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Irish ProShare Association

IRISH PROSHARE ASSOCIATION

As part of our longterm relationship with the Irish ProShare Association (IPSA), 4TC highlighted an issue that is of significant importance to Ireland’s business, banking and political communities.
It followed Ulster Bank’s decision to withdraw from the Irish market, which put at risk the future of one of Ireland’s most popular employee share schemes.

Save As You Earn (SAYE) is a Revenue-backed share scheme that has financially benefitted tens of thousands of ordinary Irish workers by letting them save salary in a tax efficient manner to buy shares in the companies they work for. However, only Ulster Bank accepted SAYE savings accounts and when it left Ireland, SAYE would be rendered non-viable unless another lender stepped in.

The loss of SAYE would have been a major blow to many Irish companies and IPSA, which advocates for increased employee share ownership in Irish business, wants the Government to safeguard SAYE.

4TC worked with IPSA to bring this important issue to the business community, legislators and general public alike. We distilled the technical complexities of SAYE and the legislation around it to create and communicate a clear and accessible story, before approaching specific media and preparing our client for interview.
The outcome was coverage which communicated the parlous situation and the raising of awareness in government and the financial services sector about what was at stake.

In 2024, it was announced that AIB would enter the market as a savings carrier for SAYE.

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VistaMilk

VistaMilk

VistaMilk, Ireland’s world-leading SFI Research Centre for pasture-based dairy farming, does ground-breaking work in agri-tech and dairy science. But like many research organisations, it faced a challenge: how to take highly technical projects and make them interesting and accessible to people outside the lab – from policymakers, industry leaders, and farmers, to the media and general public.

Starting in 2022, 4TC worked hand-in-hand with VistaMilk to create a lively communications programme that turned complex research into stories people could relate to. We brought to life projects like the “Tinder for Cows” breeding tool, “dairy drones” that monitor grass growth, animal health patches, soil sensors, and new approaches to cutting methane emissions.

These stories didn’t just stay within the science community – they grabbed headlines in national and regional media, sparked radio interviews, and got people talking.

We also helped VistaMilk’s own researchers find their voice – developing a What’s The Story? Communication Masterclass at UCC to provide scientists with the skills to share their work with wider, non-technical audiences. The event pulled in around 150 delegates and plenty of positive feedback.

Most importantly, we helped VistaMilk plan for the future by drafting the communications strategy for VistaMilk II (2024–2030) – the second phase of the research programme – ensuring a strong platform for the centre’s long-term communications and stakeholder engagement.

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Adoption Authority of Ireland

ADOPTION AUTHORITY OF IRELAND

The Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI) engaged 4TC to develop a public relations strategy and activity to accompany the enactment of the Birth Information and Tracing Act, and the rollout of services under this landmark legislation.

Our consultants worked closely with the CEO and senior members of the AAI team, delivering a broad range of services over a six-month period that included communication strategy, messaging, story development, content generation, national and international media relations, media training, issues management, and stakeholder relations with relevant government departments and organisations.

The Birth Information and Tracing Act provided, for the first time, a full and clear right of access to birth certificates, birth and early life information for all persons who were adopted, boarded out, the subject of an illegal birth registration, or who otherwise have questions in relation to their origins.

By telling the story of how the AAI could now provide individuals with information about their past – and help reunite them with their genetic family members – 4TC and the AAI were able to secure considerable engagement among the general public and the media in Ireland and abroad, and play an important role in ensuring the success of the AAI’s public information campaign.

Within three months of the enactment of the Birth Information and Tracing Act, more than 2,000 adopted persons, birth parents, and other relatives had registered with the AAI to state their preferences about making contact with birth relatives.

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