The EY Podcast

“I became obsessed by the creativity of the business world” In this episode of The EY CEO Outlook podcast series, Deborah Kelleher tells host Richard Curran the story of her childhood love of music, her rise to the highest levels of musicianship and academia, and subsequent transition to business and leadership in the Royal Irish Academy of Music. Deborah Kelleher started playing piano at the age of seven and so began a devotion to music that was to dominate her formative years. Coming from a highly musical family, Deborah was surrounded by the people and structures that helped her to excel as a pianist and, for her, the future was clear - “I became so immersed in the music and the life that I couldn’t imagine doing anything else”. However, Deborah began to realise that the skills she had built in the world of music were highly transferrable to that of business and leadership – lateral thinking, problem-solving, creativity and discipline. And so, after completing a ‘game-changing’ MBA, Deborah joined the Royal Irish Academy of Music, and has been Director of the organisation since 2010.  They discuss: The difficulty of taking on a leadership role at the height of the recession in 2010 and how Deborah navigated early challenges around redundancies and funding. If the film Whiplash is an accurate depiction of modern musical tuition.  The importance of prioritising one’s personal best. Deborah’s vision for the RIAM. 

In this episode of the EY CFO Outlook podcast series, NTR plc CFO Marie Joyce tells host Vincent Wall the story of her rise through the ranks of companies including Arthur Anderson, Elan, and Irish Broadband, to her current role, securing a green future with NTR plc.Established in 1978 to build Ireland’s first toll bridge, NTR plc has been investing in sustainable infrastructure since 1999. Solely focussed on investments in onshore wind, solar, and battery storage, the company now manages 1bn of capital in clean energy projects across 45 sites in 6 European countries.  As NTR plc’s CFO, Marie Joyce’s role includes designing funds that are attractive to investors, raising debt alongside that equity, building the assets on time and on budget, and ultimately delivering on promises and expectations. Alongside the company’s energy projects, Marie believes that one of NTR plc’s key assets is its reputation. Indeed, it was the company culture that first attracted her to join: “entrepreneurial partnership, direct, honest, very straight, what you see is what you get; which our investors, employees, and stakeholders really appreciate”. Vincent and Marie also discuss: ·       The valuable lessons she learned about sales and negotiation during one of the most difficult times of her career ·       The immense volatility in energy infrastructure costs and the price of power, and the challenges it is presenting.  ·       The importance of having systems that turn ‘too much information’ into something useful and actionable.  ·       Her advice to other CFOs – “keep the personal touch and develop relationships”.

In this episode of The EY CEO Outlook podcast series, Averil Power of the Irish Cancer Society tells host Richard Curran about her unconventional childhood, her love of business and law, and the successful career she enjoyed in politics; and how they all came together to make her a highly driven and impactful leader in the non-profit sector.  “A huge privilege that I’m so grateful to have”. Despite many years working in the world of politics, Averil Power always seemed destined for leadership in the charity sector. As a student, she was one of the few people in a class of 150 to specialise in non-profit management in her business degree, seeking to understand how corporate strategy could help her to advance social change.   Averil joined the Irish Cancer Society as CEO during a difficult time – fundraising income was falling, services were being cut, and staff morale was low. And the immense challenges presented by Covid were yet to come. However, by going back to basics, motivating people behind a shared purpose, and clearly showing the team and doners the impact they were having on cancer patients and their families, things have dramatically turned around for the organisation. Fundraising is increasing, morale is up, and the ICS was recently ranked as one of the best employers in Ireland.   Richard and Averil also discuss: ·        What the charity sector can learn from the corporate world – and vice versa. ·        Why gender diversity in business is not just the right thing to do, but makes for better business. ·        Averil’s determination to be open about her background and sexuality, so that people understand that their differences will not hold them back. ·        The importance of purpose – knowing your ‘why’. ·        The highs and lows of a career in politics. 

In the world of social media, what is being said about your business can make or break you. How you access these insights in a timely manner makes all the difference. In 2009, when Twitter was still relatively unknown and Instagram was not yet born, Stephen O’Leary spotted an opportunity and started to build a company to do just that – give businesses an ear to the ground on social media.“With no savings, no plan, no experience in running a business, I decided the need exists, there is a gap, I’m going to give this a go” And so Olytico was born – an online news media and social media monitoring and analysis company that aims to help people make better informed decisions. After a slow and difficult start, the company started to scale incredibly quickly in line with the popularity of social networks like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and the many others that have launched in the last decade.   In this episode of The EY CEO Outlook Podcast series, Stephen O’Leary tells host Richard Curran how he transitioned from journalism, software sales and business development, to eventually founding his own company, Olytico. They also discuss:  ·        What Elon Musk’s move to buy Twitter means for the company and its users.  ·        Forthcoming regulation of social media companies and how it might change them ·        What he learned about the kind of salesperson he was, and why that led him to him start his own company.  ·        The future of anonymity and content moderation on social media platforms ·        Becoming the youngest ever president of Dublin Chamber of Commerce in 2023 

In this episode of The EY CEO Outlook series, EPS Global CEO Colin Lynch tells host Richard Curran the story of scaling internationally without external equity, making personal sacrifices to keep EPS Global afloat, and his plans to grow the company three-fold by 2025.For a company like EPS Global, it is a remarkably busy time to be in business. Founded in Ireland in 1999, EPS Global is a distributor of specialised IT components and semiconductors used in high-growth areas including data storage, cloud and the Internet of Things (IoT). Today, the company has annual sales of €100m, locations across 23 countries, and a plan to scale even further on the back of unprecedented demand for its services.Driving that growth is co-founder and CEO, Colin Lynch. An electrical engineer by training, Lynch spent 20-years as the company’s Business Development Director, expanding its global reach as far as China and building highly successful relationships with major brands including Alibaba, Google, and Bosch. Today, as CEO, he has a vision for further growth through external equity, M&A, and a possible IPO. They also discuss:Taking over the role of CEO after 20 years as Business Development Director – how he approached the new role and his priorities for the businessGlobal shortages of electrical components during a time of great demand, and the opportunities thereinThe future of business travel and client relations in a post-Covid business worldCreating a company culture based on trustHis experience in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year programme.

