Business
Chanelle Group appoints new General Manager
The Chanelle Group has announced the appointment of David Kelly, as General Manager.
Mr Kelly joins the company from ArraVasc, a medical device company based at Ballybrit where he served as Chief Financial Officer. He previously served as Head of Finance for Chanelle Group from 2006 to 2008 and has held senior financial management positions in Irish, multinational and publicly quoted companies including Boston Scientific, Aryzta plc and Aer Rianta International.
Chanelle Group is Ireland’s largest indigenous manufacturer of generic pharmaceuticals for human and animal health. Employing over 375 people in Ireland, the UK and Jordan, the company recently announced a €70m investment which will double existing manufacturing capacity at its Loughrea headquarters and see significant investment in Research & Development.
Mr Kelly will work closely with Chanelle Group founder Michael Burke to oversee the company’s investment programme and lead Chanelle’s continued expansion in Ireland and overseas markets.
Commenting on David Kelly’s appointment, Michael Burke, founder, Chanelle Group said: “We have ambitious plans for our company over the next five years, growing our team to over 550 people and expanding into new markets.
“Our product pipeline is very strong and with continued investment in R&D we plan to launch 75 new products in both human and veterinary healthcare over the coming years. David’s extensive experience in the healthcare sector as well as his knowledge of Chanelle Group will be invaluable to us as we realise these plans”.
David Kelly said: “This innovation-led company is now exporting to over 80 countries worldwide and is embarking on an expansion programme which will strongly position the company for future growth. Michael Burke has grown the company to its leading position today and I am delighted to work with Michael and the team as we lead the company in its next phase of growth”.
A native of Ballygar, David lives in Castletaylor North, Ardrahan with his wife Audrey and three children.
“Chanelle is a very significant contributor to the local economy in Loughrea and provides valuable employment to people across the West of Ireland. It is important to me, that our local community continues to benefit as we grow the company in the coming years”, he added.
Mr. Kelly holds a first class honours degree in Accounting & Finance, a Masters in Business Studies from Dublin City University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Strategy & Innovation from the Irish Management Institute. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland.
The new President of Local Ireland, the association representing local news publishers around the country, is Head of Irish Times Regionals Dan Linehan.
Mr Linehan takes over the presidency from Declan McGuire of the Connacht Tribune. His appointment was confirmed at the recent Annual General Meeting of Local Ireland at Bloomfield House Hotel near Mullingar, Westmeath.
Mr Linehan, who has served as Vice President of the organisation for the last two years, said: “The coming years are a very important time for local publishers with many important issues to be addressed, including the implementation of the Future of Media Commission recommendations, defamation reform, the role and support for local publishers in public service reporting and helping publishers develop commercial digital offerings.”
Speaking at the AGM, Mr McGuire acknowledged the work done by the Executive in the past two years under the direction of Executive Director, Bob Hughes, on several projects related to the publishing industry but most especially the successful conclusion of the long-running campaign for the abolition of VAT on newspapers.
He also wished Mr Linehan the very best in his new role as President of the association for the next two years.
Mr Hughes thanked Mr McGuire for his leadership and support during his term of office and said he looked forward to working with Mr Linehan on the key policy priorities for the association, including Government supports, Government advertising, fair remuneration for content from the tech platforms and the reform of the legislation for defamation.
Local Ireland members also elected Seán Mahon, Managing Director of the Southern Star, as Vice President for the next two years.
The shortage of affordable housing is the single biggest impediment in attracting and retaining workers in the West, according to business group Ibec.
At a ‘Regional Insights Series’ meeting in the Galmont Hotel in Galway last week, employers were told that capacity constraints and labour supply are the key challenges facing business growth in the region.
Ibec Head of Regional Policy Helen Leahy said: “There must be greater focus by government on enhancing quality of life issues such as housing and infrastructure which are driving labour shortages in the region.
“Ibec’s vision for the West is to realise its potential to become a globally competitive location. An inadequate supply of affordable housing is now the single largest impediment to attracting and retaining talented workers, without whom business investment and expansions are not possible.
“Labour shortages are a real concern for businesses in the region. People decide where to live and work based on quality of life and access to high quality services and amenities. Industry tends to follow talent, and in this regard, the region needs to have all the building blocks in place as the attraction and retention of world-class talent becomes increasingly competitive on a global level,” said Ms Leahy.
Amongst Ibec’s priorities for the West are:
- Addressing housing and infrastructure challenges
- Transitioning towards a new growth model with Net Zero energy powered by Atlantic offshore wind resources
- Adapting businesses to the new economic realities
- Enhancing capacity and skillsets to achieve sustainable development objectives
- Investment in people and skills
- Creating competitive advantage through digitalisation
- Innovation as a key driver of productivity growth
One in five Galway businesses want to go fully cashless, as the move towards card payments and tapping continues unabated post-Covid.
In all, 22% of Galway businesses would like to be fully cashless, according to a survey carried out by BOI Payment Acceptance (BOIPA), a provider of payment technology solutions, which asked Irish businesses about the current payment landscape as well as business confidence and concerns.
Over one-third (36%) of Galway businesses were unaware there is no contactless limit on mobile wallets – just below the national average – while 54% believe the increase in card over cash transactions has helped them run their business.
Six out of ten Galway businesses expect to grow this year despite the cost-of-living crisis and running costs dominating as key concerns; 62% believe their business will grow over the next twelve months despite global economic uncertainty.
Unsurprisingly cost-of-living increases and running costs were the main concerns the majority of businesses had.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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