The Career Scoop

A day visiting InishMore, west of Ireland September 2023

Maeve talks about her job as Project Manager at MYDAWA, a Kenyan end-to-end online healthcare solution.

Kenyan e-health startup MyDawa has raised $20 million from private equity investor Alta Semper Capital to expand its regional reach and product offerings with the aim of becoming an all-in-one health platform for users.

MyDawa, which launched in 2016, has diversified from an e-pharmacy to include online and in-person consultations, as well as laboratory services at its expanding network of walk-in pharmacies and health centers.

It has also launched its own branded products, and plans to open up its technology infrastructure from telehealth to fulfilment, helping other businesses in the health sector to scale. It claims to have already inked deals with some of Kenya’s biggest clinic chains, which are looking to expand their reach.

Maeve's work experience includes project management, product innovation, business development, research and strategic plan road mapping. She have worked with investments from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Irish Aid, Misean Cara and the EU, and worked with organisations based in Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, the US and Ireland.
She holds an MSc in Africa & International Development from the University of Edinburgh. And a BA in Business & Political Science from Trinity College Dublin.

Aberdeen is known for several things including its granite architecture which gives the city a distinct silver-grey appearance, its significant role in the North Sea oil and gas industry which has earned it the nickname ‘Oil Capital of Europe’, its universities, its maritime history and its lively cultural scene. Doric is the local "Scots Gallic" dialect.

Simon Bewley, International Tag Federation Board Member, Entrepreneur and "power house" behind the upcoming Tag Rugby World Cup in UL Limerick, Ireland, 2nd to the 5th of August 2023. Tag Players ( c 2000) from Ireland, UK, France, Australia, New Zeeland, Japan, Lebanon, Vietnam and Hong Kong will participate. Women's and Men's Teams from U/21's to Over 60's will participate. Opening ceremony Tuesday 1st of August. Kick Off Wednesday 2nd of August 2023.

Ryan was born in Greenwich, and grew up in Westport, CT. He attended Chemical and Biological studies at Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI. 

He discovered his passion for wine after numerous trips to Napa Valley, specifically the Spring Mountain AVA located just north of Saint Helena. He worked extensively with producers on Spring Mountain, but most closely with Cain Vineyards. Upon returning to New York City, He began studying at the International Culinary Center for his Court of Masters Sommelier Certified level accreditation.  After receiving the Walter Clore Scholar award he began to work as a Sommelier at Betony, a three star Michelin restaurant  in NY. He then moved to the Four Seasons Restaurant, as Head Sommelier. By chance, he met the owners of the Mercantile Group, and was offered a job in Dublin. His Sommelier career continues to progress at Cafe en Seine located in Dublin.

Italy played Ireland in Rugby (6 Nations) on Saturday 25th of February 2023. This episode will give you a feel as to what it is like to be in Rome on the day Ireland play against Italy.

Words to summarise the day: energy, craic/fun, music, laughter, Pizza/Pasta, rugby ambience, friendship.

A must event to attend every 2 years.

Introducing a new sub series of The Career Scoop, the Travel Scoop, hosted by James Fitzsimons. Tune in to hear outtakes from James' travels around the world. Listen to some stories from the people James meets along the way and pick up some tips and tricks of what to eat, where to go and how to make the most out of your short trip!

Michael Grier is the Commercial Director of the Royal Gazette in Bermuda. 

Peter O’Reilly is the rugby correspondent of The Sunday Times Irish Edition and has been writing about rugby since the sport went professional in the mid-1990s. He was previously an international cricketer, English teacher and a student of art history. Peter has collaborated on books with Anthony Foley and Johnny Sexton.

Morgan is an independent nutritional therapist who provides one-on-one consultations for men and women with a wide variety of health struggles. She takes a holistic approach to nutrition to help clients struggling with weight loss, chronic fatigue, digestive distress and more. Morgan gives her clients the tools they need to improve their overall health, support any health concerns and find the root cause of symptoms by using nutrition, lifestyle changes, and supplementation. She sees clients worldwide including the UK, Europe and the USA. Prior to her career in the health and wellness world, Morgan received her BS and MS from the University of Colorado, Boulder in structural engineering. She is a licensed professional engineer and worked as a structural engineer for 5 years before making the leap to pursue her passion in nutrition.

