In 2001, Peter McKenna was on the corporate fast track at Smurfit in the publishing business. But a conversation with mentor Paddy Wright planted the seed for a dramatic career pivot as stadium director of Croke Park. When he took over, the stadium was under construction and loss-making. Last year, it had annual revenues of €132 million and paid a €16 million dividend to the GAA.
McKenna still serves as stadium director but he is also in charge of the GAA’s commercial arrangements and corporate partnerships.
In this episode of Sports Matters, he talks about making the stadium as a financial contributor to the GAA, the decision to take control of the association’s streaming service, and the lessons from his career.
Sports Matters is sponsored by the law firm Whitney Moore.
The Irish social media analytics firm Newswhip has raised $9m from investors and counts Walmart, IBM, the Washington Post and Microsoft among its clients. In a podcast with Ian Kehoe, co-founder and CEO Paul Quigley talks about the company’s journey over the last nine years – and outlines its plans for the future. Quigley also talks about how the company helps publishers and companies track online engagement, something that he believes improves business decision making. He also discusses the media landscape, fake news and the importance of recurring revenue.
The economist David McWilliams has always been quick to spot societal and economic shifts. In this interview with Sam Smyth, he explains why Covid-19 offers an opportunity for the government to reimagine the Irish economy and the interaction between business and the state. McWilliams also talks about wealth, the future of the media, the Irish housing crisis, the importance of accessible economics and why Dickens was ahead of his time.
As the co-owner of Fire Steakhouse & Grill in Dublin’s Mansion House and Sole Seafood & Grill on South William Street, Padraic O’Kane runs two of the city’s largest restaurants. Shuttered for three months, both will reopen on Monday, but, due to social distancing, capacity at both will be reduced by 40 per cent. In this podcast, O’Kane talks about the economics of the restaurant business in the world of Covid-19 and outlines a range of measures to help the embattled hospitality sector – from Vat reform to new rental agreements. Plus, as the man who brings American football to Dublin each year, he talks about the impact of the pandemic on Irish tourism.
As managing partner of professional services firm KPMG, Seamus Hand has spent the last three months helping his clients – and his own firm – navigate through the crisis. In this podcast, he talks about the impact of the lockdown on different sectors of the economy and called for innovative policies to get liquidity to cash strapped businesses – including a zero Vat rate for some firms. Hand, who took over as managing partner last year, also spoke about why consumer confidence is key to a quick economic recovery, the opportunities for Ireland in a post-Covid-19 global landscape and the importance of learning lessons from this crisis.
For the past 26 years, Julian Erskine has been the senior executive producer with Riverdance, helping to turn a Eurovision interval act into a global touring phenomenon. One day after his retirement at the end of May, he sat down with Sam Smyth to discuss his Riverdance journey – from managing world tours before mobile phones and the internet to driving Michael Flatley and Jean Butler to the airport in the back of his Fiat Punto. In an in-depth interview, the acclaimed theatre producer also talks about the decision to remove Flatley from Riverdance, the finances and logistics of stage shows and why the Covid-19 lockdown offered him the opportunity to retire without feeling any guilt.
Long before he was a panellist on Dragon’s Den, the businessman Gavin Duffy worked in radio, recruitment and communications. Two years ago, he ran for the presidency, a decision which, looking back now, he admits failed in “quite a spectacular fashion.” In this podcast, he tells his former Dragon’s Den investor Alison Cowzer, that he is a firm capitalist, but that he also believes it is time to change the nature of the relationship between the economy and society. He argues that Covid-19 has accelerated that realignment for the better, but that the crisis will also hit business hard – particularly the Irish high street. He offers communications advice for businesses in this crisis, and says that, after months of high tech, people will now want high touch.
Norman Crowley has set his global climate change business on a path to double revenue every year – although he acknowledges a nine-month setback from Covid-19. Speaking to Thomas Hubert from his base in Co Wicklow, he explains the rationale behind the formation of the Cool Planet Group, which raised €30 million from French investors earlier this year. The Crowley Carbon energy efficiency business at its centre now serves international clients from Google to Glanbia, and is preparing to license out the software providing the brains of the operation. Meanwhile, an assembly site is under construction at the Powerscourt Estate to manufacture million-dollar luxury electric cars. As the Greens are set to enter government here, does Crowley expect a policy boost to his business? His answer is a definite “no”.
Since it opened seven years ago, Dublin’s Forest Avenue has developed a reputation as one of the country’s finest restaurants. But its success – and the demands of the industry – has also had an impact on the couple behind the eatery – John and Sandy Wyer. Fearing burnout and operating in an “unworkable industry”, the couple were looking at ways to reinvent themselves and their business – and Covid-19 has given them a chance to do just that. Within days of the lockdown, they had transformed their property into a high-end food store, a move that allowed them to retain staff, maintain relations with suppliers and keep paying the bills. In this podcast with Sam Smyth, they talk about their journey to date, why Forest Avenue is “full of contradictions and juxtaposition” and how they prefer happy customers to awards.
David Maxwell, the chief executive of the fast-growing Mexican fast casual food brand Boojum, is part of the Save Our Restaurants Coalition, a group of restaurateurs that have developed a package of proposals aimed at salvaging the industry from the Covid-19 crisis. The group has tabled a package of tiered remedies to address what it believes are three main issues – labour costs, occupancy costs and debt repayment. The first two are essentially asks upon the state, while the third will require buy-in from banks. So, just exactly what are the group looking for, and will they get the state and lenders to back the proposals? Maxwell takes Ian Kehoe through the issuers and the detail.
Stephanie Meadow is one of the world’s top female golfers – playing on the LPGA Tour in the US and representing Ireland at the 2020 Olympics. She moved from Jordanstown, Co Antrim to South Carolina in the United States when she was just 14, to pursue her love of golf. Since then, she has broken college golfing records, turned pro and moved into the top 50 in the world rankings. But Meadow is much more than just a golfer. An accounting graduate, she negotiates her own sponsorship deals, manages her schedule, does her own marketing and is her own agent. In short, she is a self-employed entrepreneur. In this in-depth podcast, Meadow talks about the business side of golf, her role in representing her sponsors such as Investec, Immedis and ATA. She also talks about the impact of Covid-19 on her season, and the importance of growing female participation in sport
