Congratulations on the new role. Are you optimistic about the business landscape going into 2025?
Thank you. Yes, I’m feeling very positive. I’m 23 years in business and as an SME, I’ve been through two recessions. Part of my role is about inspiring people to be their very best selves so I have to practice what I preach. I truly believe that we learn nothing on a straight road; you learn on the crooked roads and you learn the most when things go wrong or when you’re faced with complexities. It’s a privilege to be leading Chambers Ireland; I’ve been in the chamber movement for over 17 years so I have the experience and knowledge to do the role effectively.

What are your ambitions as President?

To lead a collaborative board that is truly the in-touch representative voice of the businesses in the chamber movement in Ireland. Over the next six years, the board will continue to represent the whole country and to grow the relevance of Chambers Ireland across Ireland. I also aim to strengthen the voice of Ireland Inc at a European level and ensure that our advice on manifestos is taken into account. Economic success is the overall ambition, as is achieving social success – we’re a country of people, not just of businesses.

As a small business, what are some of the challenges you’re facing?

The greatest challenge to everybody is uncertainty. The cost of doing business is crippling for SMEs, as is managing cashflow. Many small businesses are not Chamber members, but I truly believe that every business in the country should be a member of the Chamber. The benefits and the support I have received over the years has been excellent. Ireland is a country of nascent entrepreneurs. I think 98% of the businesses in Ireland are SMEs. We need to be able to support those small businesses and so tackling the cost of doing business is really important. Building future skills is also critical and we need to start developing quick pathways into careers like nursing and engineering. University degrees shouldn’t be the only option, micro-credentials need to be pushed far more than they are. As someone who’s in the learning and development field, we need to look at the way in which we educate and train our people to be solid business people and entrepreneurs for the future. Strengthening our international connections is also important because ultimately, we are an island and we need to stay connected to Europe and to our stronger business partners.

When did you set up EQuita Consulting Ltd?

I set up the business 23 years ago, having come out of industry. I had worked with a variety of large brands including McDonald’s, Bailey’s and Mercury Engineering. During my time in these various roles, I saw an opportunity to develop a solution for an issue that I was seeing, which was a lack of good quality advice to problems businesses were encountering. The training available to businesses was also very poor. The name of the business comes from the word equality, which is around removing barriers and upskilling people to give them access to every tool, technique and opportunity that they need in order to live their best life. We have three divisions – a consulting division, a training and executive education division and s commercial division.

How has the company grown in those years?

It’s grown significantly. We call ourselves a boutique brand and for the most part, we fly under the radar. For example, we recently produced the Probation Strategy but you would never know it was us. We hire really brilliant people and our associates are probably some of the best in the world. At the moment, we have about 20 associates that are with us over 20 years, including world renowned author Owen Fitzpatrick and Professor Andrew Kakabadse.

What do you attribute the success of the business to?

Agility, service, customisation and personalisation. We’re a small business, we’re not pretending to be huge. You’ll never find our name in 44 corners of the world, but what you will find is our ideas in 44,000 people’s heads that are turning concepts into transferable ideas day to day in the workplace. Our business has always been around trust and return on investment. We never have a difficulty selling to people because we come referred. Every piece of work we do is custom built to the client. We don’t charge for design. We don’t charge for customisation, but we make sure that it fits. Some of the products that we have developed for clients have been accredited and some have won prestigious awards, such as Pace which is accredited in over 50 countries.

Did your time in South Dublin Chamber as President prepare you for your new role?

It absolutely did, it was the runway that enabled me to take on the role. Firstly, it gave all the chambers an opportunity to get to know me, to see if they could trust me, to see if I’m the type of business leader that they would have integrity in. It gave me practice in running a chambers and the nuance in politics that’s required. South Dublin is the third biggest chamber in the country, so it was exciting to be part of it. Working with the CEO there, Peter Byrne, was an amazing learning pathway.

Do you enjoy what you do?

I love it. Alongside the day job and my new role at Chambers Ireland, I give up a day of my week to voluntary work. I consider this my way of giving back. I chair the All-Ireland Business Foundation and I’m also chair of Tallaght University Hospital Foundation as well. I’m a former chair of Making Connections, a brilliant small company that alleviates loneliness in the elderly. I really believe that most of us have infinite capabilities and that with the right support, we can achieve so much. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved in my career and I intend to build on those achievements in my role as President at Chambers Ireland, for chambers across the country.