Nick began writing and directing award-winning short films in 2003, culminating in his third short Shoe being Oscar-shortlisted at the 2011 Academy Awards. Nick’s debut feature The Drummer And The Keeper premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh 2017, where it won Best Irish First Feature. The Drummer And The Keeper went on to win 18 awards on the international film circuit, including Best Film at the Cleveland International Film Festival, Best Foreign Film at the Newport Beach International Film Festival and the Silver Award at the Emden-Norderney International Filmfest. It received 5 nominations at the 2018 IFTAs, including Best Screenplay for Nick’s script. Nick’s screenplay was also one of three nominees at the 2018 Irish Writers Guild ZeBBie Awards for Best Feature Film Script. In 2018 Nick set up The Story Works, an innovative independent TV writers room with the aim of generating new television drama with global potential. He was selected for the Screenskills LA Writers Room Placements in November 2019. Bedsitterland, a new feature film written and to be directed by Nick, was selected for the Berlinale Co-Production Market in February 2020 and is currently in development.

Nick originally qualified as solicitor, but gave up his legal career the same day to embark on a musical career, first fronting acclaimed Irish band The Fat Lady Sings and subsequently as a Choice Music Prize-nominated solo artist. In June 2022, he cycled from Ireland to the Glastonbury Festival, performing at venues en route and filming the journey for a future documentary about more sustainable approaches to live music.

In addition to his achievements in film and music, Nick is also one of Ireland’s most highly regarded advertising creatives. He has created award-winning campaigns for Aer Lingus, AIB, the Green Party, Walkers Crisps, Bord Gáis Energy, Toyota, the Irish Independent, and most notably Guinness for whom he wrote five major TV spots, including the Clio-winning Tom Crean, and Quarrel which introduced the viewing public to Michael Fassbender. He has directed TV spots and online films for Barry’s Tea, AIB, SSE Airtricity, the Irish Film Archive (featuring Saoirse Ronan), SVP and the Simon Communities.

Jon Ferrara, has been recognized for pioneering innovation in the customer management category.

He's the founder and CEO of Nimble, an award-winning social sales, and marketing CRM for individuals and teams. It's Ranked #1 in Overall Satisfaction by G2 Crowd and integrates with Microsoft Office 365 and Google G Suite. Learn more at Nimble.com.

Ferrara was the creator and co-founder of the award-winning customer management product GoldMine. In 1999, Goldmine got acquired by FrontRange and Ferrara left to pursue other interests. During those years, Ferrara continued to watch the CRM market. He saw that most of the CRM products that were serving small businesses moved upmarket (and became more costly and complex) or fell by the wayside, leaving the market underserved.

Specialties:
- Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation
- Brand and Identity Development
- Marketing and Sales Strategy
- Managing Global 350+ persons Corporations

David Tucker is Chairman of The Board of World Currencies and a former fighter pilot with the RAF. He shares with our listeners his career journey from joining the RAF, learning to fly fighter jets and then moving through the world of financial services. 

Our guest today is John Boylan who is CEO of Arcadian Risk Capital in Bermuda. He previously served as Global Chief Casualty Underwriter at Max Capital and Markel. Before that, he served as Chief Casualty Underwriter at XL Europe. John has over 30 years of experience in the insurance sector, with an exemplary track record of building and leading global underwriting teams.

John, hails from county Monaghan in Ireland and is a First class honours graduate of University College, Dublin, with a BA in Business Studies.

Mick is currently Managing Partner of Grant Thornton, after previously leading the firms Advisory Services offering. He has specialised in all forms of insolvency and corporate recovery across numerous industries including: construction, retail, telecoms, banking and aviation amongst others.

Mick shares with James his career journey to-date from leaving school, studying accountancy by night to currently leading a team of over 2,000 people, in 8 offices across Ireland, Isle of Man and  Bermuda.   

Fiona has spent the last 20 years in Bermuda and is originally from New Zealand.

Fiona currently serves as an Independent Director of four publicly listed companies.  Those companies are listed on the NASDAQ, the London Stock Exchange or the Australian Stock Exchange respectively. These companies operate in the infrastructure, technology and telecommunications, customer experience or private equity space.  Fiona is also a Director of the Bermuda Business Development Agency and is focused on how to build on Bermuda’s ambition to be a global technology hub.

Prior to commencing her career as an Independent Director Fiona served as the President and CEO of Southern Cross Cable Network, a submarine fiberoptic cable company connecting New Zealand and Australia to the USA.  She is a Past President of SubOptic, the global organization for submarine fiberoptic cables; the first woman to hold that title.

Fiona was also Chair of the Telecommunications Group for America’s Cup Bermuda Ltd.- delivering key telecommunication requirements for the 2017 America’s Cup for which she was recognized in the Bermuda New Years’ honors list in 2017.

Appointed in January 2020 as Bermuda’s first Privacy Commissioner, Alex White supervises all Bermudian organisations for compliance with the Personal Information Privacy Act (PIPA). His work includes establishing the office and building the foundations for a successful data protection environment on the island.

