The newly installed President of Ibec Dr Colin Hunt has said the country needs to rapidly transform the country's infrastructure for our grandchildren.

In his first address, Dr Hunt, who is also CEO of AIB, told a gathering of business leaders, including the Taoiseach Micheál Martin, that the push to upgrade vital infrastructure is the number one priority.

He said Ireland is growing economically, demographically, technologically and globally, but he warned the infrastructure was not in place to support that growth.

"From housing to transport, energy to water, we are facing an infrastructure deficit that is smothering our potential," he said.

"Businesses are struggling to attract talent because of housing shortages.

"Commuters are losing hours in traffic. And our energy grid is under pressure, just as we try to lead on the transition to a lower-carbon future.

"Our nation has always been one of vision, resilience, and collective spirit and there is so much of which we can be proud."

But he said the country was now "at a crossroads".

He added: "The decisions we make today will reverberate for decades to come, shaping the Ireland that our children and grandchildren will inherit."

He cited the building of the Ardnacrusha hydroelectric power station in the 20s, which was heavily criticised at the time, but had a transformative impact as an example of "a belief in modern Ireland".

"Ardnacrusha wasn’t just about electricity. It was about belief. Belief in a modern Ireland. Belief that we could shape our own destiny.

"The project enabled a vision for Ireland and possibilities for our future that were previously unimaginable. 

"We didn’t build it because we could afford it – it cost 20% of the national budget. We built it because the leaders of that generation recognised that we couldn’t afford not to."

He continued: "We need a new era of collective leadership – with an unrelenting and unapologetic focus on delivery against the National Development Plan – an investment of €275bn - that brings us closer to:

"A green energy grid that powers a sustainable future. 

"A housing system that gives people a place they can call home.

"A public transport network that connects all our cities and regions.

"A digital infrastructure that keeps us globally competitive."

He said AIB had found putting sustainability at the centre of their business model both good for the country and good for business.

"Securing Ireland’s energy supply and effectively leveraging our natural resources are essential components for ensuring a sustainable future," he said.

"The shores off the coasts of Ireland provide an opportunity for us through wind energy to have such clean energy independence and provide sustainable revenue that could be the envy of the world," he added.

However, he said both our wind and solar farms experience "long periods of time when they remain switched off as there is no capacity to either store or sell the energy they produce, leaving an asset that is not maximising its potential return."

He said the country could learn from Britain, which he said is "a world leader in offshore and onshore wind".

He emphasised that the business community needed to work with Government to help transform the country.

"We have the capital. We have the innovation," he said.

"What we need is a collective mindset - brave leadership, laser focused, which prioritises delivery—faster planning, long-term thinking, and ultimately the collective courage to act beyond the next quarterly profit report or the next election cycle."

He went on the call for those in the room to help have a generational impact on the future of the country.

"As your President, I want to assure you that Ibec will be at the forefront of this challenge," he said.

"As a room of business leaders, I’m calling for a collective voice, collective leadership, collective ambition. No noise, no nonsense.

"Our commitment to you Taoiseach, is that we, as Ireland’s leading business network, will work with your government, across industry, within communities and our members to develop the essential ideas, policies and partnerships required to facilitate meaningful progress against the recently published and rightly-ambitious National Development Plan.

"Let’s not settle for easy solutions. Let’s aim for generational impact.

"Let’s be the generation that built the foundations for the next 100 years," he said.

He signed off by saying, "Ardnacrusha lit up a nation. Not just with power, but with purpose.

"Let’s channel that same spirit—not to look back with nostalgia, but to look forward with resolve and determination.

"Ireland’s future won’t be built by chance. It will be built by choice—our choice."

Top pic: Pictured (l-r) Ibec CEO Danny McCoy, An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin TD, Deputy President Maureen Walsh of DeCare Dental Insurance Ireland and newly appointed Ibec President Colin Hunt of AIB at the RDS, Dublin, for Ibec’s annual President’s Dinner.

Bottom Picture Conor McCabe Photography