Mark Zuckerberg’s Metaverse has been the topic of much talk on the internet. But what does the “Meta” in Metaverse mean? And how will it affect the language we use now?

The Role of Language in Various Industries

Language is all around us. Used almost everyday, in different forms, language is the most basic form of communication for humans, and the foremost method of connection with other beings, animals and plants among them.

Will the Language Landscape Evolve If Metaverse Succeeds

Naturally, with its explicit importance, language has become invaluable in all aspects of society, particularly when it comes to the industries that keep the economy going. In fields such as healthcare, legal, and finance, accurate and precise language is essential for effective case handling and ensuring compliance with regulations. In the technology sector, language is important for creating user-friendly interfaces and documentation. And in marketing and advertising, language is used to create persuasive messages that resonate with consumers.

As language is a natural, ongoing facet of life, it might be difficult to build connections with people who come from different cultures and locations.

However, what if language is taken into an entirely different area altogether? What happens when the language we know now is applied to virtual worlds and situations, such as the Metaverse?

What Is the Metaverse?

The Metaverse is a hypothetical future version of the internet that combines virtual reality, augmented reality, and other emerging technologies to create a shared, persistent, and immersive digital space where people can interact with each other and digital objects in real-time, much like in the physical world.

At its most basic, the Metaverse promises users immersion, real-time interactivity, and total agency. Fully realized, the Metaverse aims for seamless integration between platforms and devices, the possibility for simultaneous interactions between thousands of people, and other use cases apart from gaming.

For some people, the Metaverse seems like another way of escaping reality, but as futurist Cathy Hackl puts it, it’s about “embracing and augmenting it with virtual content and experiences that can make things more fulfilling and make us feel more connected to our loved ones, more productive at work, and happier.”

So what happens when language is introduced to this new, mostly unexplored environment?

How the Metaverse Will Impact Language and Communication

The possibilities are numerous, but the potential is present. Because of the internet, people nowadays have a solid grasp of communication in digital environments, which is mostly comprised of text, emojis, photos and videos.

However, with the Metaverse’s inclusion of both augmented and virtual reality, language might evolve into a more natural and immersive form, such as gestures, facial expressions, and body language. This would allow communication to become more nuanced and richer in context. With enough time and interactions, the Metaverse can even develop language and dialects specific to its environment.

Still, this possible outlook comes with its own challenges. Since the aim of the Metaverse is for multiple people to interact within its virtual surroundings at the same time, the possibility of language barriers and cultural misunderstandings increases, if not becoming a legitimate obstacle.

The Metaverse AI Translator

Fortunately, the creator of the Metaverse, tech company Meta, has taken the first steps to mitigate concerns when it comes to language and communication. According to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s research division is working on a universal speech translation system that could streamline users’ interactions with AI within the company’s digital universe.

This is a two-fold plan. First, Meta is developing No Language Left Behind, a translation system capable of learning “every language, even if there isn’t a lot of text available to learn from,” according to Zucke...

The RDI Hub, the world-class centre that fosters innovation and business growth, has announced expansion plans which will see it build on its work to date in bringing together corporates, SMEs and start-ups to innovate and scale for the future.

This will enable the Hub to both meet growing demand from its members to grow their teams and accept new members, with the addition of 50 new spaces that will bring the total capacity for companies to operate from the RDI Hub to over 100.

Following opening the RDI Hub in 2020, over 50 companies are now accessing the space. Since becoming RDI members, these companies have created 250 jobs as well as developing 29 new products and services in just three years. To date, €12 million in funding has been raised by companies in the hub.

In the last 12 months, 16 new companies have been onboarded. The RDI Hub is now home to global companies including Liebherr, Glencar Construction, Helgen Technologies and Taxamo, a Vertex company.

The expansion of the RDI Hub has been announced ahead of a gathering of over 200 stakeholders to celebrate its third anniversary. Attendees at the event will hear how despite the onset of the pandemic shortly after opening, the first three years of the RDI Hub have been a success.

