In this episode of The Tech Agenda, Darren O’Neill, Consulting Partner and Insurance Industry Leader at PwC Ireland, tells Ian Kehoe why reinvention is no longer a buzzword — it’s a survival strategy.
Drawing on insights from PwC’s Global CEO Survey, he explores how rapid technological advances, AI, and empowered consumers are reshaping competitive landscapes across industries. O’Neill challenges the myth that change is new, instead framing today’s “fourth revolution” as a natural — but dramatically accelerated — evolution.
The Tech Agenda with Ian Kehoe podcast series is sponsored by PwC.
William Walsh has seen the evolution of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) from an offshoot of Enterprise Ireland to a 250-strong state agency tasked with rolling out retrofits and electric cars to Irish households and businesses - among many other tasks. Now the head of the agency, Walsh joins Chief Economics Writer Stephen Kinsella to discuss the challenges of the energy transition, its benefits beyond climate change obligations, and the long-term political backing he needs to deliver change from a €600 million annual budget.
In The World for Sale, journalists Javier Blas and Jack Farchy chronicle the secret influence that a small number of giant commodity traders have on the world we live in, and how they use that influence on global politics to pursue massive profits. In this episode of The Context, Farchy talks to Sinead O’Sullivan about his efforts to unlock the secrets of the industry, and explains the inner workings of the billionaire commodity traders who buy and sell the planet's resources.
Family businesses can carry along successfully until they hit the skids and lawyers are called in. Emma Richmond and Cillian Balfe, partners at Whitney Moore, talk to Alison Cowzer for this episode of Family Matters about how legal services can benefit the structure and management of family businesses. Family Matters is sponsored by Whitney Moore law firm.
Ivana Bacik has been leader of the Labour Party for eighteen months but what has she achieved? She talks to Dion Fanning about trying to revitalise the Labour Party, why she felt she had to take on the leadership and her determination to go into government only if her party can make a difference.
In his 2018 book, Silent Invasion, Clive Hamiton investigated the influence of the Chinese Communist Party in Australia. It led to a significant push back from vested interests and he was barred from entering China. Undeterred, the respected academic and author began to investigate the silent control that China exerts over the rest of the work, an investigation that led to Hidden Hand, a groundbreaking book recently published and co-authored by Hamilton and Mareike Ohlberg. “I wrote the book to show I would not be intimidated” he told Sinead O'Sullivan in this week’s episode of The Context. In the podcast, he takes Sinead through the journey of writing the book and explains how the Chinese Communist Party is exerting influence across the globe on a level few appreciate or truly understand.
The first Rugby World Cup in 1987 had gross revenues of just €4 million. In Japan four years ago, it was around €550 million. This time around, it will breach the €700 million mark. So, what is driving the commercial growth of the game, and how will it expand in the future?
In this podcast, Ian Kehoe talks to former Irish rugby player Rob Kearney and to Robert Brophy, the former CFO of World Rugby and now the Lead Adviser for Sports, Media & Leisure of Interpath Advisory. They discuss Ireland’s progress in the current World Cup, the opportunities for rugby to grow commercially and to expand into new markets, and the role of sponsorship in rugby. They also analyse the growth of the female game, the future of rugby, and whether Ireland can win the World Cup. The Currency’s Rugby World Cup coverage is in association with Interpath Advisory.
Vincent Carton’s family business Manor Farm is unique in Ireland. Eight generations of men led it one after another until it was sold to a Swedish PLC for €70 million. The question of what the ninth generation will do has taken years to determine. Carton shares some of the greatest lessons the process has taught him with Alison Cowzer on this week’s Family Matters podcast, sponsored by Whitney Moore law firm.
To understand how Carlos Ghosn rose so meteorically to the top of the global automotive industry, Wall Street Journal reporters Nick Kostov and Sean McLain begin their book 'Boundless' on the banks of the Amazon in Brazil.
It was from those humble beginnings that Ghosn, armed with a deep intellect and a brilliance for seeing the future, emerged with a determination to succeed. In this episode of The Context, McLain talks to Sinead O’Sullivan about the extraordinary rise, fall and escape of the former Nissan boss. It is a story of unfettered ambition, of shadowy financial manoeuvrings, of a daring escape, and of the seedy underbelly of international wealth.
Family businesses are run on a special sauce of commitment but all too often the intensity means isolation. In this episode of the Family Matters series, sponsored by Whitney Moore, Alison Cowzer speaks to John McGrane, director general of the Family Business Network about confronting the big problems head on with the help of those who have walked the path before.
Many of Ireland's oldest family businesses were established alongside the foundation of the state and have been forced to evolve to stay alive. Maxol is a prime example of this and is now in a period of dramatic change. Chief executive Brian Donaldson speaks to Alison Cowzer on this episode of the Family Matters podcast about working with a fourth generation family business, the future of fuel, and inherited appetite for risk. The Family Matters podcast series is sponsored by Whitney Moore.
