Location: Boston, MABiography: Sean is the founder and owner of TheMoynihan Group, LLC, a Boston based law firmspecializing in government relations, corporate law,and transatlantic ventures. He is a 1992 cum laudegraduate of Providence College and a 2001 cum laudegraduate of Suffolk University Law School’s eveningdivision programme. He was admitted to theMassachusetts Bar in 2002 and spent over a decadeworking in the Massachusetts House ofRepresentatives as Counsel to the House Ways andMeans Committee and Counsel to the House MajorityLeader. His firm builds and executes strategies forcompanies and organizations in need of governmentrelations and public affairs counsel by encompassinglegislative, regulatory, procurement and businessdevelopment advocacy.

A dual citizen of the United States and Ireland, Seanrepresents Irish companies and organizations seekingto establish or expand operations in the United Statesincluding legal, compliance, and relationshipfacilitation services within the business, governmentand academic arenas. The firm also representsAmerican companies seeking to establish or expandoperations into Ireland.

Sean is a member of the Massachusetts BarAssociation and serves as Vice President of IrishNetwork. He is a member of the Irish InternationalImmigrant Center's Internship Advisory Panel workingto identify employers for J-1 visa holders.

Sean has also served as President of Irish Network

Boston, Vice President for Global Partnerships of theBoston Irish Business Association, a ‘Connector’ withBoston World Partnerships and as a trustee of the IrishPastoral Centre. Sean lives in Hingham, MA with hiswife Lynn and children Maeve and Declan.What, for you, is the importance of the global Irishand Scots Irish diaspora and how do you contributeto its success? I believe the global Irish diaspora is ofsignificant importance and we must do all we can tocontribute to its continued success. The story of the Irishdiaspora has consistently served as a unique model ofa country, despite its size, whose emigrants have cast avast and long-standing impact throughout the world. Ihave contributed to its success in my business andcommunity activities. I currently serve as Vice Presidentof Irish Network USA, which is a non-profit organizationcharged with harnessing the power of the Irish diasporain the areas of business, education, and culture. I havealso volunteered for other organizations to maintain andfurther the strong business and cultural links betweenMassachusetts and Ireland.Tell us how you connect to Belfast: I have beenfortunate to have been involved with efforts to maintainand enhance the connections between Belfast andBoston, specifically, through the Boston-Belfast SisterCity relationship as well as working with non-profits inboth Belfast and the United States to further educationallinks and advances between both countries.You know you've got Belfast/Irish heritage when: thescent of burning turf can make even the worst daybearable!

Sean P. Moynihan

Location: New YorkBiography: Suzanne Aquino is Global Category Managerspecializing in outsourcing and offshoring with Chain IQUS Inc., an independent global service company thatprovides strategic, tactical, and operational procurementfor its clients. Chain IQ operates from its main centres:Zurich (headquarters), New York, London, Singapore,Mumbai and Bucharest. It currently services clients inmore than 20 countries, including China, Hong Kong,Japan, and Australia.

As a Global Category Manager, Suzanne advises herclients on new ways to create value for their customers inan environment of rapidly changing technology,advancing automation, and an increasingly customer-experience-driven economy.

Prior to joining Chain IQ, Suzanne spent 15 years atUBS, where she led strategic sourcing teams responsiblefor establishing and executing on the bank’s sourcingstrategy. She identified opportunities to reduce spending,optimize costs, improve processes, and ensure theeffective transition, execution, and sustainableperformance of the bank’s outsourced portfolios.

Suzanne currently lives with her husband inManhattan, where they share a passion for the arts from

their respective Irish and Italian heritages. She holds aBachelor’s degree in Business and Marketing and is anactive member of the Irish Business Organization.What, for you, is the importance of the global Irish andScots Irish diaspora and how do you contribute to itssuccess? You cannot underestimate the power of theIrish and Scots-Irish diaspora, especially in New York,where businesses thrive on networks and connections.Here, Irish and Scots-Irish people (either by birth ordescent) are extremely generous with their time andadvice, especially to help anyone who is new to the cityto make professional and personal connections. I’m amember of the Northern Ireland Advisory Council, whichmeets with various Ministers and Council Members toprovide a North American perspective on how businessesand corporations view Northern Ireland, and to helpconnect them to American companies that might beinterested in growing their business in Northern Ireland.Tell us how you connect to Belfast: I was born andbrought up in Belfast, not far from what is now the TitanicQuarter.You know you've got Belfast heritage when: it seemscompletely normal to enjoy your cheese and onion crispsinside a Belfast bap!

Suzanne Curran Aquino

Location: DublinBiography: Stephen Cotter is Chief Operations Officer ofCIE Tours International and is responsible for alloperational aspects covering Ireland and the UK. Thisincludes all supplier contracting, quality control, dailyoperations and logistics across the company’s scheduledcoach tour, customised group, private driver and FITbusiness. Stephen’s operations team work closely withthe CIE Tours product development team on the designand implementation of both new and enhanced products.As part of the senior management team, Stephen alsoplays a key role in the creation and implementation of thecompany’s strategic plan and initiatives.

Stephen joined the company in 2001, and duringthis time has also been in roles responsible for bothfinance and technology. He is a qualified accountantand also holds a Master’s Degree in Business andAdministration (MBA) from Dublin City University.

CIE Tours International is a wholly ownedsubsidiary of the CIE Group. During 2018, CIE ToursInternational carried 50,000 passengers, creating

turnover of $136 million. What, for you, is the importance of the global Irishand Scots Irish diaspora and how do you contributeto its success? The Scots Irish diaspora is a key targetaudience for CIE Tours and one of our bestselling toursis the Scots Irish Tour. Many of our tours combineScotland and Ireland, taking in Northern Ireland, andovernighting in Belfast and Derry. Our marketing teamin the USA focus on USA regions which have a closeconnection to Ireland and the Scots Irish, in particularPennsylvania, Virginia, North and South Carolina, topromote our tours.Tell us how you connect to Belfast: CIE Tours hasbeen doing business in Belfast and Northern Ireland forover 80 years. During this time we have built up verystrong relationships with many suppliers such as theHastings Hotel Group, Logan’s Coaches the GiantsCauseway and in more recent times, the Titanic Centre.All of these suppliers have been presented qualityawards from CIE tours for delivering consistent qualityto our coach tour customers.

Stephen Cotter

PAGE 18 • BELFAST INTERNATIONAL HOMECOMING AMBASSADOR AWARDS 2018