Speaking ahead of the event, RDI Hub CEO, Liam Cronin said:

“The RDI Hub enables start-ups, scale-ups, SMEs, corporates, and enterprises to create, digitalise, innovate, and scale businesses for future economies. It is through this work over the last three years that we have been able to transform the innovation ecosystem in the South West of Ireland. We are delighted to mark the latest milestone in the evolution of the RDI Hub and announce further investment which will enable us to build on the incredible work in developing and scaling companies of all sizes and sectors.”

“The plans for the Hub were naturally impacted by the pandemic however we are really proud of how we pivoted, what has been achieved and look forward to the next three years where we aim to build on what has been achieved to date. We have realised our vision by creating a unique environment for business to flourish and we are very excited about our ever-expanding programme of activity in the years ahead. We are excited about what lies ahead and have strong ambitions for the successes of our member companies in the coming years.”

Karl Aherne, Chief Operating Officer, Fexco said:

“Since opening its doors in 2020, the RDI Hub has transformed into a significant innovation ecosystem not just for the region, but also for Fexco. In the last three years. It has progressed from being an innovation hub to a dynamic ecosystem that fosters creativity, novel technologies, and a collaborative hybrid culture. As a result, it has yielded some incredible outcomes such as Taxamo, and several intriguing breakthroughs in robotics, AI, the Metaverse, and conventional industries such as construction, agriculture, and tourism. Fexco sees the RDI Hub as a crucial part of our future innovation plans.”

The RDI Hub has recently been added to the European Commission’s Startup Village Forum, a key part of a larger vision for rural areas in the EU. The Vision identifies several areas of action toward stronger, connected, resilient and prosperous rural areas and communities by 2040.

The RDI Hub was also named as the Digital Business Ireland Business Hub of the Year. This award recognises the hub as amongst the very best and brightest in digital and online enterprise.

2023 Plans

The RDI Hub will expand its space by opening 50 new desk spaces before the end of the year to facilitate the continued growth of the eco-system it has created. It will also see investment in a new state of the art digital media lab with podcast and video and greenscreen recording facilities to allow members and visitors to create media assets for their businesses.

The RDI Hub will also run the next edition of the STEM Passport programme to encourage more women in STEM, with ov...

100,000 trees and £1m economic boost in Northwoods Rewilding Network’s early years

[Title image -> Native woodland regeneration, pond creation and restored raised bog at Northwoods partner Leadburn Community Woodland.]

Credit: James Shooter/scotlandbigpicture.com

108,000 native trees planted Northwoods Rewilding Network

A growing network of Scottish landholdings committed to rewilding has recorded dramatic ecological and economic impacts in its first two years.

The Northwoods Rewilding Network, which has grown to 55 partners spanning the length and breadth of Scotland, has reported its first set of outcomes since it was established in April 2021 by rewilding charity SCOTLAND: The Big Picture.

More than 108,000 native trees have been planted on partners’ landholdings, covering an area equivalent to 210 football pitches. More than 4,100 of the trees are along rivers, where they are particularly impactful, providing shade, shelter and nutrients to a food web that includes Scotland’s iconic Atlantic salmon.

Sixty-nine new ponds and ‘scrapes’ – shallow, seasonal pools – have been created, providing 15,000 square metres of wetland habitat, while the removal of field drains has created more than 8,000 square metres of additional seasonally flooded habitat.

A total of 60 hectares of degraded peatland has been restored – capturing carbon and reducing the impact of flooding and drought.

New hedgerows have been planted by more than a third of the network’s partners, amounting to nine kilometres, while the same length of redundant fencing has been removed – helping to open up wildlife highways.

Seventeen partners have created or restored grassland habitat, covering a total of 276 hectares, and a similar number are employing natural grazing using 128 semi-wild cattle.

The ecological interventions have brought substantial economic benefits. More than £1 million has been spent with local suppliers and services since the launch of Northwoods, which stretches from the Solway Firth to Sutherland, and from the East Neuk of Fife to the Ross of Mull. The network presently supports 71 full-time-equivalent jobs for people employed in nature-related enterprises.

James Nairne, Northwoods Project Lead at SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, said: “These impressive impacts demonstrate the commitment of our Northwoods partners to deliver benefits for nature and communities. We believe that working with a diverse range of land managers to create nature networks across Scotland is the most effective way of tackling biodiversity loss and climate breakdown.”

