ISME Leadership & Networking Forum: SMEs Connect & Grow [Limerick]

Register for this event

We are delighted to introduce the second stop in our ISME Leadership and Networking Forum — in partnership with Jobs.ie — taking place on Wednesday, 23rd September at the Clayton Hotel, Limerick from 8:00am–11:00am.

This exciting event series is designed to bring practical insights and expert guidance directly to SMEs across Ireland.

Everyone is welcome so please bring along your colleagues, clients, or friends in business. Breakfast and refreshments are provided at all events and don’t forget to register.

PROGRAMME

• 8:00am — WelcomeNeil McDonnell, ISME CEO
• 8:15am — Keynote SpeakerChristopher Paye, Country Director, The Stepstone Group, Ireland

  Topic: The Jobs.ie Hiring Playbook: Salary, Strategy & What Candidates Really Want
  This session explores the reality of Ireland’s talent market in 2026, giving you a clear view of current compensation trends and evolving candidate expectations. Drawing on insights from the analysis of over 1.3 million job postings, alongside recruiter and candidate surveys, it provides practical guidance to help you build a more effective and competitive hiring strategy.

• 8:35am — Learning and Development UpdateProviding a path of continuous learning for small businesses by Adam Weatherley, L&D Manager, ISME Skillnet
• 8:50am — HR Updates for BusinessSinead Farrell, ISME HR Advisor
• 9:10am — Panel Discussion: Insights, Trends & Hiring Success
  
• 9:20am — Pitch my Business & NetworkingHosted by Killian Dineen, Zen Pensions
  Sponsored by

  The Pitch My Business session allows business representatives to stand up for 2 minutes to give an elevator pitch to promote their business. A great opportunity to network with fellow business people in your area. Don’t forget your business cards!

• 9:45am — Coffee and Networking
• 10:00am — The Economic Context for SME SectorPresentation by Jim Power, one of Ireland’s best-known independent economic analysts, media commentators, and authors. He will explore the growing need to upskill SME owner-managers as Irish businesses navigate global uncertainty and an increasingly competitive environment.
• 10:40am — Energy UpdatesLuke Fagan, SME Business Decarbonisation Supports Executive, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI)
• 11:00am — Closing Comments

In partnership with:

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Christopher PayeCountry Director, The Stepstone Group, Ireland

Christopher Paye is the Country Director for The Stepstone Group in Ireland, with responsibility for the group’s three hiring platforms – Jobs.ie, IrishJobs and NIJobs. He began his career at IrishJobs in 2007 as a Graduate Account Manager, quickly advancing to Senior Account Manager and then Team Lead. In 2012, he was promoted to Sales Director of IrishJobs.ie, and in 2017, he became the General Manager of Jobs.ie. With almost 20 years of experience working with businesses of all sizes and from all sectors find top talent, Chris has a deep and comprehensive understanding of the fast-moving hiring landscape in Ireland.

Jim PowerEconomist, Podcaster & Blogger

Jim Power is one of Ireland’s leading economic analysts, commentators, and authors. With over 35 years of private-sector experience, he previously served as Chief Economist at Friends First and Bank of Ireland, as well as Treasury Economist at AIB. In 2009, he established his economic consultancy, Jim Power Economics. A graduate of University College Dublin (UCD), he lectures on the MBA programmes at UCD’s Smurfit Graduate Business School. Power is a frequent national media contributor, author of Picking Up the Pieces (2009) and Smart Tips for SMEs (2021), co-host of The Other Hand podcast, and an Independent Non-Executive Director on several corporate boards.

Please send in your questions or comments for the speakers while registering, particularly for the panel discussion, so we can address issues that relate to your business on the day.