Gavin is a Director of Earlsfort Group he has been involved in the development of commercial real estate and corporate workplace solutions for more than two decades. He is responsible for operations at East Point, a large, award winning office campus developed by Earlsfort back in the 1990’s.

East Point is home to 50+ corporate occupiers including Oracle and Google. The occupiers employ close to 9,000 people. Pre-Covid they would show up to work at East Point every day.  The pandemic has transformed how people work and these days Gavin spends a good deal of his time speaking with the stakeholders to try to read the tea leaves as to the future of work and how it relates to the built environment, specifically the workplace and office.

Gavin is father of 5 kids ranging in age from under 2 to 18 and is obsessed with health & fitness.  Gavin is hyper curious about human behaviour, personal development and leadership. He writes, speaks and mentors on the topic of real estate investment, innovation and impact with his own podcast Behind The Facade.

Brian Desmond is the EVP Head of Fund Services at Horseshoe Group (“Horseshoe”). He is in charge of the Group’s fund administration operations and responsible for all business development activities related to Fund Services.  Brian was one of the principal founders, a director and COO/CFO of Horseshoe Fund Services Ltd. (“HFSL”, formerly IKONIC), a fund administration company, acquired by Horseshoe in 2016.  Brian has over 25 years of fund administration and audit experience and prior to setting up HFSL, Brian was the Bermuda Country Head at Citigroup Fund Services (Bermuda) Ltd. where he was responsible for overseeing the fund accounting, shareholder services, audit and NAV preparation. for global clients. Brian is a Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA) and acts as director of a number of offshore fund companies. He is also currently President of Teachers Rugby Club (Bermuda). James sits with Brian to discuss his career and successes  to-date.

Mitch Blaser has more than 40 years of accomplishments in international insurance markets and co-founded next-gen specialty insurer Mosaic, launched in 2021. Previously, Mitch joined Robert Clements as a founding executive to launch Bermuda-based Ironshore with $1 billion in private-equity capital in 2006 and helped drive its growth to become a global property & casualty insurer with over 800 employees in 15 nations. He held key roles during the company’s evolution, including COO of Ironshore Inc, CFO, and CEO of Ironshore Bermuda, and CEO of Iron-Starr Excess Agency and IronServe. In 2017, Ironshore was acquired by Liberty Mutual Group, and he became chief transformation officer. Formerly, Mitch was CFO for Swiss Re Americas, and part of the leadership team at Marsh Inc.

Derek is Affiliate Professor of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD. His interests include leadership development, burnout and resilience, the impact of emotionally demanding tasks on work groups.

His research and practice in these areas are informed by a systems-psychodynamics approach that takes into account how group tasks, organizational structures and cultures are affected by, and affect, individuals’ experience at and of work.

Derek works regularly in leadership development programmes for high potentials and senior executives at INSEAD, and has contributed to open and in-company executive Programs, as well as to the full time MBAs, at the Copenhagen Business School in Denmark, and at IMD in Switzerland. He has given input on the psychodynamics of organisations to the Clinical Psychology doctoral programme at Trinity College, Dublin. He also has a varied coaching and consulting practice, currently including individual work with corporate leaders and work with teams in the technology sector and in entrepreneurial ventures.

Derek brings to all his work a particular focus on the personal benefits and costs of authenticity, effectiveness and success. He supports executives in developing functional approaches to self-care and resilience when dealing with jobs and tasks that require personal presence and intense emotional investment. Over the past decade, he has worked with corporations and executives in a wide range of sectors including construction, pharmaceuticals, fashion, technology and professional services.

Prior to and alongside his work in executive education and development, Derek spent many years working as a Director in health care delivery. His particular area of expertise was child sexual abuse. He led a multidisciplinary team offering forensic and therapeutic services to vulnerable children and their families. His work in this arena taught him the importance of sound management and effective self-care in service delivery.

Derek holds a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Trinity College, Dublin, and BA and MA degrees in Psychology from University College Dublin. He also trained at the Tavistock Clinic in London gaining a Masters in Organisational Consultancy. In 2011 he was granted the title of Honorary Associate Professor of the Institute of Work, Health and Organisation with the University of Nottingham. He consults regularly to group relations conferences in Europe and the United States. He is married and has three young sons.

James sits with Derek to discuss his career journey.

This week's guest is David Ryan, Sales Specialist at Lamborghini Vancouver- Canada. David is a car-obsessed, former farmer from the West of Ireland who moved to Vancouver during Covid to realise his dream job of selling Super Cars for Lamborghini.

This weeks guest is David Ryan Sales Specialist Lamborghini Vancouver Canada. David is a car obsessed former farmer from the west of Ireland who moved to Vancouver during Covid to realise his dream job of selling Super Cars for Lamborghini.

