Irish business grandee Gary McGann on working with Michael Smurfit, the fall of Anglo Irish and the current state of the Irish economy
This week on Inside Business host Ciarán Hancock is joined in studio by Gary McGann, a grandee of Irish business whose many roles included being chief executive of drinks group Gilbeys, Aer Lingus and packaging group Smurfit. Born and raised in Dublin, Gary actually began his career in the civil service, with the Comptroller & Auditor General. He studied at night to become an accountant and later moved into the private sector, rising up the ranks and moving around to eventually become CEO of Smurfit in 2002.He has also had a busy career as a non-executive director, including roles with Anglo Irish Bank at the time of its collapse, and with bakery goods group Arytza, at a challenging time for that business. We covered a lot of ground in this interview. You’ll hear Gary talk about his childhood, his time in school and a couple of false starts in university. We also take a deep dive into his business careers, the highs and the lows. And he gives Ciarán his perspective on the current state of the Irish economy, and what we could be doing better. Along with some tips for young business leaders starting out in their careers. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
--------
1:00:18
--------
1:00:18
Will Imagine’s big gamble double its customer base?
This week’s episode of Inside Business sees host Ciarán Hancock joined in studio by Niall Tallon, chief executive of Irish telecoms group Imagine. A minor in the Irish market, the company recently made a bold move offering cheap fibre broadband products along with a promise not to increase those prices for the next five years. This is designed to double its customer base by 2030 as part of a multi-million investment in growing the business. It’s a brave strategy given that Imagine has just 35,000 existing customers and big competitors such as Eir, Vodafone, Three and Virgin Media who control a large chunk of the market between them.Niall explains how the offer will work and the business case behind it, as well as discussing the company’s Armenian owners and how he came to run a telco with a chequered history that was originally founded by the late Irish entrepreneur Sean Bolger. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
--------
36:12
--------
36:12
Tom O’Brien of Nephin Energy on the importance of gas, the potential of biomethane, and whether our energy bills will come down
This week’s guest on Inside Business is Tom O’Brien, group chief executive of Nephin Energy. Nephin owns 43 per cent of the Corrib gas field off the west coast of Ireland and also has ambitious plans to develop a network of agri-based biomethane plants across the country. While gas is a polluting fuel it continues to be an important part of our energy mix. Tom joins host Ciarán Hancock in studio to talk about the chances of extending the lifetime of the Corrib field, why biomethane is a potential win-win for the country, the future of offshore wind as a natural resource for Ireland, and whether gas prices are likely to go up or down over the next couple of years. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
--------
38:22
--------
38:22
Are plug-in hybrids just as polluting as petrol cars?
There is research from Brussels think tank Transport & Environment suggesting that plug-in hybrids are just as polluting as petrol cars. Neil Briscoe is a motoring expert and writes extensively on this for The Irish Times. And given his knowledge of motoring and our transition to EVs, were the findings a surprise to him? In the second part of the podcast, host Ciarán Hancock speaks to Cliff Taylor of The Irish Times about an upgrade to Irish growth forecasts by stockbroker Goodbody and some research from Ibec on hybrid working, suggesting that employees are expected to attend the office on more days each week. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
--------
28:18
--------
28:18
Dublin Bus CEO on recruitment challenges, going electric, and stamping out anti-social behaviour
On this episode of Inside Business host Ciarán Hancock is joined in studio by Billy Hann, chief executive of Dublin Bus, the biggest public transport company in our capital city. He joined the State-owned operator almost three years ago after a long career with the Irish Aviation Authority and is charged with leading a company that now transports more than 160 million passengers a year. He has a busy agenda, with challenges including difficulties in the recruitment of drivers and mechanics, traffic congestion, the switch to a fleet of EVs, and countering anti-social behaviour. Billy also discusses how Dublin Bus was currently performing and whether the busy Christmas period was a positive or negative for the company. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A weekly look at business and economics from an Irish perspective hosted by Irish Times Business Editor Ciarán Hancock. Produced in association with EY. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ireland