7945_22-25_270809.qxd:22-25 21/08/2009 11:19 Page 25
CLOSE-UP
have to know every tradition and every way of doing things in a
market you go into, but what you do need to be is open minded
12November2009
andsensitive.Traditionally,theIrishhavebeengoodatthat.”
8am–12.30pm
He urges caution here, as with recent success can come arro-
gance. “It is important that as Irish people we do not lose the
O’ReillyHall,UCD
attributesthatwerekeytotheunderpinningofoursuccessabroad.
Ithinktheremaybeaneedtotrytorecapturethatsomewhat,to
ensure we internationalise with humility. That would be a real
advantagethatalotofcountriesandcompaniesdon'thave.”
TheIrishadvantage
LiamO’MahonysaysbeingIrishwascertainlyanadvantagewhen
thecompanieshewasmanagingwereexpandingonaglobalstage. BEYOND
Today,heischairmanofpapergiantSmurfitKappaGroup,buthe
isprobablymostwellknownforhissuccessfuleightyearsasCEO
BORDERS
ofglobalmaterialscompanyCRH,fromwhichheretiredin2008,
butwhereheremainsanon-executivedirector.
GOING INTERNATIONAL WITH YOUR BUSINESS
“ItwasanadvantagecomingfromacountrylikeIrelandwhere
players have quite a local approach to things and a strong focus AspartofourGrowingIrelandeventseries,weexamine
onpeople,”hesays.“Astrengthwasthatwewerecompetingona thelessonsforglobalsuccessandhowtodevelop
worldstageandwewerecomingfromacountrythatdidn’thave internationalsalesstrategieswithsomeofIreland’s
anybaggageinternationally,intermsofbeingaformerimperial
topbusinessleaders.
or colonial power. We weren’t seen as telling people how to do
things.Wewerekeentolearnthings.Thatgenuinelyhelpedus.”
7.30am–12.30pm O’Reilly Hall
KeytoCRH’ssuccessfulinternationalexpansionwasitspeople,
7.30–8.00 Registration and breakfast
claimsO’Mahony.“Leadershipandgoodmanagementisvital,”he
says. “And particularly your management structure. We had a
8.00–8.10 Welcome and introduction
devolved management structure, with a small tight head office
8.10–8.50 Keynote address
teamtodealwithoverallstrategy,creditcontrol,financialmatters
andshareholderrelationships.Thenahugeamountoftheday-to-
8.50-9.10 Q&A
dayresponsibilityforrunningandgrowingthebusiness,andcom-
9.10–9.50 Academic keynote address by Thomas
ing up with the local strategies, that came down to the local and
Lawton, Professor of Strategic
regional team. It’s something that differentiated us from other
Management at Cranfield University
large players in the industry who seemed to be much more cen- School of Management
trallydriven.Anditworked.”
O’Brien agrees that the biggest challenge of maintaining an
9.50–10.05 Coffee break
internationalcompanyisgettingtherightpeopleinplace.“Andit 10.05–11.15 Panel discussion
is vital that the management are communicating effectively with
local management. I think it’s a great discipline to regularly
JohnMoloney, Group Managing
meeteverymanager,yourwholemanagementteam,whateverthe
Director, Glanbia
business.Imeetallmymanagersonceamonth.” LiamO’Mahony, Chairman,
The people aspect grows in importance if you are a company Smurfit Kappa Group plc
thatisexpandingrapidly,”saysO’Mahony.“Rapidgrowthraises
manychallenges,butthekeyishavingthepeoplethatcangrow
FrankRyan, Chief Executive Officer,
withthepaceasthecompanygetsbiggerandyetremaintrueto
Enterprise Ireland
thecorevaluesofthebusiness.” SeanO’Driscoll, Chief Executive,
O’Brien thinks Irish companies have what it takes to truly Glen Dimplex
compete on the world stage. “For many years people in Ireland
had an inferiority complex, an idea that international people
11.15–11.45 Panel Q&A
werebetterbusinesspeople,bettermanagers,bettersalespeople, 11.45–12.30pm Close
betterfinancialheads,allofthat,”hesays.“But,inessence,Irish
people are every bit as good if not better than anyone. And we
Formoreinformationandtoregister,
have one of the vital ingredients. In my experience, Irish people
visitwww.ucd.ie/growingireland
canassimilatewithlocalpeopleandbusinessesmoreeasilythan
anyothernationalityanywhereintheworld.”
IfthereistrulyanIrishadvantagewhenitcomestointernational
trade,nowiscertainlythetimetopickitupandrunwithit.
Ann O’Dea
UCD BUSINESS CONNECTIONS 25
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