In this episode of the EY CEO Outlook podcast, Frank O’Keeffe tells host Richard Curran about his journey through the ranks of EY to the role of Managing Partner, his passion for building a better working world and views on how that world is changing, and what motivates him and helps him to maintain the ‘relentless focus’ his has applied through his career. They also talk about: Growing up in a very entrepreneurial home, and his father’s career working alongside Penney’s Founder Arthur RyanWhy Covid-19 has put empathy so high up on the priority list for CEOs and leadership teams EY’s partnership with the HSE during the COVID-19 pandemicBusiness and people’s renewed focus on environmental sustainability, and EY’s plans to become ‘carbon negative’Entrepreneurship, and keeping indigenous Irish companies in Ireland. Since childhood Frank O’Keeffe has been deeply interested in business and people, so perhaps it is no surprise that he was drawn to working with EY, an organisation where such interests can lead to a successful and fulfilling career. A relentless focus on building relationships with team members and clients and overseeing the health and growth of the EY business has seen O’Keeffe rise rapidly through the ranks of the organisation, to his current position as Managing Partner of EY Ireland. Such focus has never been more important to the role as he works to guide his own people, EY clients, and the business through the choppy waters of COVID-19. 

In 2011 Dara O’Reilly was Finance Director of the Quinn group when, suddenly, he was called in to a meeting and told it was “lights out” for the company. Receivers had been appointed and Dara’s role no longer existed. Three years later, O’Reilly and a number of other former directors of the Quinn group put forward a successful bid for parts of the business. Today, the company is more profitable, employs more people, and has rebranded as Mannok. However, the journey from Quinn to Mannok has not been easy, and has required fierce drive and resilience on the part of the company’s leadership team. In this episode of The EY CFO Outlook podcast, Dara O’Reilly tells host Vincent Wall how, as CFO, he successfully helped to grow Mannok and brought more employment to the region throughout such a difficult time personally and professionally. Topics covered include:·       Dara’s passion for providing employment in the ‘geographically challenged’ Cavan / Fermanagh region. ·       Rebranding Quinn to Mannok and why it is central to the new structure and direction of the business.·       The unique and innovative products that Mannok produces. ·       How Dara is dealing with Brexit, as CFO of a company that oversees 450 movements of goods across the Irish / Northern Irish border every day. ·       His views on what’s at the heart of a successful CEO/CFO relationship. 

Anne Heraty founded CPL in 1989 and, 31 years later, in 2020, sold the company for €318m. That journey from inception to exit has involved recessions, a floatation, and the digital transformation of the workplace. However, despite the recent sale of CPL Resources to Japanese firm Outsourcing, it is not a journey that Anne is ready to end just yet. Heraty believes that the world of work is at a fascinating point in time and so, as she tells host Richard Curran, “it is not a time I’d like to be standing on the sidelines”.Growing up in and around the family business, Anne learned a lot from watching her parents run their shop, pub, and farm in Co Longford. She was one of only two girls in her class to go to university, and, after taking ‘the scenic route’ to finding her career path, she eventually became an entrepreneur in 1989 with the founding of Computer Placement Ltd (CPL). In this episode of the EY CEO Outlook series, Anne tells host Richard Curran the story of an Irish company that has had international success. Anne talks about: ·        Becoming the first female CEO of a publicly listed Irish company, and her thoughts on work done and work yet to be done around female entrepreneurship·        Weathering the bursting of the dotcom bubble in 2000 and the 2008 economic recession, and lessons learned·        How technology is transforming the world of work.·        Why she advises people to ‘love what they do, not do what they love’. ·        The secret to doing a great interview and finding the right talent.

