Full coverage: Women

Aisling Ryan leads Ryans Cleaning, a family-owned business that cleans up after concerts, race meetings and major events. The Tipperary businesswoman talks about sustainability, expanding internationally, and the nature of family businesses.

Karen Clince has grown Tigers Childcare from an after-school club for 12 children to a €12m turnover. She talks about the reality of international expansion and the optimism and resilience needed to come through the pandemic.

Caroline Sherry has the distinction of being one of four female CFOs of listed companies in Ireland. She talks about the fallacy of work-life balance and re-scaffolding Hostelworld during the pandemic so it could re-emerge in the black.

Seema Hingorani was a powerful chief investment officer with responsibility for $160 billion in assets. But a twist of fate led her to build a new organisation to recruit women into the investment industry.

Sligo-born Deirdre McGettrick swapped a corporate finance career to found Ufurnish, the UK's largest furniture comparison site. She talks to The Currency about purposefully bringing female investors on board and shifting the business plan through a turbulent market.

Dr Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin’s experience should raise a red flag that despite the focus and significant resources allocated by third-level institutions to the issue of gender equality, they – and other Irish employers – still face an uphill battle to stamp out sexual harassment.

He did not know it at the time, but missing out on the top job at AIB in 2005 was a blessing. Since then, Gary Kennedy has become a boardroom titan, chairing companies such as Greencore and Green Reit. Now, he is pursuing his most difficult job yet: getting more companies to appoint women directors.

Numerous studies show that female-led companies perform better and produce higher returns than their male counterparts. So, the next big trend in investing is not in blockchain or IoT – it is women. And there’s a gap in the market for someone exploit this.