ringland also met with notable US businesses based in the North West including Allstate NI, Seagate Technology, and Alchemy Technology Services, to hear their positive experiences of operating in the North West and what first attracted them to the region.

Special Envoy to the United States on Northern Ireland, Trevor Ringland MBE said:

“It was fantastic to meet with the Londonderry Chamber yesterday, touring the city and understanding the opportunities available to promote the whole of Northern Ireland to a global audience. I look forward to continuing to engage with our strategic partners, building a prosperous and exciting future for Northern Ireland through investment and economic development.”

Dawn McLaughlin, Londonderry Chamber President, added:

“The Chamber was pleased to guide Mr Ringland around the city on a familiarisation visit as he gets to grips with his new role. The creation of the Special Envoy to the United States on Northern Ireland is a timely and important role which will bring Northern Ireland closer with the largest economy on the globe. We were eager to hear more about Mr Ringland’s new role and offer our support as he carves new relationships and avenues for investment and growth across the water.

“The North West has benefitted greatly from US FDI over the past two decades, creating thousands of jobs and supporting our region’s economic growth and prosperity. As we recover and rebuild from the pandemic, further investment like this will be crucial for the North West’s future success. We look forward to working closely with Mr Ringland over the coming months as he makes his first trip to the US.”

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council Ald Graham Warke also said it was a great honour to host Mr Ringland at the Guildhall, to hear first-hand about his role in promoting Northern Ireland, and to drive forward investment opportunities as well as strengthening close ties between Northern Ireland and the USA across the US Administration, Congress and within the Irish-American community.

“I was very honoured to meet the Special Envoy to the United States on Northern Ireland to outline to him the work we are doing as a Council with our strategic partners to attract foreign direct investment from the United States and how the US continues to be the largest source of FDI for the city region. Officers at the meeting outlined to Mr Ringland our unique selling points in attracting investment, including our unique strategic location and strong partnership working, connectivity and remove working location.

“He was very interested in hearing about our strategic cross-border partnership with County Donegal and the Ireland Northwest Investment Strategy, as well as our successful track record in trade development activities in the US and supporting local companies develop their export potential, as well as hearing first-hand about our long-established strategic connections and partners in the North East United States, particularly in Boston and Philadelphia.”