Nature is thriving across the network. Ospreys, red kites and white-tailed eagles are seen at more than a third of the sites, while otters are present at more than half. Three-quarters of the network partners are reporting “vegetation succession” – where the mix of species and habitat changes over time as natural processes recover.

The rewilding activities are bringing in people too – 236,000 visitors have been recorded across the network, and 137 nature-related visitor events have been hosted, while 532 volunteers have engaged with partner projects.

Gavin Drummond and Laura Hay are the owners of Harestone Moss, near Aberdeen, a site that was farmed for livestock for many decades. They joined the Northwoods Rewilding Network in May 2022.

Drummond said: “Rewilding does not have to mean turning our back on other land uses, but is a way to create biodiverse ecosystems alongside other activities.

“Our new saying here is ‘just add water’ – everybody is amazed at the transformative effect of our ponds, which have been created just by stopping water draining away.”

Landholdings in the network include farms, crofts, community woodlands and private estates, and the network’s partners are the owners, managers or trustees of the sites. The size of partner sites ranges from 50 to 1,000 acres.

Each Northwoods partner makes rewilding commitments tailored to its site and circumstances. SCOTLAND: The Big Picture helps partners...

We look at this relevant book by Thomas Chamorro-Premuzic . I, Human: AI, Automation, and the Quest to Reclaim What Makes Us Unique is available from Harvard Business Review here.

I, Human: AI, Automation, and the Quest to Reclaim What Makes Us Unique, reviewed

This is a topical and relevant book, though perhaps the cat is already out of the bag in terms of Chamorro’s concerns that he attempts to remedy in this book. Chamorro argues his points well, riffing around the concept that AI is making us dumber, and that we need to spend less time on and checking our devices. All valid points that we would completely agree with.

At the end of each chapter there are pop quizzes to assess where you are on the scale in terms of your own user habits. As we did the initial quizzes we did wonder if your responses are guided to a large degree depending on whether you are a pre-millennial or not. For the diminishing number of us who can remember a pre-internet time, there is often less of a need to instantly check for updates, notifications and all the anthropologically engineered ticks aimed at making various apps and platforms as sticky as possible.

We are all however part of a big, unstructured data gathering experiment where we are the lab mice and AI is the beneficiary. Chamorro does a great job of articulating the issues, and the challenges. Where it feels like a harder sell is whether it is too late to do anything about this. He is absolutely right that separation and divorce from our devices is necessary if we are going to retain and regain some of our intrinsic intelligence before it all goes artificial.

A thought provoking book, well worth reading, even if it is perhaps a little depressing in terms of what humanity might actually be able to achieve.

More about this book

For readers of “Sapiens” and “Homo Deus” and viewers of “The Social Dilemma,” psychologist Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic tackles one of the biggest questions facing our species: Will we use artificial intelligence to improve the way we work and live, or will we allow it to alienate us? It’s no secret that AI is changing the way we live, work, love, and entertain ourselves. Dating apps are using AI to pick our potential partners. Retailers are using AI to predict our behavior and desires.

Rogue actors are using AI to persuade us with bots and misinformation. Companies are using AI to hire us–or not. In “I, Human” psychologist Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic takes readers on an enthralling and eye-opening journey across the AI landscape. Though AI has the potential to change our lives for the better, he argues, AI is also worsening our bad tendencies, making us more distracted, selfish, biased, narcissistic, entitled, predictable, and impatient.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Filled with fascinating insights about human behavior and our complicated relationship with technology, I, Human will help us stand out and thrive when many of our decisions are being made for us. To do so, we’ll need to double down on our curiosity, adaptability, and emotional intelligence while relying on the lost virtues of empathy, humility, and self-control.

This is just the beginning. As AI becomes smarter and more humanlike, our societies, our economies, and our humanity will undergo the most dramatic changes we’ve seen since the Industrial Revolution. Some of these changes will enhance our species. Others may dehumanize us and make us more machinelike in our interactions with people. It’s up to us to adapt and determine how we want to live and work. The choice is ours. What will we decide?

See more book reviews here.

