FDBusiness.com

After 10 years at the helm of Enterprise Ireland, the agency’s chief executive Frank Ryan is to retire in November, sparking the hunt for a new CEO.

“I want to take this opportunity to thank Frank for his unrivalled leadership, commitment and service to Enterprise Ireland throughout the past 10 years,” the agency’s chairman Hugh Cooney said.

“In that time, Frank has overseen a massive transformation of the agency, whose client base now accounts for the employment of more than 300,000 people in every town and village in Ireland.”

Enterprise Ireland said this morning that its client companies’ export sales in 2012 broke the €16bn mark for the first time, with the greatest wins coming from sectors such as software, engineering, medical devices, and internationally traded services.

Ryan said client companies achieved €16.2bn in exports in 2012, with such companies continuing to broaden their export footprint and increase their sales. Exports were up €1bn from €15.2bn in sales achieved in 2011.

“Frank has fundamentally repositioned the agency both at home and internationally, which has helped Irish exporters benefit from a sustained period of substantial export gains,” Cooney said.

Prior to joining Enterprise Ireland in 2003, Ryan had a distinguished career with IDA Ireland, where he ran the agency’s electronics division and led the team that attracted Intel to Ireland in 1989.