James sits with David to discuss his career journey and the importance of chasing your dreams.

This week our guest is Aideen Jones - Aroma -Reiki Healer.  Aideen runs a local business in Blackrock, Dublin where she is dedicated to offering her clients Aroma-Reiki treatments.  Combining essential oil massage and Reiki healing, Aideen welcomes a broad range of clientele from students struggling with the stresses of life to more senior people looking for a gentle nurturing treatment…and everyone in between!  Aroma-Reiki addresses Stress Management, Immune Support, Pain & Inflammation, Homeostasis & energy clearing.  Stress and anxiety are common place today and many of Aideen’s clients find this a safe space to talk and find solutions and tools to combat their negative feelings and emotions.  Investing in your WELLNESS instead of your ILLNESS is something Aideen promotes and feels passionate about.  Aideen is a wellness Advocate with Dōterra and runs regular talks on the benefits of combining pure therapeutic essential oils with a holistic approach to a healthy and happy life by supporting the mind, body & spirit.  A huge animal lover,  Aideen is an advocate for an “Adopt don’t Shop” approach to dealing with the unwanted dog & cat situation in Ireland. She loves nothing more that offering Reiki healing to animals that have had a tough start in life.

James sits down with Aideen to discuss her career journey and her passion for supporting her clients by helping them to embrace the holistic approach.

The Career Scoop is back with another great episode! This week our guest is Aideen Jones - Aroma -Reiki Therapist. Aideen lives in Dublin where she is dedicated to offering her clients Aroma-Reiki treatments. Combining essential oil massage and Reiki healing, Aideen welcomes a broad range of clientele from students struggling with the stresses of life to more senior people looking for a gentle nurturing treatment…and everyone in between! Aroma-Reiki addresses Stress Management, Immune Support, Pain & Inflammation, Homeostasis & energy clearing. Stress and anxiety are common place today and many of Aideen’s clients find this a safe space to talk and find solutions and tools to combat their negative feelings and emotions. Investing in your WELLNESS instead of your ILLNESS is something Aideen promotes and feels passionate about. Aideen is a wellness Advocate with Dōterra and runs regular talks on the benefits of combining pure therapeutic essential oils with a holistic approach to a healthy and happy life by supporting the mind, body & spirit. A huge animal lover, Aideen is an advocate for an “Adopt don’t Shop” approach to dealing with the unwanted dog & cat situation in Ireland. She loves nothing more that offering Reiki healing to animals that have had a tough start in life. Tune in today Wednesday to hear James sit down with Aideen to discuss her career journey and her passion for supporting her clients by helping them to embrace a holistic approach to living. The Career Scoop is available on all Podcast streaming services. Check out the link below! #thecareerscoop #podcast #aromatherapy #doterra

This week our guest is Aideen Jones - Aroma -Reiki Healer.  Aideen runs a local business in Blackrock, Dublin where she is dedicated to offering her clients Aroma-Reiki treatments.

Combining essential oil massage and Reiki healing, Aideen welcomes a broad range of clientele from students struggling with the stresses of life to more senior people looking for a gentle nurturing treatment…and everyone in between!

Aroma-Reiki addresses Stress Management, Immune Support, Pain & Inflammation, Homeostasis & energy clearing.

Stress and anxiety are common place today and many of Aideen’s clients find this a safe space to talk and find solutions and tools to combat their negative feelings and emotions.

Investing in your WELLNESS instead of your ILLNESS is something Aideen promotes and feels passionate about.

Aideen is a wellness Advocate with Dōterra and runs regular talks on the benefits of combining pure therapeutic essential oils with a holistic approach to a healthy and happy life by supporting the mind, body & spirit.

A huge animal lover,  Aideen is an advocate for an “Adopt don’t Shop” approach to dealing with the unwanted dog & cat situation in Ireland. She loves nothing more that offering Reiki healing to animals that have had a tough start in life.

James sits down with Aideen to discuss her career journey and her passion for supporting her clients by helping them to embrace the holistic approach.

