Business
Croí announces new chairman of the board
Local heart and stroke charity Croí, which is governed by a voluntary board of directors, has announced the appointment of Kevin O Reilly as its new Chairman.
Galway businessman Kevin O’Reilly of Beechdale Consulting has been appointed as Chairman of the board of directors following the retirement of Prof Kieran Daly, Consultant Cardiologist who has served as chairman of the organisation for the past five years.
Mr O’Reilly has served as a member of the board since 2011, but his involvement with Croí goes back many years before that when as director of human resources with Boston Scientific in Galway he was responsible for establishing strong local corporate support for the organisation.
“Kevin has made an enormous contribution to Croí since he joined the board,” says Neil Johnson Croí CEO.
“He has been heavily involved in many areas, but in particular, strategic planning for the organisation to enable us to continue to evolve and develop in line with the changing needs of the communities we support. His leadership will be incredibly valuable to us.”
“It’s an honour for me to contribute to the great work of Croí as chairman” says Kevin O’Reilly.
“Croí continues to contribute enormously to the needs of our communities throughout the region in relation to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and obesity and we are helping thousands of people every year to live longer healthier lives, which is something I am very proud to be a part of.
“Croí is constantly developing innovative and progressive solutions to the challenges it faces but it’s successes are heavily influenced by the fact that it is grounded in the community based principles and values that have been, and continue to be, its cornerstone”
Mr O’Reilly who is originally from Tuam, and a graduate of NUI Maynooth, has in excess of 25 years experience as a senior executive with both large multi-national and domestic companies.
During this time as Director of Human Resources he oversaw the start up of Boston Scientific to become the largest multinational employer in the West of Ireland, became Vice President of Human Resources for the company’s International commercial operations and more recently was acting Group Head of Human Resources at Bank of Ireland.
He has worked and lived in the UK, Switzerland & France and gained considerable business and cultural experience. He now operates his own HR Consultancy practice bringing using his vast experience to the benefit of local companies and enterprises.
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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