Invest NI chief executive Kevin Holland standing down

Kevin Holland has led Invest NI since 2019

Invest NI chief executive of Kevin Holland is standing down after two years in the job.

Mr Holland joined Northern Ireland's economic development agency in November 2019.

He said he was proud of the "positive impact" it had made during the Covid-19 pandemic and in the aftermath of Brexit.

Invest NI chair Rose Mary Stalker said that a process to recruit a replacement would begin as soon as possible.

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She said "interim arrangements" would be announced in the coming days.

She thanked Mr Holland for the "dedication and direction he has provided to Invest NI during a particularly challenging time".

Invest NI employs more than 500 people and has an annual budget of about £170m.

Its major job of trying to attract inward investment to Northern Ireland was made more difficult during the pandemic due to travel restrictions.