Ballinlough native addresses major conference on rebuilding Ukraine

A County Roscommon man was recently part of a major conference focusing on the rebuilding of Ukraine.

The Fit for Ukraine conference in Poland heard that Kingspan is investing €280m in a new construction technology campus.

Pointing to the need to expand its operations to meet existing demand in Eastern Europe, Ballinlough native Anthony Doherty, In-House Counsel at the Irish construction materials multinational, said that Kingspan's decision to invest in western Ukraine was a show of confidence in the region.

While the European Commission formalised the process for Ukraine's accession in recent weeks, Kingspan was the first European multinational to announce its intention to invest in the country in April of 2022 after the Russian invasion.

Speaking to the packed forum in Warsaw, the County Roscommon man pointed to the improvements that are being made in governance and transparency as being "very encouraging" for investors seeking to establish operations in the country.

Mr Doherty is no stranger to the Central and Eastern Europe region, having worked on the legal team that successfully defended Slovakia in a number of Investment Treaty Arbitrations at the beginning of the last decade.

A proud Ballinlough man, he is better known locally for his work supporting the committee of Ballinlough Development Association in fundraising for the construction of the jetty at Lake O'Flynn.

The FIT for Ukraine annual meeting brought together government and business representatives in November, to discuss Ukraine’s investment achievements in 2023 and outline plans for the following year.

The goal of the conference was to attract private investments for Ukraine’s reconstruction. Those interested in investing and contributing received the most up-to-date analytical data, information about available investment incentives, successful investment cases, regulatory changes, practical project implementation aspects and ongoing investment projects from UkraineInvest.

Participants discussed key issues faced by investors in Ukraine as part of the largest exhibition on Ukraine’s reconstruction, ReBuild Ukraine.

Among the speakers were government officials, representatives from BlackRock, DFC, CSIS, Kingspan, Kovalska, Bayer and more. The event was attended by approximately 500 international delegates.

The investment by Kingspan would create up to 700 jobs within the manufacturing campus, which is expected to be located in the west of the country. Construction is to begin this year, with manufacturing operations set to begin towards the end of 2025.