Between 23-27 June 2025, Szymon Syp participated in a business delegation of respected Australian entrepreneurs to Ireland.
Day 1
The delegation started with the official opening of iReel‘s Belfast office, with Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald and visiting Minister Gabrielle Williams, before a briefing and tour with Chris Conway CDir at the new Grand Central Station. Then we visited Artemis Technologies , the firm working on the electric vessels. The high level political engagement was then the order of the day, with a visit to Stormont to meet Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins and Finance Minister John O’Dowd, before making our way to City Hall for a reception with newly-elected Lord Mayor Tracy Kelly. An action packed day was rounded off with a dinner at Waterman House, where friends of the Chamber, Máirtín Ó Muilleoir, Clare Guinness CDir, Douglas Adams and Hugh Cormican joined us for an evening of delicious food and superb conversation.
Day 2
Day 2 started with a visit of Cirdan Ltd whose game-changing technology, market penetration in Australia and growth plans are both remarkable and exciting. Then it was down the road to Dublin for a reception and briefing hosted by H.E. Chantelle Taylor, Australia’s Ambassador to Ireland. We then made the short journey across to Leinster House where we were fortunate to have time with Leader of the Opposition, Mary Lou McDonald TD. We rounded the day off with dinner in the Members’ Dining Room at Leinster House, kindly hosted by Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann, Senator Mark Daly before a quick peek into the Dáil Bar on the way back to our hotel.
Day 3
Day 3 was a day of big things in unexpected places. First up we visited Combilift in Monaghan. From out of nowhere among the Monaghan countryside, sits a factory of enormous scale. Making materials handling units to order for a range of industries and deployments, the size, organisation, complexity but simple philosophy of doing thing right first time was amazing. We were then over to Cavan and a tremendous stay at the Slieve Russell Hotel Golf & Country Club, recently acquired by Tony Brady Brady Hotels & Apartments Melbourne.
Day 4
Another great visit at Kingspan Group HQ and their superb IKON Centre where we had a tour of the facility before an insightful briefing from Anthony Doherty. So many learnings on growth, acquisitions, integrations, and a conscience as well. Then it was off to Ireland Craft Beverages – Two Stacks Whiskey where we were briefed on its amazing continued growth. At Killeavy Castle Estate, we enjoyed a private dinner with local MP Dáire Hughes, which saw a wide ranging discussion and some really interesting perspectives around the table, before closing the night with a sample of the Killeavy Castle Whiskey, that has been made exclusively for the Estate by the Two Stacks team.
Day 5
The last day started at Ibec, where we were treated to some fantastic insights on business, overlaid with geopolitical and macroeconomic themes. We then headed for Chartered Accountants Ireland, where it was outlined regarding potential partnerships and opportunities to collaborate further. Then it was off to Teeling Whiskey Company where one of the rising stars from our Mentoring and Horizons programs, hosted us for a really insightful briefing on the wider whiskey industry and his own personal journey being supported by the Irish Australian Chamber of Commerce as Teeling’s first employee in Australia. The most of the day I spent on a call regarding one VC deal negotiations hopefully to be closed soon.
Key insights
– Exceptional engagement, quality talks, hospitality, and valuable takeaways made it one of my best business visits.
– The readiness and openness of the leading politician to support business growth in Ireland and understand needs stood out, contrasting with many experiences in Poland.
– Leading companies’ willingness to share successes without arrogance, but with warmth and understanding of the effort behind building a successful business was surprising.
Grateful for the opportunity to represent Frothstop Group and participate in this insightful delegation!
