Special Reports

One of Ireland’s best-known entrepreneurs, Gillian Bowler is now relishing her various boardroom roles. Summary: Gillian Bowler was a highly respected businesswoman and influential figure in the Irish business community. Known for her exceptional leadership skills and strategic vision, she made significant contributions to various sectors throughout her career. As the former chairperson of Irish Life and Permanent plc, Bowler played a pivotal role in shaping the direction of one of Ireland’s leading financial institutions. Her achievements and expertise garnered recognition, including being named one of “The Top 50 Women in Business” in Ireland. Beyond her corporate endeavors, Gillian Bowler’s commitment to social responsibility was evident in her philanthropic efforts.…

A compendium of the most influential and powerful Irish women in business today, commissioned by the Irish Independent in June 2008. Anne Heraty Anne Heraty is co-founder of Irish recruitment firm CPL. She is also chairperson of the Expert Group for Future Skills Needs and a non-executive director of Bord na Móna, the Irish Stock Exchange and of Anglo Irish Bank. Co-founding CPL in 1989, Anne Heraty has grown the Irish recruitment firm to be one of Ireland’s top companies, listed on both the Irish and UK Alternative Investment Market stock exchanges. She became the first female chief executive of a quoted Irish company when she and her husband floated…

Deirdre Somers is CEO of the Irish Stock Exchange. Cork-born Somers is the first female CEO of the 300-year-old ISE. Deirdre Somers, chief executive of the Irish Stock Exchange (ISE), is very much a woman in a man’s world. Sitting in her office towards the top of the venerable old building on Anglesea Street, it is immediately obvious she would stand out in this normally sober world. Dressed in a bright cerise suit with killer heels, Somers is as elegant and poised as her surroundings. Her office is decorated with prints sourced from the Print Gallery in neighbouring Temple Bar, with pictures of her two young children having pride of…

Newry-based company Around Noon has won a contract worth €1.25m with food and support services company Compass Group Ireland to supply 90 of its units with sandwiches, wraps and salads. Thanks to the deal, up to 10 new jobs will be created by Around Noon, which currently employs 101 people. The family business founded by Francis and Sheila Chambers in 1989 and now managed by their children Gareth and Andrea Chambers operates the Scribbles brand and also supplies café chain Insomnia with sandwiches and salads. The sandwiches were originally made on the kitchen table of the family home and delivered by Sheila Chambers in a picnic basket. The company focuses on high quality…

A Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD, has turned the sod on the ‘Site Infrastructure and Public Realm’ part of the re-development of the Grangegorman site on Dublin’s northside. The €26m contract, awarded to Roadbridge by the Grangegorman Development Agency, involves over 200 construction workers on site, providing the underpinning services that will enable the build-out of the new development. The Taoiseach said the project would be “transformative” for Dublin’s inner city in terms of higher education, health, community, and enterprise. Supported by European Investment Bank, it is the most significant development of its kind in any European capital city. Who is Taoiseach? The Taoiseach is the title for the head of…

Host Ireland has signed a 1.2m deal with Sharp Group Fire & Security Services to provide managed internet connectivity and telecoms services to the Dublin-based security company as well as its Irish client base. The deal will see Host Ireland achieve 45pc growth in 2013 and be ahead of target for its predicted turnover of €4.1m in 2014. Founded in 1998, Host Ireland has experienced significant growth in the past five years, concentrating on the business broadband market. During that time, it built a high-capacity privately-owned network across Dublin and claims to reduce the cost of enterprise broadband by 40pc in the capital, offering speeds of up to 1Gbps. Now…