Ian Hyland's Ireland Inc hosted his first London Irish Business Awards in the UK capital yesterday with gongs for Greencore chief executive Patrick Coveney and Smurfit Kappa.

Coveney was chosen as business person of the year while Smurfit Kappa was given the company award.

Gary McGann, a director of Anglo Irish Bank at the time of its collapse and nationalisation a few years back, accepted the award on behalf of the listed packaging group.

Also honoured at the luncheon were Julian King, director of the Northern Ireland Office and former British Ambassador to Ireland, for his contribution to Anglo-Irish trade relations, and the IIBN for its contribution to Irish business internationally through its network activities.

Hyland, founder and chairman of Ireland Inc, said the award winners had promoted "Irish interests abroad with a special emphasis on our close neighbour Britain".

Award events
The event was held at the London Stock Exchange and hosted in conjunction with Business & Finance, the periodical magazine that Hyland publishes.

It’s one of a number of award events that Hyland hosts every year, including Ireland Day at the New York Stock Exchange.

With an eye to “ongoing expansion”, he is now planning to take Ireland Day to Hong Kong and Abu Dhabi in 2014.