Trying to explain to people what ICON does is something that Brendan Brennan has found challenging in the past, but not anymore. This fast-growing Clinical Research company partners the world’s biggest Pharma companies to deliver end to end clinical trial services – and with ICON now involved in over hundred different COVID-19 vaccine and treatment trials, the company’s profile and contract list has grown exponentially.As CFO, Brendan Brennan is central to pivoting Icon’s financial operations and future strategy to rise to this new opportunity. In this episode of the EY CFO Outlook series , he talks to host, Vincent Wall, about the role of CFO during times of great growth and change, working on projects designed for ‘the betterment of man’, and why he insists on getting under the hood of every company he has worked in.  The also discuss:·         Why ‘always acting like a multinational’ positioned Icon perfectly for rapid international scaling·         Growing ICON’s revenues from $200m to $2.8bn over the last fifteen years.·         How to perform well in the boardroom·         Forging a successful relationship between CFO and CEO·         Why Brendan’s father has been such a powerful influence  

 Irish Residential Properties (I-RES) REIT is Ireland’s largest private residential landlord, providing homes for over 8000 people. However, the company’s CEO, Margaret Sweeney, does not particularly like the term ‘landlord’. As she tells host Richard Curran, “we’re neither Lords nor do we own that much land”. In a country where 95% of residential landlords own one or two properties, the I-RES REIT business model is a very new concept - one that Margaret believes is helping to solve one of Ireland most significant issues. Today’s tenants are choosing to live very different lifestyles to those before them, and I-RES REIT is providing the type of accommodation and service that suits their needs. Before joining I-RES REIT Margaret Sweeney held the position of CEO at Postbank Ireland and before that, at Aer Rianta (now DAA). She has also been a member of the board of organisations including Dalata Group, Teagasc, DCU, and SOLAS. In this episode of The EY CEO Outlook podcast series, Margaret joins Richard Curran to talk about leadership, diversity in business, and the future of housing in Ireland. They discuss topics including:·        Why the provision of adequate, affordable housing is such a problem, and what Margaret believes might solve it·        Why constructing higher apartment buildings isn’t the silver bullet many believe it to be·        The rapidly evolving nature of how young Irish people want to live, and the effect it is having on the property and rental market·        Margaret’s extensive experience of doing business in Russia, and what she learned about cross-cultural relations·        Margaret’s admiration for innovative State bodies ·        The innate differences between how men and women do business – and how she tries to encourage young females to compete.

The EY Economic Eye podcast provides up-to-the-minute analysis of the all-island economy across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. In each episode, host Richard Curran talks to EY Chief Economist, Neil Gibson, about current key economic indicators and the impact they are having on business across the entire country. Areas covered include growth forecasts, the labour market, wages, trade, investment, government spending, as well as global and political issues, such as trade wars and Brexit and the implications for both jurisdictions. In this episode, Neil outlines the findings of the Economic Eye Winter 2020 Report: ‘Bouncing Back or Stepping Forward’. Topics include:  The sectors of the economy that have been ‘COVID-proof’ and how Ireland has benefitted from their strong performance. How the private sector and consumers can start to play their part in Ireland’s economic recovery. Why Northern Ireland’s ‘much maligned’ public sector has been critical in off-setting the economic impact of COVID-19. The three reasons behind why some sectors will never employ as many people in the future as they did in 2019.  Why Neil is optimistic about a Brexit trade deal.  The challenges of funding Ireland’s health service.  Why a greater focus on online and remote work is also creating more appreciation of personal contact.  

The role of the Chief Financial Officer has evolved dramatically in recent years. While managing costs is still a core part of the position, today’s successful CFOs are taking a lead in evolving the business strategy of their organisations and in creating long-term stakeholder value. With thirty successful years in the banking and financial services sector behind him, Myles O’Grady is clear about how the landscape has changed, and what it takes to be a successful CFO in today’s Financial Services sector.   Since Myles O’Grady joined Bank of Ireland as Group CFO and Executive Director in 2019, COVID-19 has changed the playing field irrevocably. Despite this, he is still clear about the strategy for the bank, and the particular skills he needs to drive it forward. In this episode of the EY CFO Outlook podcast, Myles O’Grady tells host, Vincent Wall, about his vision for Bank of Ireland, the role of CFO, and the global economy. They talk about:·        The four areas in which every modern CFO must thrive in order to succeed. ·        Digital Transformation – why the emergence of Fintechs are a force for good, and how legacy banks are relishing the challenges they present. ·        The key to a successful relationship between CEO and CFO.·        Why trust between the bank and its customers is critical - and how to build it.·        The next ten years for the Financial Services sector – regulation, consolidation, and strategic investment. 