Series 11 continues with our fantastic guest Paddy Barr who has over 25 years international leadership experience in Operations, Supply Chain & Strategic Management, he has held senior roles in Ireland, the UK & the USA in the airline, FMCG & IT industry sectors. He is currently the owner & Managing Partner of Barr Performance Coaching.  His clients are predominantly senior leaders in both domestic and international enterprises ranging in scale from Micro SMEs to major multi-nationals.  Prior to taking on his current role Paddy was a Senior Director at Microsoft with responsibility for leading a major operating model change program.  Previously in Microsoft he had responsibility for leading the Global OEM physical & digital Supply Chain Team.    Prior to joining Microsoft Paddy attained an MBA from University College Dublin and held senior Supply Chain and Procurement management positions in Diageo and British Airways. He is passionate about leadership development and performance management and has attained post graduate qualifications in Business Mentoring and Leadership Coaching.  He is a member of the Enterprise Ireland Mentor Panel, a faculty member of the Irish Management Institute,  and a member of The European Mentoring & Coaching Council. He is an International Coach Federation certified coach and joined the board of the ISPCC in July 2016.  His book “The Successful Career Toolkit” – a quickfire guide to mastering business skills, was published by Kogan Page in May 2019.  It was translated into Chinese in March 2020, the audio version was published in April 2021.  His 2nd book on Effective Strategic Sourcing will be published in June 2022.  Patrick is married with two sons, he lives in Dublin.

Today my guest is Paddy Barr. Paddy has over 25 years international leadership experience in Operations, Supply Chain & Strategic Management, he has held senior roles in Ireland, the UK & the USA in the airline, FMCG & IT industry sectors. He is currently the owner & Managing Partner of Barr Performance Coaching.  His clients are predominantly senior leaders in both domestic and international enterprises ranging in scale from Micro SMEs to major multi-nationals.  Prior to taking on his current role Paddy was a Senior Director at Microsoft with responsibility for leading a major operating model change program.  Previously in Microsoft he had responsibility for leading the Global OEM physical & digital Supply Chain Team.    Prior to joining Microsoft Paddy attained an MBA from University College Dublin and held senior Supply Chain and Procurement management positions in Diageo and British Airways. He is passionate about leadership development and performance management and has attained post graduate qualifications in Business Mentoring and Leadership Coaching.  He is a member of the Enterprise Ireland Mentor Panel, a faculty member of the Irish Management Institute,  and a member of The European Mentoring & Coaching Council. He is an International Coach Federation certified coach and joined the board of the ISPCC in July 2016.  His book “The Successful Career Toolkit” – a quickfire guide to mastering business skills, was published by Kogan Page in May 2019.  It was translated into Chinese in March 2020, the audio version was published in April 2021.  His 2nd book on Effective Strategic Sourcing will be published in June 2022.  Patrick is married with two sons, he lives in Dublin.

This week's guest is Chef and Commercial Development Assistant for Fáilte Ireland, Ciarán Hyland. Having always been passionate about Ireland, tourism and gastronomy, Ciarán began his career journey training to be a Chef earning himself a B.A. in Culinary Arts from the Dublin Institute of Technology and experience working in well-known establishments in Dublin such as The Marker Hotel and The Pig’s Ear Restaurant. In 2016, Ciarán completed a Master’s Degree in International Tourism to take his fully honed culinary skills and knowledge in a different direction. His culinary passion fused together with his passion for Ireland and tourism when he began working for Fàilte Ireland in 2018. When the pandemic hit in 2020, while still working for Fáilte Ireland, Ciarán also launched his own bagel business, called Deadly Bagel, which aimed to serve the people of Dublin with quality bagels and spreads. James sits down with Ciarán to discuss his career journey, the challenges he encountered and how he over came them.

This week's guest is Chef and Commercial Development Assistant for Fáilte Ireland, Ciarán Hyland. Having always been passionate about Ireland, tourism and gastronomy, Ciarán began his career journey training to be a Chef earning himself a B.A. in Culinary Arts from the Dublin Institute of Technology and experience working in well-known establishments in Dublin such as The Marker Hotel and The Pig’s Ear Restaurant. In 2016, Ciarán completed a Master’s Degree in International Tourism to take his fully honed culinary skills and knowledge in a different direction. His culinary passion fused together with his passion for Ireland and tourism when he began working for Fàilte Ireland in 2018. When the pandemic hit in 2020, while still working for Fáilte Ireland, Ciarán also launched his own bagel business, called Deadly Bagel, which aimed to serve the people of Dublin with quality bagels and spreads. James sits down with Ciarán to discuss his career journey, the challenges he encountered and how he over came them.

Introducing The Career Scoop, a new podcast that digs deep into all things careers. Each week the show will bring you advice, insights and guidance from industry leaders from different fields.

This week’s guest is Founder & Managing Director of Operate Remote, Shauna Moran. Since 2017, Shauna has helped countless (world wide) committed CEOs and their teams define and create their unique Remote Company Culture which is the authentic vision, values, approaches, processes and skills that make them retain, engage and see their employees skyrocket. The endpoint with any of the work Shauna does is that you have a productive, highly-functional, effective and engaged workforce, regardless of their locations that you can scale well into the future, with confidence. Operate Remote also work with a limited amount of 1-1 client each year, helping them build out their remote-first processes, skyrocket remote team engagement and improve employee retention for the long-term. Operate Remote also work with a limited amount of 1-1 client each year to help them build out their remote-first processes, skyrocket remote team engagement and improve employee retention for the long-term. James sits down with Shauna to discuss her career journey with all its changes and challenges and how she overcame them.

