The American Chamber of Commerce in Ireland today announced the appointment of Gerard P Kilcommins as Chairman of the Chamber's Western Group.
Mr Kilcommins is Vice President of Operations and General Manager of the Medtronic Galway site where over 2,000 people are involved in the development and manufacture of minimally invasive medical technology products.
Seamus Kilbane of NetIQ Europe, has been appointed Vice-Chairman of the Group.
On his appointment, Mr Kilcommins highlighted the development disparity between the west and other regions - especially Dublin - and said there was an urgent need for real and effective action to be taken in order to address this imbalance and protect jobs and business in the region.
He said the national business agenda of the American Chamber, which was focused on cost competitiveness, infrastructure, a favourable tax regime and the regulatory burden on business, reflected many of the concerns of US companies in the region.
The US is the single largest source of inward investment in Ireland. Almost 90,000 people are employed in 570 US companies in Ireland, accounting for 65% of all IDA supported employment.
