With the festive season upon us, demand for the services offered by CA Support is on the rise. This Christmas, we are appealing to our members to embrace the idea of community and help those in need As the holiday season approaches, many of us will be looking forward to the warmth, joy and wonder that comes with it.  For some, however, Christmas and New Year celebrations can be a time of incredible stress, worry and insecurity.  For individuals facing financial difficulties, in particular, the season can be a painful reminder of what is lacking and left unfulfilled.  What is CA Support?  CA Support is the charitable foundation of Chartered Accountants Ireland. Offering emergency financial assistance to members, students and families in need, it acts as a safety net for those in our community who find themselves in difficult circumstances.  CA Support helps cover immediate and urgent needs like food, shelter, bills, medical expenses and other essentials such as back-to-school costs.  At this time of year, we also strive to protect the magic of Christmas for families by contributing to the cost of toys and Christmas dinners.  CA Support assists over 100 individuals and families at any given time, and demand is ever-growing.  In 2024 alone, there was an 18 percent increase in cases compared to 2023.  Like most registered charities, CA Support relies on the generosity and goodwill of the Chartered Accounting community to ensure that no one in the profession struggles alone.  Why help?  With state support only going so far, donations offer a lifeline to members to get them through often the toughest and most tumultuous times in their lives. These donations can help families facing evictions, single parents struggling to manage household costs and childcare, and elderly members unable to cover medical expenses.  They can help everyday members grappling with a loss of earnings due to illness, caring for dependants or struggling with mental health issues.  By contributing to CA Support, you help ensure that everyone in our community – no matter their circumstances – is provided with safety and security.  Please consider donating to CA Support this giving season. Together, we can make next year brighter for those who need it most.  Donate today to CA Support

Richelle Manning, Investor Relations and Credit Rating Manager at ESB, tells us about her career path, passion for decarbonisation and climate action, and plans for the future. Richelle Manning, FCA, is Investor Relations and Credit Rating Manager at ESB. Manning joined the semi-state energy utility in 2014 having trained in KPMG’s Restructuring and Forensics Department and remaining with the firm for a further three years. She grew up in Kells, Co. Meath, and has a degree in business and legal studies from UCD and a Master of Accountancy from UCD Smurfit School. She is a member of the board and treasurer at Meath Women’s Refuge and Support Services. Tell us a bit about yourself, and when and why you decided to become a Chartered Accountant? Both my parents worked outside the home when I was growing up, and they always emphasised the importance of finding a career I would truly enjoy and that would give me the freedom to do anything I wanted in life. While at secondary school, I was also fortunate to have a very inspirational business and accountancy teacher, Ms Bird, whom I admired greatly. I think it was her influence, coupled with my parents’ guidance, that led me to pursue a career as a Chartered Accountant. It is a profession that offers many opportunities to work in a wide range of areas and in different parts of the world, providing a solid foundation for significant professional growth. Has your career unfolded as you anticipated or were there some surprises along the way? I wasn’t organised enough to have a career plan, but I knew coming out of college that I would like to undertake a graduate programme with a large accountancy practice, focusing on the restructuring area. I liked the idea of helping struggling businesses to formulate turnaround strategies to help them find success and profitability again. The years I spent working at KPMG were some of the best of my career. I had the opportunity to support some of the biggest Irish and international companies across a wide range of industries and gained firsthand insight into the challenges management teams and businesses can face. I then joined ESB Group and continue to enjoy fantastic opportunities working across all areas of the energy industry. The decarbonisation of the energy industry in Ireland is a key enabler for the transition to a net zero future for Ireland. While this wasn’t something I was thinking about when I joined ESB Group, it is one of the reasons I have stayed here for 10 years. I am deeply committed to the vision outlined in our Net Zero by 2040 strategy and I am driven by the actions I can take to help achieve this goal. I have always been open to accepting new opportunities as they arise, and this has led to me meeting some truly inspirational people, working on projects I could never have envisaged and being successful in