Tony Smurfit almost became a professional racehorse breeder at a young age, but the call of the family business ultimately led him to forge a long and successful career with Smurfit Kappa. Led by his father and grandfather before him, Smurfit Kappa was the first major Irish multinational company, and today is the number one company in Europe producing corrugated packaging, and one of the leading paper-based packaging companies in the world . If you order an appliance for your home, there is 1 in 5 chance it will arrive in one of the company’s boxes. Tony Smurfit always had a passion for business, setting up a profitable tuckshop in his school, and then establishing himself as a highly successful racehorse breeder. But the family business was “in [his] blood” and, thirty years after entering the company via a graduate training programme, he became Group CEO. It is a role that sees him lead 46,000 employees in 35 countries, spread across over 350 production sites. In 2019, the company’s revenues hit €9bn. In this episode of The EY Podcast: CEO Outlook series, Tony Smurfit talks to host Richard Curran about his 30-year journey to the top of one of Ireland’s most successful multinational PLCs. A story of immense highs and lows, the most recent chapter involves applying his distinct management style to guiding his people through the COVID-19 pandemic. Tony and Richard also talk about: ·       Tony’s experience of contracting and overcoming COVID-19.·       Sustainability – why he is proud to produce a packaging material that is far more environmentally friendly than plastic. ·       How to maintain one company culture across 35 countries.·       His management style – constant communication, leading with integrity, and never being called ‘Sir’. ·       Why COVID-19 has changed business travel as we know it forever. 

Rosheen McGuckian had spent a number of years leading the Irish operations of a US multinational when she decided it was time to join an indigenous Irish company. Focussing in on sectors where she could leave a tangible legacy, Rosheen wrote down a list of six successful Irish multinationals for whom Ireland was ‘the centre of the universe’ from a decision-making perspective, and started to knock on doors. One of those doors was NTR. Established in 1978 to build Ireland’s first toll bridge, NTR became a pioneer of renewable energy in 1999 and has been investing in sustainable infrastructure ever since. Today, the company creates enough power for 250,000 households. As CEO of NTR, Rosheen is pursuing growth opportunities for the company internationally, finding long term investment projects on behalf of pension funds and insurance companies. In this episode of The EY Podcast: CEO Outlook Series, NTR CEO Rosheen McGuckian joins host Richard Curran to talk about formative years in Antrim, Dublin and Saudi Arabia; leadership positions in GE Money, ESB, and Greenstar; and a driving an Irish company’s development of the international renewable energy sector. Areas covered include:  ·       Growing up in Co Antrim and Saudi Arabia, and what Rosheen learned about leadership from those experiences. ·       How a career in PR, working with industry leaders including Bill O’Herlihy and Fintan Drury, taught Rosheen about powerful communication and change management. ·       The opportunities for Ireland in offshore wind energy, and the obstacles that may be met along the way. ·       How cutting-edge technology is enabling virtual site visits during COVID-19. ·       Rosheen’s business mantra, favourite book, and the other leaders she admires the most.   

Becoming CEO of a large, successful organisation is always a challenge, but taking on the role in the midst of a global pandemic is a very different proposition. However, successfully leading teams through adverse times is something in which Eamonn Crowley, the new CEO of Permanent TSB, has a lot of experience and expertise. His time as a trader during the Black Monday stock market crash was an early introduction to tough markets. Since then, Crowley has helped to navigate major organisations including AIB, AIG and Santander through recessions and economic booms alike. Now, he takes over at Permanent TSB at a time of great challenge but, characteristically, he can see clear opportunities for the bank for how it can further serve customers in the Irish market. In this episode of The EY CEO Outlook Podcast, Eamonn Crowley and host Richard Curran discuss a fascinating career in banking, the rapidly changing consumer landscape, and why trust lies at the heart of great leadership. After only months in the role, Permanent TSB’s new CEO is already putting his new customer-first strategy into action, including personally speaking to at least four of the bank’s customers every week. They also discuss:   ·        The Irish property market and the impact that COVID-19 has had on consumer behaviour·        The evolution of technology in the financial sector·        Lessons learned from the recent Tracker Mortgage controversy ·        Why a clear focus on the customer is key to recovery ·        His love of Liverpool FC, the leaders he admires the most, and the three pieces of advice he would give to other CEOs