Check out their latest program, Revive Remote- a coaching and training workshop program designed to help your team beat burnout, and create a fantastic remote culture that keeps them engaged and innovating. https://operateremote.com/reviveremote/

Introducing The Career Scoop, a new podcast that digs deep into all things careers. Each week the show will bring you advice, insights and guidance from industry leaders from different fields.

This week’s guest is Founder & Managing Director of Operate Remote, Shauna Moran. Since 2017, Shauna has helped countless (world wide) committed CEOs and their teams define and create their unique Remote Company Culture which is the authentic vision, values, approaches, processes and skills that make them retain, engage and see their employees skyrocket. The endpoint with any of the work Shauna does is that you have a productive, highly-functional, effective and engaged workforce, regardless of their locations that you can scale well into the future, with confidence. Operate Remote also work with a limited amount of 1-1 client each year, helping them build out their remote-first processes, skyrocket remote team engagement and improve employee retention for the long-term. Operate Remote also work with a limited amount of 1-1 client each year to help them build out their remote-first processes, skyrocket remote team engagement and improve employee retention for the long-term. James sits down with Shauna to discuss her career journey with all its changes and challenges and how she overcame them.

Check out their latest program, Revive Remote- a coaching and training workshop program designed to help your team beat burnout, and create a fantastic remote culture that keeps them engaged and innovating. https://operateremote.com/reviveremote/

Leah JM Dean is the author of the best-selling book, Assemble the Tribe, and an expert on leading with a "tribe mindset." She is a former HR Executive, who for more than 20 years, successfully led multiple people integrations and developed leading HR strategies.

As the Founder and CEO of Conduit International Ltd., Leah works with organizations and executives across numerous industries. Leah is also the founder of Design for Impact, which brings together hundreds of women and girls for professional and personal development.

On a mission to create a more connected world, Leah uses science and her proprietary group research with over 1200 women to help her audiences to find their tribes and confidently navigate life & leadership with authenticity, courage, and heart.

James sits down with Leah to discuss her career, the twists and turns it has taken and the advice she would give to those starting out on their career journeys.

Leah JM Dean is the author of the best-selling book, Assemble the Tribe, and an expert on leading with a "tribe mindset." She is a former HR Executive, who for more than 20 years, successfully led multiple people integrations and developed leading HR strategies.

As the Founder and CEO of Conduit International Ltd., Leah works with organizations and executives across numerous industries. Leah is also the founder of Design for Impact, which brings together hundreds of women and girls for professional and personal development.

On a mission to create a more connected world, Leah uses science and her proprietary group research with over 1200 women to help her audiences to find their tribes and confidently navigate life & leadership with authenticity, courage, and heart.

James sits down with Leah to discuss her career, the twists and turns it has taken and the advice she would give to those starting out on their career journeys.

To kick off our 10th series, we sit down with Conor McGowan Smyth, Chief Commercial Officer of Fireminds. 

Fireminds is an international technology consulting firm serving clients in Bermuda, the Caribbean, LATAM, and North America. The company has nearly 40 employees based in Bermuda, Canada and Europe organized into two divisions, software development and cloud solutions.

In 2017, Fireminds received a major investment from ATN International, Inc. to expand its operations and joined the group of companies ATN International, Inc. (Nasdaq:ATNI), headquartered in Beverly, Massachusetts.

️Conor is a Technology product marketing and multi-channel commercial sales leader specialising in IT, Telecoms and Cyber Security services, with experience across the Caribbean, Europe, LATAM, and USA.

This week’s guest is Conor McGowan, the Chief Commercial Officer for the company Fireminds. Fireminds is a Technology product marketing and multi-channel commercial sales leader specialising in IT, Telecoms and Cyber Security services, with experience across the Caribbean, Europe, LATAM, and USA. Fireminds is an IT managed services provider whose digital identity is powering transformation across all industries. Also serving as the Executive Director for ATNi’s Enterprise Solutions Group working in Guyana, Bermuda, the Cayman islands, USVI and markets across the US, Conor is passionate about driving meaningful change with a strategic vision for the future, aligning technology to people. Conor, based out of Miami leads a team of sales, marketing, product and solution architects across multiple territories and channels. James sits down with Conor to discuss his career journey with all its changes and challenges and how he overcame them.

