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American Chamber names lawyer as president

The American Chamber of Commerce Ireland (AmCham) has appointed lawyer Mark Cockerill as president, and Paul Kelleher of Qualcomm as vice-president, for 2026. 

Cockerill is legal counsel for ServiceNow, and succeeds Google tax lawyer Liz Cunningham in the role.

He said his priorities included ensuring Ireland was well-positioned as a global leader in AI.

A November AmCham member survey reported that 45% of US multinationals in Ireland believed the country should strengthen its digital and AI test environments, to bolster RD&I (research, development, and innovation) infrastructure.

Difficulty atttracting talent

Half of AmCham member companies were experiencing difficulty in attracting talent, the survey showed.

Just over one-tenth attributed the challenge to a general issue of availability of prospective employees, while over two-fifths (44%) cited a shortage in specialist skills. 

AmCham members have consistently ranked areas including digital and data, engineering, and machine learning and AI as the biggest skills gaps being experienced by their organisations in Ireland.