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Guest post by Kadan Stadelmann, who is a blockchain developer, operations security expert and Komodo Platform’s chief technology officer.

The European Union’s Market Crypto Assets (MiCA) law does not define decentralization, suggesting fully decentralized entities may fall outside the scope of the new E.U.-wide regulation set for a February vote. In some parts of the text, MiCA states that only partially decentralized projects, colloquially known as centralized finance (CeFi), will be subject to the regulation’s purview.

Why it is Time To Advocate For Sensible E.U. DeFi Policy

Presumably, projects will need to be so decentralized as to be fully-automated, in order to not be governed by MiCa. One primary intention of MiCa’s legislators seems to be limiting the use of crypto assets as a means of exchange—the legislation does, after all, come down particularly hard on stablecoins—which then begs the question how to ensure that such tokens are only used as a means of payment. The more decentralized a project, the more difficult it is to effectively control and manage the native token, after all.

MiCA seems to imply decentralization eludes to a system sans any intermediary—a la Bitcoin—but technical guidelines will be needed to legally define this common crypto term. Decentralization, which might take various shapes and forms, could be defined by network features, the role of developers, tokenomics, legal structure, etc.

Many questions remain unanswered by MiCa. Rather than focusing on decentralized finance, the E.U. has focused on stablecoins and crypto asset service providers (CASPs). Protocols and decentralized finance will not be treated as crypto asset service providers, because there would arise many-a-difficulty in applying these provisions to DeFi.

When in the future decentralization becomes regulated, it will be done with an instrument other than MiCA. Therefore, the landmark regulation won’t apply to true NFTs, Web3, etc. Truly decentralized projects will not be undermined by MiCA, though modestly funded companies and organizations could struggle in a more limited MiCA world.

Unfortunately, that poses a serious problem for projects who seek to one day become decentralized, which is common in the crypto industry—developers discuss “centralized to decentralized flight paths.” Even Bitcoin was at one time relatively centralized in a few people—at first, Satoshi Nakamoto and Hal Finney, and then from there others.

How Might The European Commission (E.C.) Regulate DeFi?

European legislators and regulators envision a new set of DeFi-focused regulations. Finance professor Tarik Roukny told the European Commission that it immediately needs new regulation to minimize the “severe threats” DeFi poses to consumers, producers, and the economy at large.

“DeFi tools hold a credible promise for new forms of financial services adapted to a globalized, competitive, fair and digital economy,” Roukny, an assistant professor from Belgium’s Leuven University, told the Commission during a webinar. In addition, he issued a report on DeFi.

“You need to find incentives to make it attractive for protocol designers and protocol developers to enter a policy framework or to enter the sandbox you have in mind – and that is crucially different from a lot of other services,” Roukny adds. Perhaps the European crypto industry will lobby for prosecutorial immunity for a certain period of time before entering into any regulatory sandboxes.

He suggests oracles, which interface between protocols and real world apps, data sources, etc. as a possible point for controls. “T??here may be large benefits from interventions like public oracles, licensed oracles or more generally regulated oracle markets that compensate for the unverifiable nature of the information.” The term “interventions” should be made very clear in any future regulations.

Mattias Levin, deputy head of the commission team responsible for digital finance, said that regulators seek to inform the...

We look at this quirky and enjoyable book by David Acheson. The Spirit of Mathematics, Algebra and All That is published by Oxford University Press and you can see more about it here. Hardback | £14.99 | 192 Pages |9780192845085 New from the bestselling author of The Calculus Story and The Wonder Book of Geometry.

The Spirit of Mathematics Algebra and All That by David Acheson, reviewed

This is a fun, visual, thought provoking read. The goal is naturally to get more people interested in maths, and overall this book feels like a success in terms of achieving this goal. The examples are deeply practical and relevant, drawn from many real world scenarios. The pace is fast and not lingering too long on any one topic. We have teens that we think would potentially enjoy reading this book, which is surely one of the intended demographics. It works well and hopefully it does inspire more people to have an interest in maths, and to also understand the beauty and fascinating aspects of what maths can do and help you to achieve.

A good read, well worth reading, and a nice stocking filler or birthday surprise for the mathematically curious in the family.

