Leadership

Unilever has announced details today of a new logistics project designed to reduce the distance travelled by its trucks around Europe by 200 million kilometres annually by the end of 2014. The project, which is being part-funded by the EU through the Marco Polo programme, aims to reduce around 450,000 vehicle kilometres from Irish roads. Under an agreement signed with the European Commission, a new network of transport hubs will be established across Europe and managed by Unilever’s existing operations centre in Katowice, Poland. According to Unilever, the project will use cutting edge technology to maximise the load efficiency of the trucks in use. The project will see Katowice logistics…

Bringing external input into the innovation process is crucial for any business that wants to stay on top of its game, according to author and strategic advisor Stefan Lindegaard. Whether it’s labelled open innovation, crowd-sourcing or co-creation, bringing some kind of external input into the innovation process is vital for organisations that aspire to be in leadership positions in their sectors. So says Copenhagen-based author and strategic advisor Stefan Lindegaard, an expert in open innovation, intrapreneurship and identifying and developing those who drive innovation. According to Lindegaard, companies are learning that they must embrace this paradigm shift in the innovation process to keep up with the competition. Those that are…

European Commission vice president Viviane Reding said today that one single set of data protection rules for Europe will make the digital single market work for the tech giants and help drive economic growth. “This will be central to making Ireland even more welcoming for business,” she said, speaking in Dublin today. “65pc of Irish citizens are worried about the way companies handle their personal data. People need to have control over their data. After all, their data belong to them.” Responding to developments in the use of the internet for social and business needs, the Commission has proposed an overhaul of EU data protection rules. Ireland will have a…

Ireland has come 10th in a new global index of the state of the web in 61 countries around the world. The study, which was launched by Tim Berners-Lee on behalf of the World Wide Web Foundation , placed Sweden in first place for putting the web to work, followed by the US and the UK. The top 10 is rounded out by Canada, Finland, Switzerland, New Zealand, Australia, Norway and Ireland, respectively. Nepal is placed bottom of the list, followed by Cameroon, Mali, Bangladesh, Namibia, Ethiopia, Benin, Burkino Faso, Zimbabwe and Yemen. According to the study, Ireland outpaces all other countries in the index in terms of the web’s effects on its economy.…

“Dangerous” Blackrock Baths to be demolished Blackrock Baths are to be demolished after various structures on the site were found to be dangerous, according to a statement from Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. The council said that following a recent inspection by senior staff, “it emerged that the structures have suffered from extensive weather damage and the ravages of the sea, making the structures and adjoining land dangerous for members of the public. “It has also been confirmed that the concrete has been seriously affected by the wind and wave action. The pool structure is beyond repair, and the seating and changing block, constructed of structural steel clad in concrete, is in danger of…

A YouTube clip of President Michael D Higgins debating with a US conservative talkshow host and Tea Party advocate has gone viral. Dating from two years ago, in the 2010 Newstalk radio excerpt , Higgins tells Michael Graham to “be proud to be a decent American rather than being just a w**ker whipping up fear”. Graham hosts a show on a Boston radio station, is a former political consultant for the Conservative party and is one of the earliest organisers for the Tea Party. The clip has now been viewed over 1.2 million times. It had been linked on social media sharing site Upworthy under the headline ‘A Tea Partier Decided To Pick A…

Eircom has today announced the appointments of Herb Hribar as group chief executive officer and Richard Moat as group chief financial officer. Both will be appointed to the boards of Eircom Holdco SA and eircom Holdings (Ireland) Limited and will take up their roles in early September. Hribar has extensive experience in the telecoms and TV industries in Europe and the United States. He moves to Eircom from CENX, where he has been CEO since February 2011. He has also been president of Ameritech Wireless in the US, managing director of Kabel Deutschland COO of Cablecom in Switzerland. He was previously managing director wholesale/networks at the Eircom from 2002 to…

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved an application from Teagasc to carry out field trials on a genetically modified (GM) potato line with improved resistance to late potato blight. The field trials will be carried out at one location at Oak Park, Co Carlow. The trials can be carried out between now and the end of 2016, with post-trial monitoring continuing until 2020. Planting will not exceed two hectares in area. According to data published by Teagasc scientists, annual losses due to potato blight in Ireland have been estimated at €15m per annum, and managing the disease requires up to 15 fungicide applications throughout the growing season. The GM…

Director profile: Tom Arnold, CEO, Concern Worldwide Pastoralist Jarso Ada speaking to Tom Arnold and Mary Robinson in Kenya When Tom Arnold steps down as chief executive of Concern Worldwide next year, he’ll leave behind him an organization that, during his time in the top job, has evolved from being an effective and respected Irish charity into one of global scale and reputation. Last year, Concern had 3,500 people working in 25 countries and had a budget of €16om, with €104m of this coming from a number of governments, including Ireland, the UK, and the US, as well as the EU and the UN. Income in 2001 was just short…

Beaumont Hospital will become a tobacco-free campus from tomorrow – 4 July – as the hospital moves to create a healthy, clean and safer environment for patients, staff and visitors. The move to go tobacco free across the campus follows extensive work by a multi-disciplinary steering committee and working groups. The policy was designed in response to the ongoing concern about the harmful effects of tobacco use and smoking in a healthcare environment. According to a statement released by Beaumont in advance of the change, “the HSE Corporate Plan (2008-2011) recognises the need for a shift towards prevention and better self care in respect of tobacco. Research and experience shows…