This week’s guest is Brian Hanratty, co-owner of the popular Happy Out Cafe. In 2017 after working in CHEC Audit in KPMG for three and a half years, Brian left in order to start his own business. Brian’s decision was proved correct with his business blossoming into the well-established Happy Out Café on Bull Island, Dublin. Happy Out is known for their speciality coffee, delicious toasties and exceptional ambiance. Brian had planned on opening another franchise in 2020 on the southside of Dublin. Unfortunately for Brian, the global pandemic promptly interrupted this, causing him to have to adjust his plans. Despite this challenge, Brian moved forward with his plans for expansion adjusting as he went. In the height of the pandemic, Brian opened the second location of Happy Out Café in Donnybrook, Dublin. Despite the challenges the world presented, the expansion has been a raving success. James sits down with Brian to discuss his career journey, the launch and development of Happy Out Café and how he dealt with the obstacles of launching a new business in the middle of a global pandemic.

This week’s guest is Brian Hanratty, co-owner of the popular Happy Out Cafe. In 2017 after working in CHEC Audit in KPMG for three and a half years, Brian left in order to start his own business. Brian’s decision was proved correct with his business blossoming into the well-established Happy Out Café on Bull Island, Dublin. Happy Out is known for their speciality coffee, delicious toasties and exceptional ambiance. Brian had planned on opening another franchise in 2020 on the southside of Dublin. Unfortunately for Brian, the global pandemic promptly interrupted this, causing him to have to adjust his plans. Despite this challenge, Brian moved forward with his plans for expansion adjusting as he went. In the height of the pandemic, Brian opened the second location of Happy Out Café in Donnybrook, Dublin. Despite the challenges the world presented, the expansion has been a raving success. James sits down with Brian to discuss his career journey, the launch and development of Happy Out Café and how he dealt with the obstacles of launching a new business in the middle of a global pandemic.

Welcome to the first episode of the Businesses in COVID series!

This week’s guest is the founder and director of the successful website LYNOTT Jewellery, Lauren Mc Donald. A recent graduate of MSc Management Consultancy at UCD Smurfit business school, Lauren decided when the pandemic hit in 2020 to start her own business while she was also applying for jobs elsewhere which brought her to launch LYNOTT Jewellery, a Dublin based jewellery and accessories store. LYNOTT’s unique selection of hand-sourced pieces are designed to brighten your everyday. From understated stacked rings and gold-plated chains to bold statement earrings, each piece is a modern take on a classic jewellery-box staple. LYNOTT jewellery is where modern meets classic and designed for day-to-day wear. James sits down with Lauren to discuss her career journey with the launch and development of LYNOTT Jewellery and how she dealt with the obstacles of launching a new business in the middle of a global pandemic.

If you are interested check out the LYNOTT website here: https://www.lynottjewellery.com/ or find them at @lynottjewellery on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok.

Welcome to the first episode of the Businesses in COVID series! 

This week’s guest is the founder and director of the successful website LYNOTT Jewellery, Lauren Mc Donald. A recent graduate of MSc Management Consultancy at UCD Smurfit business school, Lauren decided when the pandemic hit in 2020 to start her own business while she was also applying for jobs elsewhere which brought her to launch LYNOTT Jewellery, a Dublin based jewellery and accessories store. LYNOTT’s unique selection of hand-sourced pieces are designed to brighten your everyday. From understated stacked rings and gold-plated chains to bold statement earrings, each piece is a modern take on a classic jewellery-box staple. LYNOTT jewellery is where modern meets classic and designed for day-to-day wear. James sits down with Lauren to discuss her career journey with the launch and development of LYNOTT Jewellery and how she dealt with the obstacles of launching a new business in the middle of a global pandemic.

If you are interested check out the LYNOTT website here: https://www.lynottjewellery.com/ or find them at @lynottjewellery on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok. 

This week’s guest is, publisher of the Business Post, author and avid adventurer, Enda O’Coineen. Enda began his career at the age of 21, when he sailed on a small boat from the US to Ireland. From then on he was has seen and completed multiple sailing races and challenges. One of these was the Vendee Global around the world sailing race which he completed in 2017. The Course covers a distance of 40, 075km where skippers must go around the world through three capes: ‘Good Hope’, ‘Leeuwin’ and ‘Horn’ all without stopping and without assistance. It has been nicknamed the “Everest of the Seas”. Enda’s other work experienced includes bringing credit facilities and cheap communication to central and East European Europe, especially the Czech Republic and Poland, after the fall of the Berlin Wall. He is also the author of the best-selling book about his sea adventures – Journey to the Edge.  Currently Enda is the publisher of the Business Post. James sits down with Enda to discuss his career, the challenges and changes he has overcome and the importance of having passion for your work.

