EY CEO Outlook: Putting Irish companies on an international stage, with Leo Clancy, Enterprise Ireland

Growing up on a small farm in Tipperary taught Leo Clancy a lot about entrepreneurship. From an early age he understood how to assess the business’s performance in any given year, how to make a profit on tight margins, and, crucially, he learned to “dig in and get the work done that needs to be done and make things happen”. 

Today, Clancy leads an organisation that supports companies all over Ireland to start, grow, innovate and win export sales in global markets. Enterprise Ireland client companies employ almost 220,000 people and are responsible for €32 billion in exports, compared with €8bn in 1998. Clancy credits this success primarily to the businesses that have built the export base, but also to his colleagues in Enterprise Ireland that have helped them to scale internationally for over 25-years.  

“The most important thing for me in my role is that we
serve our clients well and that we keep our eye on the economic prize that
results from that, which is jobs and economic investment and impact here in
Ireland.” 

In this episode of The EY Podcast, CEO Outlook Series, Leo
Clancy of Enterprise Ireland joins host Richard Curran to talk about his love
of entrepreneurship, problem-solving, and leadership and how all three combine
to support his mission to help Irish companies to become global leaders in
their field. They also discuss: 

· Clancy’s background in Electronic Engineering and how it
led to a love of problem solving.  

· The many factors that make Ireland so attractive to
multinational companies, including language, talent, and stability.  

· Enterprise Ireland’s role in encouraging greater levels of entrepreneurship
among women and those in their 20s.  

· Why he was a ‘reluctant leader’ and how straight-talking
and honesty have ‘liberated’ him.  

· Clancy’s vision for advancing the cause of industry in
Ireland and creating a stronger Irish enterprise base as a result.