Tech leader Barrett joins speaker panel at April conference Print this article

The former Intel CEO and chairman of the Irish Technology Leaders Group (ITLG), Craig Barrett has been added to the list of distinguished speakers at this year’s Engineers Ireland Annual Conference, taking place on Thursday, April 22 and Friday, April 23 in the Silver Springs Moran Hotel in Cork.

Craig Barrett

A keynote event for Ireland’s engineers, the Engineers Ireland Annual Conference is aimed at senior engineers and decision makers. Held over two days, the conference plays host to national and international opinion leaders who will address some of the biggest challenges facing Ireland Inc over the next decade.

Nuclear energy leader
One of the key speakers at the conference is Bertrand Barré, scientific advisor to the chairperson of the AREVA group. He is also Professor Emeritus of nuclear engineering at the Institut National des Sciences et Techniques Nucléaires, INSTN.
He was previously, from 1994 to 1999, at the head of the nuclear reactor directorate of the French Atomic Energy commission, CEA, and from 1999 to 2002 vice-president in charge of R&D in COGEMA (now AREVA NC).

A past president of the European Nuclear Society (ENS) and of the International Nuclear Societies Council (INSC), as well as past chairman of the Standing Advisory Group on Nuclear Energy of the IAEA, Bertrand Barré  is the former Chair of the International Nuclear Energy Academy (INEA).

Bertrand graduated in engineering from École des Mines de Nancy , and did his postgraduate degree in solid state physics. Having fulfilled his military obligations (which no longer exist in France), in 1967 he joined the Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, CEA, the French national nuclear R&D establishment. Within the CEA, he pursued a very diverse career, “busy, but always exciting”.
Alternating positions in research, management and staff, he was given the opportunity to acquire an in-depth knowledge of some technical aspects of energy production and, as close assistant to key personnel, to get acquainted with its geopolitical context.
He was, notably, nuclear attaché at the French embassy in Washington DC, head of the reactors’ directorate of the CEA, director of the engineering division in Technicatome, vice-president for R&D in Cogema and in charge of Scientific Communications in Areva.

The parallel sessions on the second day of the conference have been consistently successful and that format is being retained for this year. This year’s three concurrent sessions are:

• Leadership and Innovation in Practice hosted by the Cork Region;
• Engineering: the Key to Securing Ireland’s Energy Future hosted by Energy and Environment Division; and,
• Ireland’s Water: Meeting the Challenges hosted by the Local Government Division

Platinum sponsor:

2010 - Engineers Ireland 175th Anniversary
As part of this significant year in the history of the organisation, a number of special events will take place around the national conference in Cork.  With the ‘real capital’ recently being named as one of the top 10 cities to visit in the Lonely Planet’s guide ‘Best in Travel 2010’, a visit to this year’s conference will be informative and exciting.  For details contact Rita Pollard, Communications Executive, Engineers Ireland on +353 1 665 1330 or email rpollard@engineersireland.ie 

Gold sponsors:

Outline Programme

Day 1 Plenary Session Thursday April 22, 2010

• Engineers – Leaders for the Next Decade
• Powering Ireland in 2010 and Beyond
• Ireland’s Engineers – What Next?

Day 2 - Parallel Sessions (Morning) Friday April 23, 2010

• Leadership and Innovation In Practice hosted by the Cork Region
• Engineering: The Key to Securing Ireland’s Energy Future hosted by Energy and Environment Division
• Ireland’s Water: Meeting the Challenges hosted by Local Government Division

Day 2 – Plenary Session (Afternoon) Friday April 23,

• 2010 Engineers Ireland - Member Resolutions

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