ThinkBusiness.ie

Today I’m joined by someone who sits right at the centre of the future of work technology and business transformation.
Alvina Altar is the Chief Digital Officer at F5 – and notably, the first to hold that role in the company’s history. At a time when organisations everywhere are trying to move from digital ambition to real transformation, Alvina is helping redefine what that journey actually looks like inside a deeply technical, global business.
But this isn’t just about systems or platforms. It’s about building what she calls the ‘new F5’ — and just as importantly, the new kind of employee and culture needed to power it. From reimagining how humans and AI work together, to shaping high-performance, human-first organisations, Alvina brings a perspective that’s both deeply strategic and refreshingly grounded in people.
Visit www.thinkbusiness.ie for more news and supports for start-ups and SMEs in Ireland. If you want to start and grow a business, ThinkBusiness.

Everyone’s talking about AI replacing jobs. Very few are asking what happens next, especially for the people just starting their careers. Dee Lyons is one of those few. She’s the Founder and CEO of Acuru, an AI-powered capability platform working with some of the largest professional services firms in Ireland and the UK. And she’s got a front-row seat to a structural shift that’s only just beginning. Because if AI is quietly removing the repetitive, ground-level work that used to train junior professionals… how do they build judgement? How do they learn to think? Today, we’re digging into what it actually means to develop professional capability in an AI-native world – and why the firms that get this right early will have a serious edge.
Visit www.thinkbusiness.ie for more news and supports for start-ups and SMEs in Ireland. If you want to start and grow a business, ThinkBusiness.

Ireland has built a reputation as a global hub for financial services – but building world‑class fintech and insurtech companies from a small island still comes with very real challenges.
From attracting talent and scaling internationally, to regulation, capital, and competition – success doesn’t happen by accident.
Today, I’m joined by Gary Leyden, the CEO of Instech, who is focused on positioning Ireland as a global hub for insurance innovation
We spoke about what Ireland gets right, where it still needs to raise its game, and what it really takes to build globally ambitious fintech companies from here.
Visit www.thinkbusiness.ie for more news and supports for start-ups and SMEs in Ireland. If you want to start and grow a business, ThinkBusiness.

We are joined by Fergal Doyle, Chief Commercial Officer of The Arboretum, one of Ireland’s most distinctive retail and hospitality brands.
Arboretum has built a business that goes far beyond the traditional garden centre — blending retail, food, sustainability and experience in a way that continues to resonate strongly with Irish consumers.
In this conversation, we’re going to explore how the business has grown, what Fergal is seeing first-hand when it comes to changing Irish consumer behaviours, and how experience-led retail can thrive even in challenging economic times.
We’ll also talk about Fergal’s appointment as President of the International Garden Centre Association, and what that role says about the opportunities and challenges facing the wider retail sector in Ireland.
With The Retail Excellence Conference just around the corner, this is a timely conversation about leadership, resilience, and where Irish retail is heading next.
Visit www.thinkbusiness.ie for more news and supports for start-ups and SMEs in Ireland. If you want to start and grow a business, ThinkBusiness.

In just weeks, the EU’s Pay Transparency Directive comes into force — and for most Irish SMEs, it’s landing faster than they’re ready for.

Only a tiny fraction of businesses believe they’re prepared. Many can’t evidence how pay decisions were made. And once the law arrives, there’s no going back to fix the past.

Today, we’re shining a spotlight on what this really means for Ireland’s 400,000 small and medium‑sized businesses — and, more importantly, what they need to do next.

I’m joined by Fredericka Sheppard, Co‑Founder and Managing Director of HR consultancy Voltedge, to talk about what good looks like in practice — and by Crystel Robbins Rynne, CEO of HRLocker, who has real‑time insight into what’s actually happening inside Irish SMEs right now.

We’ll cover pay structures, performance management, and recruitment — and give you practical insights on what to do next.
Visit www.thinkbusiness.ie for more news and supports for start-ups and SMEs in Ireland. If you want to start and grow a business, ThinkBusiness.