This week’s guest is, publisher of the Business Post, author and avid adventurer, Enda O’Coineen. Enda began his career at the age of 21, when he sailed on a small boat from the US to Ireland. From then on he was has seen and completed multiple sailing races and challenges. One of these was the Vendee Global around the world sailing race which he completed in 2017. The Course covers a distance of 40, 075km where skippers must go around the world through three capes: ‘Good Hope’, ‘Leeuwin’ and ‘Horn’ all without stopping and without assistance. It has been nicknamed the “Everest of the Seas”. Enda’s other work experienced includes bringing credit facilities and cheap communication to central and East European Europe, especially the Czech Republic and Poland, after the fall of the Berlin Wall. He is also the author of the best-selling book about his sea adventures – Journey to the Edge.  Currently Enda is the publisher of the Business Post. James sits down with Enda to discuss his career, the challenges and changes he has overcome and the importance of having passion for your work.

This week’s guest is Director of A1 Coaching/Roadman Cycling and former Irish pro-cyclist,  Anthony Walsh. Anthony began his career in the field of law, having trained as a Barrister at The Honourable Society of King’s Inns. After completing his training however Anthony decided to transition into full time cycling. In 2013, Anthony founded his company A1 Coaching/Roadman Cycling which is now an internationally recognised coaching company. The company aims to help time crunched athletes use cycling as a tool to improve Health, Happiness and Longevity. Anthony has also recently started his own podcast called The Roadman Podcast which is all about cycling and it’s healing effects on the mind, body and soul. James sits down with Anthony to discuss his career, the challenges and changes he has overcome and the importance of having passion for your work.

This week’s guest is Director of A1 Coaching/Roadman Cycling and former Irish pro-cyclist,  Anthony Walsh. Anthony began his career in the field of law, having trained as a Barrister at The Honourable Society of King’s Inns. After completing his training however Anthony decided to transition into full time cycling. In 2013, Anthony founded his company A1 Coaching/Roadman Cycling which is now an internationally recognised coaching company. The company aims to help time crunched athletes use cycling as a tool to improve Health, Happiness and Longevity. Anthony has also recently started his own podcast called The Roadman Podcast which is all about cycling and it’s healing effects on the mind, body and soul. James sits down with Anthony to discuss his career, the challenges and changes he has overcome and the importance of having passion for your work. 

This week’s guest is Lorraine Wrafter, a Global Chief People/Talent Officer who, throughout her career, has worked in large multi-national organisations such as Cargill Incorporated, one of the largest privately-owned companies in the world, and LafargeHolcim, a Swiss building materials company. Lorraine has also been involved, throughout her career, in a broad range of global Human Resource roles, including being the VP of Human Resources for a start-up in the financial markets and being the director of HR for Cargill. Currently, Lorraine is a freelance consultant and works on different projects such as Organisation Transformation, Culture, Team Effectiveness, Business Planning and Coaching for different companies around the world. James sits down with Lorraine to discuss her career with all its changes and challenges and how she overcame them.

This week’s guest is Lorraine Wrafter, a Global Chief People/Talent Officer who, throughout her career, has worked in large multi-national organisations such as Cargill Incorporated, one of the largest privately-owned companies in the world, and LafargeHolcim, a Swiss building materials company. Lorraine has also been involved, throughout her career, in a broad range of global Human Resource roles, including being the VP of Human Resources for a start-up in the financial markets and being the director of HR for Cargill. Currently, Lorraine is a freelance consultant and works on different projects such as Organisation Transformation, Culture, Team Effectiveness, Business Planning and Coaching for different companies around the world. James sits down with Lorraine to discuss her career with all its changes and challenges and how she overcame them.

Cyber Risk International and President of the International Cyber Threat Task Force. Paul is recognised as one of the world’s foremost experts on cyber security, risk and privacy. As CEO of Cyber Risk International he specialises in corporate and enterprise security, development of cyber defence programs, and business operations protection for CRI clients. He has worked extensively around the world in roles such as:

· President of the International Cyber Threat Task Force (ICTTF);

· Co-Chairman of the UK NCA National Crime Agency Industry Group;

· Advisor to National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO);

· Advisor to NATO on Countering Hybrid Cyber Threats;

· Advisor to UK Defence Committee (DEFCOM) in Parliament;

· Deputy Chair – Organised Crime Task Force Industry Group - NI

· Interim Global CISO for Numerous Multi-National Organisation

· Advisor to Numerous Governments and Intelligence agencies

His diverse career spans more than 25 years working with military, law enforcement and the commercial sector. As an accomplished serial entrepreneur he has successfully built a number of security practices in the UK & Ireland and in 2016 was identified by Business and Finance as one of Ireland’s Top 100 CEO’s. James sits down with Paul to discuss his career, the importance of cyber security and the advice he would give to those starting out on their career journeys.