Leading business body The Institute of Directors Northern Ireland (IoD NI) has reappointed Gordon Milligan as its Chairman for up to another three years.

The reappointment of Gordon, who is Deputy Chief Executive of Translink, has been made as the organisation and the wider business community continues to deal with the impact of Brexit and restrictions placed on the economy due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gordon, who was first appointed to the post in 2018, said:

“It has been an honour to serve the IoD and our members over the course of the past three years and I am deeply humbled to have been reappointed to the position during what continues to be a turbulent time for businesses.

“There is no doubt it has been an immensely difficult period for many of our local businesses due to the great number of challenges they’ve had to face, much of them completely outside their control.

“However, they have constantly stepped up to the mark, showing exceptional leadership despite the uncertainty.

“As an organisation, we continue to provide support to members, whether it be dealing with the impact of coronavirus or the substantial challenges associated with the EU exit, and seek to act as the voice for local businesses on these key issues and others.”

Gordon said his focus would continue to be on professional development, as it had been during his initial three-year tender.

“I will be working across the organisation, encouraging members to realise ‘the leadership dividend’. The more we invest in developing ourselves as leaders, and building the skills of our senior management teams, the better the outcomes both professionally and economically for our businesses, and consequently, society.

“These are among the main aims of our professional development offering, as we seek to equip leaders to strategically drive business growth, improve corporate governance and build better boards.”

Gordon joined Translink in 2009 and has a background that includes holding executive roles at some of Northern Ireland’s best-known firms such as Bombardier Aerospace, Nortel Networks and Dunbia.