Ireland has taken a significant step in strengthening its tourism relationship with China, following the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Tourism Ireland and Trip.com Group in Shanghai. The agreement was signed during a visit to China by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, underscoring the strategic importance of the Chinese outbound tourism market to Ireland’s long-term tourism growth.
Trip.com Group, one of the world’s leading online travel platforms, operates globally recognised brands including Trip.com and Ctrip, serving travellers across 50 countries and regions. As a key strategic partner of Tourism Ireland, Trip.com brings unparalleled reach, data insights, and AI-driven marketing capabilities – connecting destinations with high-value, long-haul travellers. The Taoiseach’s visit also included engagement with Hainan Airlines, which operates direct flights between Beijing and Dublin, and a Tourism Ireland business luncheon in Shanghai attended by Chinese travel trade and media partners.
Speaking at the signing, Alice Mansergh, CEO of Tourism Ireland, highlighted the importance of the partnership in supporting the Government’s Action Plan on Market Diversification and inspiring visitor demand from valued markets such as China.
Opportunity Brings Responsibility
While national partnerships and improved connectivity are critical, the visitor experience ultimately depends on frontline tourism and hospitality businesses.
Chinese travellers are diverse, discerning, and experience-led. They value cultural respect, service quality, and a sense of being genuinely welcome. Businesses that understand these expectations are far more likely to benefit from repeat visits, positive recommendations, and long-term commercial success.
Supporting Industry to Be ‘China Ready’
At the Centre for Competitiveness, we work with tourism and hospitality providers to build the cultural awareness and practical capabilities needed to serve this market effectively.
Our Be China Ready Workshop supports organisations and destination groups to:
– Understand Chinese travel motivations and market segments
– Adapt services, standards, and communication styles
– Create and manage a distinctive ‘Ireland Welcome’ for Chinese visitors
As Ireland deepens its engagement with China at a national level, preparing businesses on the ground will be essential to turning opportunity into impact. With Lunar New Year 2026 (Year of the Horse) approaching, now is the time for Irish tourism providers to align with this momentum and position themselves for success.
Learn more about the Be China Ready Workshop:
Following a year of strong performance and growth, the Centre for Competitiveness (CforC) continues to support organisations across the Island of Ireland to improve competitiveness, productivity, and long-term sustainability. Over the past year, CforC has expanded both its reach and range of services, responding to the evolving needs of industry through enhanced business improvement support, innovation and sustainability programmes, and collaborative networks.
Against this backdrop, and following our Annual General Meeting, CforC is pleased to announce the appointment of six new Board members, who join the organisation at an important point in our development.
Our new Board brings a wealth of experience across industry, innovation, leadership, and economic development. Their insight and expertise will play a key role in guiding CforC as we continue to strengthen our impact in areas such as business competitiveness, productivity, innovation, sustainability, and collaboration.
Their guidance has helped shape the organisation, strengthen our services, and expand our reach and impact across the business community. Our CforC Board members that continue in post are as follows:
– Brian McAreavey (new Chairman)
– Dr Paul Madden (new Secretary)
– Debbie Caldwell
– Ian Campbell
– John Irwin
– Ronan McKeown
– Prof Sandra Moffett
– Brian O’Hare
Newly appointed CforC Board members:
– Andrew Kirke
– Trevor Lockhart
– Niall Martindale
– Roslyn McMillan
– David Quinn
– Dr Andrea Reid
The newly appointed Board brings together a diverse and highly experienced skillset spanning advanced manufacturing, aerospace, agri-food, construction, energy, infrastructure, digital innovation, professional services, education, and the public sector. With senior leadership experience across industry transformation, sustainability and climate policy, operations, analytics, legal governance, research and innovation, the Board is strongly positioned to support our work with organisations across multiple sectors and scales. This breadth of expertise further strengthens CforC’s ability to deliver practical, relevant, and forward-looking support to industry across Ireland.
As we look ahead to 2026 and beyond, CforC remains focused on:
Driving competitiveness and productivity improvement / Supporting innovation, sustainability, and decarbonisation /
Expanding collaborative networks and cluster activity / Delivering practical, high-impact support to organisations of all sizes
Our gratitude again to our long-serving Board members that have stepped down:
– Dr Stephen Kingon (outgoing Chairman)
– Dr Bob Barbour (outgoing secretary)
– Joe O’Mahony
– Joe O’Neill
– Andrew Robinson
– David Watson
– Mark McEwan
We thank all Board members—past and present—for their continued support of our mission and look forward to the next chapter in CforC’s journey.
PublicJobs has been awarded 5-star recognition from the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) – becoming the first Civil and Public Sector organisation in Ireland to achieve this level of international accreditation. The award was formally presented by Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, Jack Chambers TD, at a reception in Government Buildings on Wednesday 5 November 2025. This remarkable achievement marks the culmination of a journey of improvement and transformation, supported by the Centre for Competitiveness (CforC), EFQM’s national partner in Ireland.
Over the past two years, PublicJobs has worked closely with CforC to apply the EFQM Excellence Framework, engaging in a comprehensive programme of workshops, projects, and self-assessment activities designed to embed a culture of excellence and innovation. This led to the preparation of a detailed submission to EFQM in Brussels, supported by extensive evidence of performance and impact. A team of international, independent EFQM Assessors reviewed the submission, conducted on-site interviews, and met with staff and management to assess PublicJobs’ effectiveness across all areas of the organisation. The assessment recognised PublicJobs for its strategic leadership, employee engagement, stakeholder satisfaction, and commitment to transformation and innovation – confirming its position as a leader in excellence within Ireland’s public service.
