The UK Small Business Commissioner will be among the guests of a major Northern Ireland business webinar this week.

Hosted by the Institute of Directors Northern Ireland (IoD NI), Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and business advisory firm EY, hundreds of participants are expected for the Access to Finance webinar taking place this Thursday, 2nd April.

Philip King, who was appointed Small Business Commissioner in January, will join a panel of speakers that will also include Donal Durkan, Executive Director of Strategy at Invest NI and Paul Leonard, Non-Executive Chairman of the UK Finance NI Committee.

Kirsty McManus, National Director, IoD NI, said:

“The COVID-19 crisis has had a profound impact on businesses around the world like nothing else in living memory.

“Local companies are telling us that one of their most pressing concerns is cashflow especially for those that have effectively seen their business stop overnight, and yet still have significant costs to meet.

“It is vital that we ensure as much information is available to those companies as possible and as an organisation, we have been working with members and others to provide a full range of insights.”

Ann McGregor, Chief Executive, NI Chamber, added:

“This seminar will provide expert guidance to businesses on how they can avail of some of the measures put forward by the government such as the COVID Small Business Grant and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

“Keeping abreast of the latest developments and assistance is a daily task and we continue to work tirelessly to provide the most up to date information.

“These are hugely challenging times, but help is available to ensure that we all get through this crisis together.”

Participants will hear and updates from Andrew Dolliver, Partner, EY UK.

The webinar which is open to all, whether NI Chamber or IoD NI members or not, will also feature a question and answer session, chaired by broadcaster John Campbell.

For more information about the event, which runs from 2-3pm, and how to take part, visit www.northernirelandchamber.com.