More about The Spirit of Mathematics

Why is infinity so dangerous?

How can algebra help with snooker?

And what on earth is ‘proof by chocolate’?

Whether you have anxious memories of the subject from school, or solve quadratic equations for fun, David Acheson’s new book will make you look at mathematics afresh, conjuring up the magic of maths.

Using quirky everyday examples, The Spirit of Mathematics highlights the power of algebra. Acheson crystallizes what’s so special about mathematics: the pure delight of discovery; the importance of proof; and the joy of contemplating an elegant solution.

Drawing on historical sources, puzzles, and arithmetical tricks, Acheson’s enthusiasm is infectious, and, as ever, a sense of quirkiness and fun pervades.

Focuses on the power of algebra, which enables the elegant expression of generalized statements about relations between quantities as mathematical formulae

Delights in the beauty of simple equations and mathematical proofs, highlighting the close connections between algebra and geometry

Uses quirky and everyday examples, from competitive bath filling to cutting up chocolate, to demonstrate mathematical concepts

Draws on historical sources, puzzles, and arithmetical tricks to bring out the magic of mathematics

David Acheson is Emeritus Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford, and was the University’s first winner of a National Teaching Fellowship in 2004. He was President of the Mathematical Association from 2010 to 2011, and now lectures widely on mathematics to young people and the general public. In 2013, Acheson was awarded an Honorary D.Sc. by the University of East Anglia for his outstanding work in the popularization of mathematics. His books include 1089 and All That (OUP, 2002), The Calculus Story, (OUP, 2017), and The Wonder Book of Geometry, (OUP, 2020).

See more book reviews here.

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Irish Biotech Company Blue Pet Co. Selected For World’s Largest Pet Care Accelerator

Sustainable pet nutrition start-up Blue Pet Co. is one of six companies joining Leap Venture Studio & Academy, the world’s largest pet care accelerator.

The accelerator provides Blue Pet Co. access to world-class mentors, resources, networking opportunities, and $200,000 in funding.

Blue Pet Co. offers a range of clean, marine-powered dog supplements enriched with seaweed extracts, designed to support dog health needs naturally and sustainably.

Sustainable pet nutrition: Blue Pet

Irish pet nutrition company Blue Pet Co. is one of six start-ups selected to join Leap Venture Studio & Academy, the world’s first and largest pet care-specific accelerator. Blue Pet Co. was chosen after an extensive global research campaign to identify the best pet-care start-ups set to transform the industry through innovation and sustainability.

A partnership between Mars Petcare, one of the world’s leading pet-care companies, Michelson Found Animals and R/GA ventures, the 12-week programme connects each chosen seed-stage start-up with world-class resources, mentors, networking opportunities and $200,000 in funding.

Blue Pet Co.’s involvement will accelerate its mission to be a global leader in pet and planetary health and the world’s number one sustainable pet supplement and pet ingredient business. Already trading in 25 retailers in Ireland and 15 more globally, Blue Pet Co. has ambitions to expand into the US and Australian markets this year.

The Kerry-based blue biotech specialises in clean, marine-powered dog supplements enriched with seaweed extracts, designed to meet a dog’s health needs naturally and sustainably. Alongside its pet supplement offering, Blue Pet Co offers a range of unique nutritional ingredients produced via sustainable bioprocessing technologies, which have the potential to lower the water and carbon footprint of the pet food industry globally.

Blue Pet Co. CEO Gary Daly said: “Blue Pet Co is on a mission to re-establish the harmonious balance between pets, people and our planet. Not only are our products great for pet health, but our holistic business model also achieves over 70% of the UN’s sustainability goals; for example, reduced carbon emissions, increased biodiversity and clean waterways. We are delighted to be part of Leap Venture Studio and look forward to working with the most innovative companies in the industry to deliver positive change.”

Each cohort of the annual programme, based in Tennessee, consists of 6-8 companies that work with the Leap partners for 12 weeks. Alongside Blue Pet Co., the latest accelerator includes Bundle x Joy, Dr Cuddles, Vet Sense Common Sense, MI:RNA Oncotect and Tobipets.com. The cohort will culminate with a Demo Day on June 8th in Nashville, Tennessee.