In this episode of the EY CEO Outlook series, Mark Rose Burke joins host Richard Curran to share her vision for Dublin city, her views on how to most effectively drive forward the changes required, and the top priorities and challenges facing business leaders in 2021 and 2022.There has been a lot of debate in recent years about the role that large cities will play in the how we work, live and play, particularly in a post-Covid landscape. As CEO of Dublin’s largest and most influential business group, representing over 1,300 companies, Mary Rose Burke has a very clear vision for how Ireland’s capital city should develop in order to make it a place where businesses and residents can thrive, and visitors enjoy spending time.  Originally from Co. Galway, Mary Rose joined Dublin Chamber as CEO in 2016 and has led the organisation throughout a period of great change for business and for large cities alike.  They also discuss: ·         Mary Rose’s experience and belief  in policy as a driver for real change ·         The fundamentals that make a city successful, and Dublin’s unique selling points. ·         The huge potential for growth within Dublin’s canal cordon. ·         Achieving the right balance of regional and Dublin-focussed development.  ·         Mary Rose’s leadership approach – “The measure of a good parish priest is how many bishops he creates”.  

Economic Eye host Richard Curran talks to EY Ireland Chief Economist, Neil Gibson, about current key economic indicators and the impact they are having on business across the entire country. In this episode, Neil outlines the findings of the Economic Eye Winter 2021 Forecast: ‘How people, prices, and planet will shape the all-island forecast’Topics include:· Why the all-Ireland economy is in far better health than expected as 2021 draws to a close· The growing need for more specific, targeted supports for those hardest hit in the pandemic· Inflation - the factors driving low inflation in recent years and why this is changing· Will interest rates hold steady or start to rise sooner rather than expected?· Why ‘purposeful growth’ has become the goal for policymakers, citizens, and business leaders alike.· How to balance financial growth and sustainability

When Francesca McDonagh joined Bank of Ireland as CEO in 2017, it was with a “mandate for change”. It was the only Irish bank to have repaid the taxpayer for its support during the financial crisis, and now there were new priorities. Francesca was tasked with widespread reform of BOI’s culture, systems, and business model. The opportunity, not just to transform Bank of Ireland but also to help change the banking sector in Ireland, is one that McDonagh not only relishes, but views as “a duty”. Implementing widespread transformation has involved some tough decisions. However, one thing that McDonagh intends to maintain and evolve is the “personal touch” when it comes to customer relationships, particularly during their journey through the bigger decisions in life such as buying a home a car, or planning for retirement. Richard and Francesca also discuss: ·         Bank of Ireland’s massive pivot to digital, the closure of branches and the future of day to day banking·         Francesca’s views on the residential property market and the mortgage system in Ireland·         The future of banking and competing with the new specialist providers entering the Irish market·         Why the normalisation of the State and Sector relationship is important as Irish banks increasingly compete for talent across Europe·          Francesca’s family background and personal views on hard work, resilience, and the benefits of diversity. 

In this episode of the EY CFO Outlook podcast series, Group CFO for Open Orphan, Leo Toole tells host Vincent Wall about how a highly specialised approach to clinical trials is proving very successful for a young Irish company. He also describes how he is helping Open Orphan to “control [its] own destiny…by driving sustainable performance, profit, and cashflow”. Open Orphan is a Clinical Research Organisation (CRO) with a difference. While most CROs recruit people who are already infected with a disease for their trials, Open Orphan takes healthy patients, gives them the infection, and then runs the trial. This model, according to the company’s CFO Leo Toole, allows them “to get better data sooner, better drugs sooner, [and therefore] better outcomes sooner for patients”.  As a result, the clinical and operation risks for Open Orphan’s partners are radically reduced. And, with big pharma currently investing heavily in infectious disease programmes, this young company is now growing rapidly and is already profitable. Leo and Vincent also discuss; ·         The world-first COVID 19 trial which Open Orphan is delivering is delivering on behalf of the British government  ·         Leo’s views on the mindset of a successful CFO·         Leveraging technology to increase efficiency and drive productivity ·         The importance of developing a strong communication profile with investors  What Leo has learned about avoiding ‘analysis paralysis’ from Open Orphan’s dynamic co-founder, Cathal Friel. 

It is an interesting time to be overseeing the management and evolution of Ireland’s public transport network. Not only has the pandemic dramatically reduced passenger numbers on trains, trams, buses and taxis, at least temporarily, but the rapid move towards environmentally sustainable modes of transport is also introducing new and interesting challenges. As CEO of the National Transport Authority (NTA), Anne Graham is tasked with helping to develop solutions for these challenges and others, while also creating strategies to build the public transport system of the future. In this episode of the EY CEO Outlook Podcast, Anne Graham tells host Richard Curran the story of her rise through the public service to the role she holds today, and her vision for the public transport system of tomorrow. They discuss:·         The challenge of providing public transport in rural areas, and how residential planning must play a role. ·         The planned electrification of the bus fleet, battery range, and future technology·         How to encourage more women into engineering·         Why the NTAs mission around sustainability is helping drive talent recruitment ·         The concept of ‘mobility as a service’ and making one ticket allow access to several modes of transport