North Kildare Chamber of Commerce and Newbridge Chamber of Commerce have both voted to merge to create a single chamber of commerce for Co Kildare at their recent EGMs. The new entity, to be known as the Co Kildare Chamber, will commence operating on March 1st. It will become one of the largest regional chambers of commerce in Ireland. It includes well known multinationals and large companies such as Kerry Group, Pfizer, Bord na Móna, Maynooth University, Kildare Village, Queally Group, Newbridge Silverware, Punchestown and Curragh racecourses and the K Club, and overall will have more than 400 members, employing more than 42,000.

Mediated meetings

The process to bring about this merger involved a series of mediated meetings over a period of months last year.

Chambers Ireland, the umbrella body for the chambers movement, has welcomed the move and believes the agreement represents a roadmap for other counties to follow suit. Ian Talbot, CEO of Chambers Ireland, said that the organisation was “delighted to support chambers moving to create greater critical mass and improve resource deployment in order to provide a wider range of services to a broader membership base, while at the same time retaining structures to ensure the voice of all towns within their remit are properly represented”.