The combined networks and resources of R/GA, Michelson Found Animals, and Mars Petcare make the Leap Venture Studio the most influential startup accelerator in the pet care industry.

Since its inception, the accelerator program has helped over 40 companies raise $170 million in follow-on capital, with $100 million coming in 2021 alone, and has helped lead two companies to successful exits.

“We are thrilled to launch the next round of the accelerator program and provide start-ups with the resources they need to scale,” said Brett Yates, CEO of Michelson Found Animals. “Our goal is to support and empower the next generation of entrepreneurs and help them bring their innovative ideas to life to give pets an improved quality of life.”

“This year’s cohort is a great mix of industry segments. We have companies working on scaling diagnostics and at-home pet health care, nutrition brands putting the planet and women-founded businesses at the forefront of their business model, and a D2C platform bringing solutions to pet parents in Costa Rica,” said Rachel Sheppard, Director of Ventures at Mars Petcare and co-lead of the Leap Venture Studio & Academy.

About...

Orreco, a global leader in bio-analytics and performance for elite athletes and teams, is teaming up with the University of Limerick’s Professional Doctorate in Human Performance and Innovation to host the ‘Cutting Edge’ conference on global elite sport and performance, taking place on June 16th, 17th, and 18th.

This major summit will bring together some of the most innovative and knowledgeable thought leaders in world sport – from major European soccer leagues, Formula 1, female athlete experts, Gaelic games, professional rugby, as well as those working in US sport across the NBA and NFL.

Over three days in Limerick, attendees will be discussing innovations across critical performance dimensions – managing high performing multi-disciplinary teams; creative monitoring of athletic training, optimising female athlete preparation and calibrating coaching philosophy to emerging evidence– all contributing to driving athletic performance and injury resilience.

The event will feature a stellar line-up of experienced performance practitioners and leaders in world sport, currently working with some of the best known teams and athletes on the planet.

Among those attending are Trent Salo, Director of Performance at the Detroit Pistons (NBA); Dr Georgie Bruinvels, Orreco Female Athlete Lead; Rita Guarina, Coach of Inter Milan Women; Dan Ridenour, Sports Science Coordinator, Minnesota Vikings (NFL); Pau Casassa, Technical Director of the 37 Worldwide Barcelona FC Academies; Nick Chadd, Head of Sports Science, Benfica FC; Aidan O’Connell, High Performance Manager Cork GAA; Tom Farrow, Chelsea FC, 1st Team Fitness Coach and many more.

The “Cutting Edge” conference is presented by Orreco and hosted by the University of Limerick’s flagship Professional Doctorate in Human Performance and Innovation program.

Orreco is an Irish company that has developed an acclaimed range of products powered by biomarkers and Artificial Intelligence (AI), all serving to help athletes maximise training, reduce the threat of injury, and become the very best in their particular discipline

The conference will take place in the University of Limerick’s conference centre.

Dr. John Kiely, Senior Lecturer in Performance and Innovation at the University of Limerick, said: “Our objective is to embrace progress, but to do so carefully, critically and pragmatically; to cut through the noise, to refocus on the essentials and to be exceptional at optimising athletic performance and injury resilience. Cutting Edge will gather together scientists, coaches, sports professionals and aspiring future innovators for a collaborative, integrated, interactive learning experience. We at UL are delighted so many influential leaders have agreed to share their experiences and expertise with us”

Dr. Brian Moore, CEO of Orreco, added: “We’re looking forward to welcoming, listening to, and meeting with the practitioners and scientists who attend. High Performance and Research are at the core of everything we do in Orreco, and the ‘Cutting Edge’ conference is a perfect fit for our team. We’re delighted to be able to bring some of our clients, along with members of the Orreco team of PhDs and experts to our home turf here in Ireland.”

Early bird tickets are now available, so be sure to grab them while they last! Don’t miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from the best in the business and take your athletic performance to the next level, [email protected] for more information on purchasing tickets.

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Esri Ireland, the market leader in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), has created a digital map which celebrates inspirational women in Ireland and around the world for International Women’s Day which falls today, Wednesday 8th March.

