Boardroom Insights with Dr. Alan O'Neill

In this episode of Boardroom Insights, I sit down with Jason Atkinson, Managing Director at Russam, to explore the fast-evolving world of interim and fractional leadership.Jason brings decades of experience from the UK’s first interim management provider, founded in 1982, now a global group supporting organisations around the world. Our conversation unpacks why interim leadership has become a strategic imperative for boards navigating transformation, disruption, and rapid change.One standout insight from Jason: interim leaders don’t simply fill gaps, they unlock organisational capacity, coach teams, and accelerate critical projects that might otherwise stall.Whether you’re a CEO, board member, investor, or leader driving transformation, this episode offers practical insights into how interim and fractional talent can become agenuinestrategic differentiator.Jason, thank you for a rich and insightful conversation.

In this episode of Boardroom Insights, Alan O’Neill speaks with Barry Shevlin, Owner & Managing Director of Global Home Improvements, a Dublin-based family businesscelebrating 45 years serving Irish homeowners.Barry shares how Global built a premium reputation by staying fiercely focused on customer experience, manufacturing to specification, and backing their work with astandout and amazing 20-year, no-quibble guarantee. The conversation explores triple glazing, energy efficiency, the reality behind “premium” quality, and how a customer-centric culture is reinforced through simple systems and everyday language.Barry also previews Global’s next chapter: a new solar offering designed for the rising demand in home energy solutions, while keeping control of workmanship and customerexperience. Topics include: customer-centric culture, premium positioning, consultative selling, leadership, manufacturing vs outsourcing, guarantees, sustainability and energy efficiency, referrals, marketing channels, and scaling into new categories.

In this solo episode of Boardroom Insights, Alan O’Neill builds on his recent conversation with Jason Atkinson (MD of Russam) to offer a clear, practical guide to the fast-growing world of interim and fractional leadership.Alan unpacks two crucial perspectives:1️⃣ For BoardsA structured decision-making framework to determine whether you need an interim, a fractional leader, or a permanent hire. Alan explores:• How to diagnose the real problem• When speed and impact matter most• How to scope interim assignments properly• The hidden risks boards often miss• Why interims can be more cost-effective than they look2️⃣ For Aspiring Interim/Fractional LeadersAlan shares candid advice for executives considering a portfolio career:• The mindset and resilience required• How to define your “professional product”• Why you must operate as a serious small business• The demands, trade-offs, and rewards of this lifestyle• How to build a strong personal brand and pipelineWhether you're a board member trying to maintain momentum, or a leader rethinking the next chapter of your career, this episode brings clarity, structure, and grounded insight to an increasingly important talent solution.

(Reflections on my recent conversation with René Carayol, MBE)Last week on Boardroom Insights, René Carayol, MBE shared some powerful insights about leadership, the kind that stay with you for a long time. In today’s solo episode, I revisited three of his themes and linked them to what I see every day inside boardrooms across Ireland, the UK, and the UAE.

In this episode of Boardroom Insights, Alan O’Neill sits down with renowned leadership coach, speaker and author René Carayol MBE, a man who genuinely coaches CEOs and heads of state, not just talks about it. René opens with a powerful personal story that leads to his central conviction: trust is now the biggest driver of business performance. From there, the conversation ranges across the boardroom and the world stage… from the Prime Minister of Jamaica to Volodymyr Zelensky, Alex Ferguson, elite boxers and frontline hotel doormen.Key themes include:Why leadership today is about environment, not ego – creating a place where everyone feels wanted, not just needed.How we’ve moved from “the cleverest man in the room” to “collaboration is the new leadership.”Why leaders are not born or made – they’re found – and how to spot the “Sallys” in your organisation.The tension between management (hardware) and leadership (software) – and why the “software” now differentiates great leaders.Why vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness, and how quickly owning mistakes builds trust.The impact of Covid, hybrid working, Gen Z and cultural differences across the US, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Much of what René shares connects strongly to Alan’s own work in The Leader’s Six Pack: How to Balance Grit and Grace… but in this episode, Alan mostly lets René run. It’s a masterclass in modern leadership, straight from the boardroom and the front line.