my career. What does your role as ESB’s Investor Relations and Credit Rating Manager involve day-to-day? My role is ultimately about sharing ESB’s vision, strategic ambitions and financial results with our investors and credit rating agencies. As a semi-state entity, ESB relies solely on debt investors for external funding to finance our extensive capital investment programme as we work towards decarbonising the electricity sector in Ireland. Maintaining our credit rating of A- is therefore critical to ensuring we have access to the bond markets. No day is the same – my role offers lots of variety. I spend a lot of time meeting with investors and discussing ESB, its net zero goals and the associated funding required to achieve those goals. In recent years, we have seen investor interest extend beyond our financial results to encompass our sustainability goals, progress and achievements. In 2024, investors have been particularly interested in our plans for reporting under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, and in our two recent publications outlining ESB’s sustainability leadership plans and pathway to net zero. I also work quite closely with colleagues internally, providing advice and guidance on our credit rating and investor requirements, and assessing and advising on the implications of certain transactions from a credit rating and investor perspective. Are you glad you made the decision to qualify as a Chartered Accountant? Yes. The Chartered Accountant qualification is highly regarded in Ireland and worldwide. I found the training prior to qualification and subsequently, through continuing professional development, both relevant and informative. It has helped me to build the capability and skills needed to succeed as new challenges arise. Among the people you have worked with over the years, who has been your biggest inspiration? I have been lucky enough to work with some wonderful people throughout my career who have inspired me and whom I very much admire. I have also had mentors and coaches who have provided inspiration and guidance, especially at times of big transitions in my life such as returning from maternity leave, undertaking new roles and seeking promotions. I am quite passionate about the impact mentoring can have in helping individuals achieve professional success. I currently manage the finance mentoring programme at ESB, an award-winning scheme that helps finance professionals build the capability and skills to achieve their career goals. One of the most important lessons I have learned over the years is the importance of building relationships. Success is achieved through working with people. Significant changes are underway in the energy industry right now and it is only by working together, with an open mind and a willingness to learn, that we will be able to deliver what is required to meet our net zero goals. How has the role of the Chartered Accountant evolved since you joined the profession? At ESB, we have Chartered Accountants working in all areas of the business – not just on the finance team. Chartered Accountants are seen as strategic advisors, commercially focused and thoughtful leaders who can provide insights and guidance on a wide range of topics. The Chartered Accountancy qualification is a great foundation for any career. It helps to build skills that can be used across a range of business areas. What advice can you offer ACAs starting out on their career path today? The best advice I can give is to be open to exploring new opportunities and experiences as they arise. Building a strong support network is also key to success. Who do you admire most right now in business or public life? I remember the election of Mary Robinson as the first female President of Ireland. Even as a child, I was aware of how she had rocked the system and the positive impact she had on women in Ireland and globally. Throughout her life, she has used her position to highlight issues like domestic violence, lobbied for women’s rights and held perpetrators of human rights abuses to account. Today, Mary Robinson continues to use her voice and platform as an advocate against climate change through her role in Project Dandelion, a woman-led initiative addressing climate change. Her strong commitment to women’s rights, human rights and to addressing climate change, specifically from a female perspective, really resonate with me. I see her as a great role model. What are your plans and ambitions for 2025? I have two key focus areas for 2025: sustainability and artificial intelligence (AI). I have committed to taking part in the ESB Sustainability Navigator Programme, an initiative aimed at creating a culture of sustainability leadership throughout the organisation and I am looking forward to growing my knowledge in this area. On the AI front, ESB was one of the first companies in Europe to deploy copilot for Microsoft 365 and I am hoping to enhance my learning and use of this platform throughout 2025. This will hopefully help me to focus on high-value activities and improve knowledge-sharing and collaboration within my teams.

