'Invest NI made mistakes but I want to restore trust' - senior official

A senior figure at Invest NI in the north west has said she wants to restore trust in the organisation as part of her new role but would not have taken the job if she did not believe it was truly committed to regional balance.

Aeidin McCarter, who was announced as Invest NI's head of regional business for the north west in May, said "mistakes have been made" in the past but regional balance is now "front and centre" for the organisation.

Invest NI has faced criticism over the level of inward investment in the north west.

In 2025, Strabane business leader Kieran Kennedy resigned from the board of Invest NI after alleging discrimination against the north west.

In July 2026, Invest NI gave a presentation to Derry City and Strabane District Council, which provided a breakdown of the organisation's performance across all 11 council areas since 2021.

The figures from 2021–22 to 2025–26 show a significant disparity between Belfast and Derry City and Strabane.

Belfast recorded 8,733 new jobs, almost half of the 17,932 recorded across Northern Ireland, compared with 1,176 in Derry City and Strabane.

Belfast also recorded £1.14bn in planned investment, compared with £242.7m in Derry City & Strabane, while 944 businesses were supported in Belfast, compared with 256 in Derry City and Strabane.

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today, McCarter said her new role was about giving the region a stronger voice within the organisation.

"The new regional heads of business roles are very much about being the strategic voice of the region within Invest Northern Ireland," she said.

"We're very much about articulating the particular needs of this region and the needs of the businesses here, and ensuring that we are delivering across the organisation, that we're delivering locally."

McCarter previously worked for 16 years with Derry City and Strabane District Council, spending 10 years as head of culture.

Asked whether she believed the north west had been left behind in terms of investment, McCarter said: "I can totally understand that, and I can totally see why and I have no doubt that, as an organisation, we've made mistakes in the past."

McCarter said a significant review of Invest NI had resulted in recommendations to address some of those issues.

An independent review led by Sir Michael Lyons in 2023 found "profound divisions" at the top of Invest NI were having a damaging impact on the organisation.

The review also raised concerns about Invest NI's "client company" model, under which significant financial support was tied up in repeat assistance to a small number of firms.

Invest NI subsequently launched an action plan to address issues raised and ensure confidence in the organisation moving forward.

"Regional balance is front and centre in our strategy now," McCarter said.

"There was a significant report done, and the majority of the recommendations in that report are now implemented.

"I think we are probably a different organisation to what we would have been in previous years."

McCartrer stressed the importance of supporting locally-owned businesses, saying 93% of Invest NI's investment was in indigenous businesses.

"While foreign direct investment is important, and bringing jobs has always been important, particularly for this part of the world, it is equally, if not more, important to grow our indigenous businesses," McCarter said.

McCarter said she had taken the role because she believed she could make a difference.

"I wouldn't have taken the job if I didn't think I could make a difference and if I didn't think the organisation, its senior team and wider organisation weren't serious about delivering for everyone, particularly the north west," she said.

"I understand people's scepticism, but I do think we're in an entirely different place than we were even a few short years ago."

Foyle SDLP MLA Sinead McLaughlin said Northern Ireland's second city was still "not getting its fair share".

Mclaughlin, who has brought a bill before the Stormont Assembly to improve regional balance, said Invest NI must be judged on delivery.

"The results are not going in the right direction," she said.

"Again, this year I have analysed the results and 67% of all the jobs created in Northern Ireland this year went to Belfast," she said.

"Derry just got 274 jobs. That represents 6% of the overall jobs in Northern Ireland went to Derry."

Mclaughlin said if the bill, due to come up in Stormont on Tuesday, becomes law addressing regional imbalance will for the first time become "an obligation of government".