THIRTEEN individuals who have made a substantial contribution to Belfast or who have made the city their home will be recognised at this week’s Belfast International Homecoming conference, which connects Belfast with diaspora around the world.
The event will acknowledge the work of the likes of second permanent secretary to the Cabinet Office Sue Gray, Belfast City Council climate commissioner Debbie Caldwell, and founder of the Join Her women’s network Lori Gatsi-Barnett.
The recipients will be installed as Belfast Ambassadors during a gala dinner at Belfast City Hall, which will hear from Pekka Timonen, Mayor of Lahti, Finland, the EU Green capital for 2021.
Now in its seventh year, Belfast International Homecoming will this year focus on the climate emergency and the need for a green economy as the COP26 Conference takes place in Glasgow.
Duncan Morrow, director of community engagement at Ulster University, said: “Each of these recipients have made an outstanding contribution to our society and are thoroughly deserving of the Belfast Ambassadors title.
“Through principled dedication to making their own lives better, they have made positive impacts across Belfast and the world in sectors including, law, education, tourism, and international and community relations. This should not go without recognition.”
“We look forward to celebrating with the 13 recipients on Thursday and pushing forward the agenda of Belfast’s response to climate change through the hard work and determination of its people, both those from here and those who have chosen Belfast as their home.”
The other nominees to be installed as Belfast Ambassadors are Anurag Deb, paralegal at KRW Law; Councillor Ruairi Kelly, Glasgow City Council; Conal Harvey, Chair of Titanic Belfast; Conor Fegan, barrister at Francis Taylor Building Chambers; Keith Farley, managing director and Vice President of Aflac NI; Nell Watson, tech ethicist at researcher and reformer; Patricia Canning, assistant professor of forensic linguistics, stylistics and rhetoric at Utrecht University; Shona McCarthy, chief executive of Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society; Terry Stevens, founder and managing director of Stevens and Associates Swansea; and Hugh Haughian, senior director of customer growth, MRP, Philadelphia.
