Ballymena’s global strategy launched at Braid

The first public step in Ballymena Borough Council’s long term plan to establish a world-wide network of high profile people to champion the borough has been taken.

The Ballymena Global Alumni Network is a project to facilitate ideas, connections, and expertise and bring together people from Ballymena to demonstrate the opportunities for business growth in their home town. The thinking behind the scheme was unveiled at a meeting in The Braid centre on Tuesday morning.

The initiative has a business focus and aims to connect Ballymena’s international diaspora in order to create a global alumni network to market opportunities for investment and economic growth.

Ballymena Borough Council Chief Executive Anne Donaghy said: “Ballymena can boast many people of note who work at the highest levels of their chosen careers not only in the UK but across the world. We know their business expertise and connections can assist in helping to develop the potential of Ballymena Borough.

“We have conducted in-depth research to connect with schools, universities and existing alumni networks – creating a network of third-party endorsers to assist us in communicating our message. At the moment, we’re basing our approach on 17 key investment sites.

“However, as the network grows we will be looking to tap into any and all opportunities for development, ensuring that the talents we gather and the connections we make can be put to good use.”

If you’re interested in becoming part of the Ballymena Global Alumni Network, or would like to help build a brighter economic future for the area, click www.ballymenaglobalalumni.com, find ‘Ballymena Global’ on Twitter or search for ‘Ballymena Global Alumni Network’ on LinkedIn.