Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ambition Magazine

FEATURE

When Rob McConnell stepped into the CEO role at ICC Belfast, Waterfront Hall and Ulster Hall in early 2025, he brought with him a career in cyber, technology, and business transformation. It might seem an unconventional leap into the events business, until you hear him speak about the venues as “wholesale economic engines”. Six months into the role, he’s on a mission to unlock Northern Ireland’s potential as a world-class international

conference and convention destination. W ith an early career in PWC as a cybersecurity consultant, Rob provided specialist security advice to industry and government, before founding a cyber startup in London. “There’s no greater learning experience than leading a start-up: I was a jack of all trades – from sales, to operations and finance,” he reflects. Later, he brought a major German FDI into Northern Ireland, eventually integrating it into tech and engineering powerhouse Expleo, growing a Belfast team of 300 people and an Ireland team of nearly 900. “I’m very much an ‘NI plc’ person,” he says. “I’ve always been proud to shout about Northern Ireland on the world stage and I want to see this place flourish.” McConnell was actively involved in developing the Assured Skills programme and he worked with Invest NI and the MATRIX panel, contributing to engineering and technology innovation strategy. Rob’s entry into the events sector came through a non executive director role at ICC Belfast, Waterfront Hall and Ulster Hall two and a half years ago. “I joined the Board to broaden my career experience but pretty quickly, it became clear I could help

with things like sales leadership and innovation.” When he applied and was appointed as CEO in February 2025, he hit the ground running. “Through my time on the Board I had a grasp of the unique operating model of the organisation, so I was able to move quickly.” One of the main challenges is balancing two very different lines of business. “We have two iconic live entertainment venues - the Waterfront Hall and the Ulster Hall - and then we have ICC Belfast, Northern Ireland’s only purpose-built international convention centre,” he says. “The audiences, the stakeholders, and the revenue models are completely different.” While the entertainment venues have hosted fans of everyone from Led Zeppelin to Snow Patrol to the Ulster Orchestra, the International Convention Centre’s work is largely hidden from local view. “People might know the ‘pointy extension’ on the back of the Waterfront,” Rob says, “but few realise we’re hosting world-class scientific, business and technology events that attract thousands of visitors and bring millions of pounds into the city. They’re a wholesale economic engine for the city and more people need to know just what an economic powerhouse ICC Belfast is.”

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