Recognising Leadership and Impact
Margaret McCabe, CEO of PublicJobs, added:
Dr Tony Lenehan from CforC Ireland congratulated PublicJobs on their significant achievement and award, and stated “The EFQM Framework provides a robust, evidence-based approach to managing change, improving performance, and delivering public value. It’s a model that works equally well for public and private sector organisations, helping them lead with purpose and create lasting impact.”
CforC: Supporting Excellence Across the Public Sector
The Centre for Competitiveness (CforC) is proud to have supported PublicJobs on their EFQM journey – from early workshops and diagnostic reviews through to formal assessment preparation. As the national partner of EFQM for Ireland, CforC works with organisations across all sectors to adopt the EFQM Model – a globally recognised management framework used by more than 30,000 organisations worldwide. It enables organisations to measure where they are on their journey to excellence, identify areas for improvement, and develop innovative solutions to enhance performance and competitiveness. Through achievements like this, PublicJobs joins a growing number of Irish organisations – both public and private – who are using the EFQM Framework to deliver sustainable excellence and world-class service.
The EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management) inspires organisations to achieve sustainable excellence by helping leaders learn, share, and innovate. The EFQM Model is a holistic management framework that helps organisations assess performance across leadership, strategy, people, partnerships, and results — driving improvement and fostering innovation at every level.
For more information on the CforC supports available, visit our Assessments and Certifications page
Or enquire now about one of our EFQM readiness/assessment workshops
Pictured above (L-R): Mr Darragh McGrath, Head of Governance and Quality, Publicjobs;
Mr.Jack Chambers TD, Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation; Ms Margaret McCabe, CEO, Publicjobs, Dr Tony Lenehan, CforC Ireland
The Centre for Competitiveness (CforC) recently celebrated a major milestone in its journey – marking 25 years of supporting organisations across the Island of Ireland to improve performance, drive innovation, and enhance competitiveness. The celebration brought together members, partners, and friends for an evening of reflection, recognition, and celebration.
The event marked one of the final engagement’s of long-standing Chief Executive Bob Barbour, who has led the organisation since it was formed. During his address, Bob reflected on the evolution of the Centre — from its beginnings in 1990 as the Northern Ireland Quality Centre, focused on improving quality standards for industry, through to its transformation into today’s Centre for Competitiveness, leading initiatives across excellence, productivity, sustainability, and innovation.
Bob spoke of the Centre’s journey from introducing the European Framework for Quality Management (EFQM) to Northern Ireland, to developing programmes in energy, sustainability, and digital transformation. He expressed pride in the organisation’s enduring impact and deep gratitude to the many board members, staff, partners, and clients who have supported its work over the years.
“It has been one of the great privileges of my professional life to lead this organisation,” Bob said. “The Centre has never stood still — it has always adapted, innovated, and served. Its best chapters are still to come.”
A Fond Farewell and a Look Ahead
Following Bob’s remarks, tributes were paid by the incoming CEO, Dr Paul Madden, who spoke warmly of Bob’s leadership, vision, and personal dedication to Northern Ireland’s competitiveness agenda.
“Bob has been the driving force behind CforC for so many years. I’ve had the privilege of working alongside him, seeing not only his vision, but his dedication, resilience, and passion for making a difference. He has steered the Centre through challenges, helped it to evolve, and built a reputation for impact that is recognised far beyond Northern Ireland.”
A number of long-standing partners also shared personal reflections, with video messages from international collaborators, including Gianluca Mulé of EFQM, Deborah Wince-Smith of the Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils, and Mark McGranaghan, Chairman of Smart Grid Ireland.
The evening also provided an opportunity to look ahead to the future of the Centre for Competitiveness. Under its refreshed brand and new website, CforC has repositioned itself to expand its client base and showcase the breadth of value it delivers across multiple sectors — from manufacturing and construction to services, public sector, and beyond. Particular excitement surrounded the Centre’s growing role in facilitating feasibility and R&D projects – collaborations that have the potential to deliver significant environmental, economic, and social impact.
“This is an exciting new chapter for the Centre,” the incoming CEO added. “We are building on a proud history while looking boldly to the future — helping organisations compete and thrive in a fast-changing, digital, and low-carbon world.”
All set up and ready to go at the NI Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition in the Eikon centre in Lisburn.
Find us at stand E35!
Looking forward to a great day of networking, and sharing how CforC can support organisations with their growth, performance and sustainability.
The Centre for Competitiveness is proud to congratulate the latest graduates of the Advanced Manufacturing Leadership Programme, delivered in partnership with Queen’s University Belfast Business School and SAM NI.
This prestigious programme is designed to equip frontline manufacturing professionals with the leadership and management skills needed to drive innovation, growth, and excellence across Northern Ireland’s manufacturing sector.
Among the recent graduates were Steven Wensley (Quality Engineer), Christopher Hannon (Lead Manufacturing Engineer), and Richard Jardine (Production Supervisor), who received their certificates from SAM NI Operations Director, Joel B.
By investing in people, the programme strengthens the future of advanced manufacturing in Northern Ireland—developing leaders who will play a vital role in shaping the sector’s continued success.
