Creativity and Innovation in Business

Join Arts & Business NI and Ulster University Business School for Creativity & Innovation in Business.

Explore how businesses are embedding a culture of creativity and innovation through collaboration with arts and culture. We’ll hear from a diverse panel of business leaders, who will be sharing their experiences of the transformative power of creativity, which has propelled workforce innovation, generated new ideas and fostered a forward-thinking culture.

Speakers

Speakers at this event include:

Moira Doherty, Deputy Secretary for the Skills and Education Group, Department for Economy

Moira Doherty is Deputy Secretary for the Skills and Education Group. The Group is responsible for the development and delivery of post-16 Skills and Education provision across NI, including Further Education, Higher Education, Vocational Training, Bespoke Skills Interventions and Careers advice and guidance.

Moira is a graduate of Queen’s University Belfast (LL.B, MPhil), joining the Northern Ireland Civil Service as a graduate entrant in 1999. She was appointed to the Senior Civil Service in 2009 and has worked in a range of roles across several Departments since, including Director of Strategy, Innovation and Research in the Department of Justice and Director of Public Transport in the Department for Infrastructure. Moira was Deputy Secretary for the Engaged Communities Group in the Department for Communities from 2019-2023.

Moira is a Trustee and Chair of the Risk, Finance and Compliance Committee of a local charity, The Turnaround Project, which helps to turn around the futures of people serving sentences in prison or in the community. She is a visiting professor at Ulster University as a member of the Steering Group for the Masters in Public Administration. She is also a parent Governor of the Parent Council at Lagan College, where her two sons are students.

John Harkin, CEO Alchemy Technology Services

John Harkin is a senior executive and specialist in Business and Organisational Transformation and Technology enabled change. John has worked in the consulting industry for more than 35 years, both as part of blue-chip consulting organisations and as an independent advisor. He has held several high-profile roles where he has advised and assisted clients such as Apple, De Beers and
various Insurance and banking organisations such as Admiral and LV in the areas of strategy, technology, process and organisational Change and leadership effectiveness.

John has experience in leading global teams and has lived and worked around the globe including Silicon Valley, Chicago, London, Paris and Sydney before returning to his home city to establish Alchemy.

Gillian Armstrong Professor of Business Education and Associate Dean at Ulster University Business School

Gillian Armstrong is a Professor of Business Education and an Associate Dean (Development and Partnerships – Domestic) at Ulster University Business School. With over 25 years’ experience in a range of leadership roles within the Higher Education sector, she has been actively involved in the development and management of strategic learning partnership activity.

Deeply committed to supporting the growth and development of the economy, Gillian has sought to ensure that the University works closely with priority sectors to actively support the supply of skills and the attractiveness of Northern Ireland as a location to do business She has progressed the development of work based learning and innovative educational models that support Future of Work opportunities.

Gillian has ensured progressive relationships with the business organisations, key employers and the Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS). She is currently a Board Member of Arts and Business NI and a member of the Institute of Directors (IOD) NI Committee.

Donal Laverty, Consulting Partner, Baker Tilly Mooney Moore

A management consultant providing people and organisational consultancy services, Donal has international consulting experience covering all aspects of organisational design and development.

He has particular skills in supporting organisations to transform their structure, performance and their people and has extensive experience in supporting boards and senior management teams in reviewing their effectiveness, having worked with over 700 boards throughout his career.