Julia Rowan answers your management, leadership and team development questions Question I am a mid-level manager in a large company with four direct reports who all manage teams of three to five people. We work to high standards and I don’t think we have any problems. I have one-on-ones with my direct reports and the five of us meet every fortnight. About once a month, the whole department meets. Should I be doing anything differently? We’ve worked hard to get here, and I don’t want to rock the boat, but I think we have more to give. Answer It sounds like you are doing a lot of things right. This is a great time of year to look at how the team functions and put strong foundations in place for the year ahead to increase your relevance and visibility. I trust that you and your team have more to give. Employees appreciate being consulted – and managers are often pleasantly surprised by their insight and interest. I suggest that some carefully planned team events could be very productive. Begin by working out what you want for your team and the service you provide. If you could describe “a better team,” what words would you use? Feel free to use words like “more” or “less,” and then change “less” to “more” (e.g., “less dependent’ might become “more independent”). If your organisation has a strategy, read it and reflect on where your team intersects. Consult with your direct reports to make sure they are on board. Organise a half-day session with the whole team. Plan it well and make it feel special – offsite, if possible, refreshments on arrival, lunch to finish, etc. Open the session by discussing your strategy and the team’s strengths. Celebrate wins – big and small – to build confidence and acknowledge contributions. Keep the focus positive while the teams build confidence in engaging in this type of process. For example, identify lessons learned rather than mistakes made and use interactive activities like a SWOT/SWOC analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats/challenges) to assess the team’s current standing and potential for growth. Don’t rush the pace – it can be really useful to meet a few times as issues can settle, and ideas can emerge between sessions. Consider the perspectives of stakeholders, including your senior team, customers and suppliers. One effective way to do this is by placing a few chairs in the room to represent them. Invite your team to occasionally take the seat of these stakeholders and ask questions such as, “What do they want from us?” and “What else can we provide for them?” This allows team members to see things from a different perspective. A valuable outcome of a session like this could be that team members ask for feedback from stakeholders using a set of agreed-upon questions. Use the opportunity to strengthen relationships within your team. For example, you might ask people who they would like to acknowledge or appreciate or which team they would like to work more closely with. As ideas about ways forward emerge, you might translate these into goals for 2025 – perhaps allocating ownership to front-line team members. This provides a nice connection to your team meetings. Julia Rowan is Principal Consultant with Performance Matters Ltd, a leadership and team development consultancy. To send a question to Julia, email julia@performancematters.ie If you read one thing... “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” by Charlie Mackesy is a gentle book that addresses human emotions like love, vulnerability, courage and connection. Beautifully illustrated, it would make a lovely takeaway from a team session.

As we draw the curtain on a challenging year, three Chartered Accountants offer their personal insights and predictions for the Irish economy in 2025 John Donoghue, Chief Executive Officer at Ifac As we look ahead to 2025, Ireland’s farming and agribusiness sectors face a pivotal year marked by both opportunities and challenges. While 2024 has delivered favourable weather conditions and decent commodity prices, regulatory and environmental hurdles will test the resilience of agricultural enterprises in 2025. The most pressing concern is the potential loss of Ireland’s nitrates derogation. The derogation has been crucial in enabling Irish farms to maintain high productivity levels, and its removal would require significant operational changes. At Ifac, we are conducting extensive stress testing with dairy farmers to assess various scenarios, including reduced herd sizes, expanded storage facilities and land acquisition strategies. We recently welcomed Dr Rosie O’Neill as Director of Sustainability, and she is working closely with businesses in food and agriculture to help them plot their sustainability journey. Sustainability has emerged as the defining challenge across farming, food production and agribusiness. Large food producers face mounting pressure from retail customers to demonstrate not only their own environmental credentials but also the sustainability of their entire supply chain. The dairy sector appears to be reaching a plateau after years of expansion. Current trends suggest the number of dairy farmers in Ireland could decline from 16,000 to about 12,000 over the next five to six years, presenting significant output risks and a big challenge for our major dairy co-operatives. The regulatory burden continues to grow, particularly with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) coming into effect. From 2025, a broad group of our corporate clients will need to report on their sustainability metrics, adding another layer of complexity to business operations. Export markets offering growth opportunities and expansion into larger markets, particularly the UK and