Bank of Ireland announces new business facilities in Cork
Dedicated Corporate Banking office for the Munster region
New Workbench facility for startups
Pictured l-r are Kieran Molloy, Head of New Business Munster Region, Property Finance Group, Ita O’Sullivan, Manager, Cork Workbench, Richie Boucher, Group Chief Executive and William Madden, Head of New Business Munster Region, Corporate Banking.
Bank of Ireland has today announced two new business facilities for Munster with the opening of a dedicated Corporate Banking office for existing and potential corporate customers and a new Workbench facility for startups both in Cork city. The investment highlights Bank of Ireland’s confidence in the region strengthening its local presence and extending its services and facilities to support business activity across Munster.
Bank of Ireland’s Corporate Banking office for Munster will be led by a team with extensive expertise across all sectors as well as a dedicated property finance team. The core aim of the team is to facilitate business growth across the Munster region, supported by the extensive resources and knowledge of the Bank of Ireland’s wider Corporate banking and Treasury teams.
The new Workbench at Bank of Ireland’s recently refurbished Patrick’s Street branch will provide startups with a free space in which to work, hold events and meetings and connect and collaborate with other entrepreneurs. The Workbench is part of the Bank of Ireland’s ongoing strategy to support economic growth throughout the country by helping nurture a culture of entrepreneurship and enterprise. The Cork facility follows the launch of successful Workbenches in both Dublin and Galway.
Speaking in Cork, Richie Boucher, Group Chief Executive, Bank of Ireland said; “Bank of Ireland has always played an active role in supporting businesses across Munster, and we are here today to announce two significant developments, which will further strengthen that support. As the largest lender into the Irish economy, we have seen renewed business confidence from Cork-based companies demonstrating that Ireland’s second largest urban economy is making strong economic progress. Across Munster, the outlook for businesses has continued to improve and Bank of Ireland is very keen to support businesses with their ambitions and plans.
“The addition of a dedicated Corporate Banking office to the region will undoubtedly enhance the level of service that we provide, not only to existing customers, but also to support developing relationships with new customers based in Munster. As Ireland’s number 1 Corporate Bank, building strong mutually beneficial relationships is a critical component of how we operate. Having a Munster office means corporate businesses in the region have fast access to key decision makers, who are experienced bankers and have the ability to service customers’ needs effectively and efficiently.”
Mr. Boucher continued, “We are focused on fostering entrepreneurship and one of the ways in which we do this is through our Workbench facilities. Having a free but professional environment to work from is an invaluable practical support for entrepreneurs and I am delighted to also confirm that we will be opening another Workbench space in Limerick shortly, which further underpins our support for the Munster region.”
“In addition to free work space, startups can host events and meetings and most importantly, receive expert mentoring from our dedicated innovation team to help them develop, grow and scale their business.”
“Since they were introduced last year, Bank of Ireland Workbenches in Dublin and Galway have welcomed more than 13,000 visitors, hosted more than 250 events, and supported more than 500 startup enterprises and we have no doubt this will further enhance the future growth potential of the region,” Mr. Boucher concluded.