Esri Ireland’s female employees have contributed to the map by sharing stories of influential figures who have made positive impacts on their lives. From architects in Africa and swimmers in Sydney to authors in America and botanists in Bantry, this interactive map demonstrates the influence of women across borders.

Esri Ireland is also inviting the public to share their own stories about women who have inspired them. These women can be anyone who serves as a role model, mentor, or source of motivation, whether they have made an impact through small acts in their daily lives or significant contributions in the public sphere. The aim of the map is to highlight ‘lesser-known’ women, showcasing the diversity and breadth of women’s contributions around the world.

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is #EmbraceEquity. The purpose is to encourage global conversations on why equal opportunities aren’t enough and why equal isn’t always fair. Everyone starts from a different place in life, so true inclusion involves equitable action. According to recent data published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), less than one-third (32%) of Ireland’s information and communications technology (ICT) workers are women.

Esri Ireland embraces a diverse workforce, 40% of which are female. All employees who join Esri Ireland are assigned a career coach who offers mentorship and guidance to help advance their career path.

See more stories here.

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Irish Tech News are Ireland’s No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland’s No.1 Tech Podcast too.

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If you’d like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at [email protected] now to discuss.

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40% of women in Ireland now hold senior management positions, which is up from 30% in 2022, according to Grant Thornton’s research into women in business in the global mid-market. This research was concted as part of Grant Thornton’s annual International Business Report. The 10% jump marks a significant year-on-year increase, after just 2% and 3% increases in 2021 and 2022 respectively.

Ireland also fares well when compared to our nearest neighbours in the UK, where 33% of women hold senior management positions, as well as the United States, where just 31% of females occupy senior management roles. While there has been an upward trend in the number of women holding senior positions globally, overall progress has been slow, increasing just 0.5% in a year to 32.4%, and 13% since the research was first undertaken in 2004.

Commenting on the research, Grant Thornton Ireland Chairperson, Sinead Donovan, said: “It’s hugely positive to see that Irish businesses are actively placing value on diversity and inclusion not just amongst their staff but also amongst their leadership teams. 10% is a significant yearly increase, especially when compared to the picture globally, where progress has unfortunately been much slower.

While this is a positive step for Ireland, it’s clear there is still a lot of work to be done in order to narrow the playing field between men and women even further. Research shows that greater diversity in the workplace doesn’t just benefit the individuals, it also benefits business. At Grant Thornton we are constantly looking for ways to do business better and having a diverse workforce where every person is awarded equal opportunity regardless of their gender is one important way of doing that.

In Ireland, Venture Capital or private equity houses now insist on diversity in terms of board make-up. We are also seeing increasing pressure from clients and investors, which will push mid-market businesses to introduce measures that increase the percentage of female senior managers. I expect this will be the case across the European Union and North America, given the particular focus on ESG reporting in these regions.”

Grant Thornton’s International Business Report (IBR) has been casting a light on the issue of gender diversity in senior management at mid-market businesses for 19 years, exposing barriers and identifying facilitators of change. While the overall progress in Ireland is positive, an alarming 15% of Irish businesses currently have no women in senior management roles. Globally, that figure stands at 9%.

Impact of flexible working

According to the report, the changes in working practices prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic have had a positive impact on women progressing into senior leadership roles. Grant Thornton’s research has found that businesses with flexible, hybrid and home-based models in place have the highest levels of women in senior leadership roles. In businesses that have adopted a hybrid way of working, 34% of senior leaders are women, while in businesses that are fully flexible where staff choose how they work, it is 36%. Just 29% of senior management is female in businesses with predominantly office-based models.

Supporting women into senior leadership roles has been a priority for Grant Thornton for many years now and it has introduced numerous inclusive policies and initiatives to reflect this, including family friendly policies and increased working flexibility. Investment in dedicated female talent development programmes has also been introduced. From 2020 to 2022, female representation at partner level increased by 7%. In 2022, 60% of internal director promotions at the firm were female, a figure which Grant Thornton aims to increase to 69% in 2023.

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Irish Tech News are Ireland’s No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland’s No.1 Tech Podcast too.

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