Hear from Richard Ramsey, Professor of Practice in Economics & Policy, regarding the economic landscape and implications of the measures announced in the UK Budget 2025 on Wednesday, 26 November 2025.

This event will include a panel discussion on the taxation implications of the Budget. The expert panel will be chaired by Jim Fitzpatrick (The Irish News) and will include Lorraine Nelson (Head of Tax, BDO NI) and Malachy McLernon (Corporate Tax Partner, AAB). The event will finish with Claire Scott McAteer, Senior Lecturer of Practice (Accounting), discussing the cross-border taxation considerations on the Island of Ireland as a result of the recently published Irish Finance Bill 2025 and the UK Budget 2025 measures.

Breakfast and networking from 8:15am. A Q&A session will be included so you can ask the experts any questions. Don’t miss this opportunity to get up to date with the budget implications for businesses in Northern Ireland and beyond.

Speakers & Panellists

Richard Ramsey, Professor of Practice in Economics & Policy

Richard Ramsey is a respected economist and commentator based in Northern Ireland. He is best known for his role as Chief Economist at Ulster Bank, where he served for over a decade, providing key insights into regional and global economic trends. With a career spanning both the public and private sectors, Ramsey has established himself as a leading voice on Northern Ireland's economy. His commentary is regularly featured in the media, and he is recognized for making complex economic issues accessible to a broad audience. Since leaving Ulster Bank, Ramsey continues to contribute to economic discourse through consultancy, public speaking, and analysis.

Lorraine Nelson

Lorraine, a Partner in the BDO NI Tax team is a Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) in both the UK and Ireland and is a Fellow of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA). She has also completed her Advanced Diploma in International Tax (ADIT). Lorraine has 15 years’ experience from training in general practice to becoming a corporate tax specialist in a large firm in Belfast which allows her to provide her clients with commercially driven tax advice.

She has considerable experience in providing UK tax services for global groups and liaising with decision makers based in the UK, Republic of Ireland, mainland Europe and the US. Over recent years she has led the delivery of wide-ranging tax advice including mergers and acquisitions, tax due diligence, international tax, transfer pricing, strategic global business structuring and corporate simplifications.

Malachy McLernon

Malachy is a Tax Partner at AAB, known for delivering innovative and commercially focused tax solutions. With over 25 years of experience, he supports a diverse portfolio of owner-managed and family-run businesses, while also advising some of the largest businesses across the island of Ireland. His deep understanding of business dynamics allows him to combine strategic insight with smart tax planning, helping clients take control of their future with confidence.

Malachy is a former Chairman of the Northern Ireland branch of the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT) and previously chaired the CIOT Branches Network. He currently serves on the Chartered Accountants Ireland Northern Ireland Tax Committee, contributing to the development of tax policy and professional standards.

Claire Scott McAteer

Claire is a Senior Lecturer of Practice (Accounting) at Queen’s University Belfast. She is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland and a Chartered Tax Adviser. Claire’s teaching interests are in the areas of taxation and financial accounting. She currently teaches both undergraduate and postgraduate students in these areas and is involved in teaching taxation at the advanced levels for the Chartered Accountants Ireland’s professional accounting qualification.

Claire has worked in ‘Big 4’ professional services firms in Dublin in international corporate restructuring and has provided consultancy to professional services firms in Donegal and Derry offering tax advice from a UK and Irish perspective. Claire is a member of both the Chartered Accountants Ireland’s Northern Ireland Tax Committee and the Tax Committee South. She is the expert updater of the Chartered Accountants Ireland Taxation NI textbook annually and she has spoken at numerous cross-border taxation events.

Chaired by Jim Fitzpatrick

He is currently Consulting Editor at The Irish News in Belfast and presents the weekly business/entrepreneurship podcast, Trading Up.

The Irish News is part of his family business, the IntoMedia group, which also includes commercial radio station Q Radio and Northern Ireland’s largest news printing specialists Interpress.

His investigations work in recent years for non-profit organisations such as OCCRP (Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project) and openDemocracy have focused on transparency issues and the intersection of money and politics.

A former Editor of Economics and Business for the BBC in Ireland, he previously fronted much of the BBC NI’s political coverage as the presenter of The Politics Show, Stormont programming and party conferences.  He also led major investigations for BBC’s current affairs programme Spotlight.

He has interviewed many leading politicians from Ireland, the UK and US.

To book your place please register at the events page using the 'BOOK NOW' button.