US, remain crucial for our food producers. The road ahead demands a delicate balance between maintaining productivity and meeting environmental requirements. Success will require investment in sustainability initiatives, careful strategic planning and continued innovation across the sector. Sarah Meredith, Tax Partner at Grant Thornton From the perspective of a tax advisor, my hopes for 2025 include simplifying and bringing certainty to the tax code. We have witnessed some seismic changes to the tax landscape in recent years, driven largely by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and European Union initiatives. For groups within the ambit of the OECD’s Pillar II rules, the approach to tax compliance has fundamentally shifted from 2024, regardless of whether there is ultimately further top-up tax due.centre The Department of Finance has launched several initiatives centred around simplification, including the interest review and examining the SME sector to streamline tax-related matters. It would be hugely beneficial to see tangible results from these reviews. Alongside the tax regime, I would also hope that Ireland – and, in particular, the new government – will address issues such as housing, infrastructure, planning and the funding of higher education. These are the crucial pieces of the jigsaw for Ireland to remain competitive. With falling interest rates, supported by lower inflation rates, I would be hopeful of higher deal flow and activity within the economy. The modified domestic demand (a proxy for the domestic economy) is forecast to grow at circa 2.6 percent annually from 2024 to 2026, buoyed by the continued strength of the labour market. These factors should all provide a good foundation for maintaining Ireland’s competitiveness and attracting inward investment. Overall, Ireland's future looks bright, but we need to ensure we provide a solid framework within which businesses can continue to grow and expand, which should be supported by both infrastructural improvements and the provision of tax certainty. Mark Flood, Director at Renatus Capital Partners Parking the obvious global geopolitical elephant in the room, we are very positive about the outlook for businesses in Ireland in 2025 for three reasons: The wave of inflation we have seen in recent years appears to be receding – the hangover remains for some, but in the main, many have either recovered increased inflation-driven cost to the top line or learned to be nimbler with their costs to counter its effect. There is historically low leverage out there among SMEs – they can withstand a lot. The healthy position of the Irish exchequer. Notwithstanding, there is a cohort of people and companies trapped by higher costs and capped income. Though these are in the minority, we should spare a thought for them. We have the best entrepreneurs in the world, and there are so many companies going global. At the same time, foreign funds are coming to Ireland because they see us as a country of great businesspeople and entrepreneurs. I spoke recently to a restaurant owner in a university town where, unlike others, accommodation has been injected. She told me her labour challenges had been largely solved by people living in her town and working part-time. It would be great if we could solve the accommodation crisis on a broader basis to improve the situation for all. Let’s hope we can solve our housing problem, that global geopolitical developments do not create further challenges and we can continue to drive on in 2025.

Barry McCall speaks to Xeinadin Area Managing Partner Paul O’Connell about the firm’s rapid growth in Ireland, multi-million euro investment programme and the outlook for the Irish economy  Formed just five years ago in the UK, Xeinadin has grown at pace and now has over 135 offices, more than 2,000 professional advisors and 80,000 clients across Ireland and Britain.   “We are ranked eighth in Ireland in terms of turnover,” notes Area Managing Partner Paul O’Connell whose own firm, Cork-based Quintas, joined Xeinadin in late 2023.  Looking back on the history of Xeinadin, O’Connell explains that it was established in 2019 when some 100 accountancy practices came together to collaborate and share resources.  “At the start, it was a group of independent firms agreeing to collaborate, but they worked together to build a core structure to bring the different offices together,” he says. “They set up shared IT systems and HR, compliance, training, business development, marketing and finance functions and, today, we are one ‘Xeinadin’ – one firm with one structure and common systems and policies. It’s not a franchise or a network model. We are one firm with everyone in it collaborating together as colleagues.” Growth ambitions The firm’s growth ambitions received a significant boost when private equity investor Exponent bought into it two years ago. “Xeinadin has been on the acquisition trail ever since,” says O’Connell.  “Thirty offices joined the firm in the last two years, and we see significant further consolidation in the accountancy sector over the next two or three years.  “Exponent has been a brilliant partner to work with and have been hugely supportive. They have really got involved in a positive way to drive the growth and development of the business.” Six months ago, Xeinadin announced a €40 million investment in the Irish market with the aim of further expanding its footprint here with a core focus on taxation, business advisory and audit services for SMEs across the country. “We have already pretty much committed 40 percent of that,” O’Connell says. “We are at the advanced stages of legals and due diligence with five firms and we hope to complete those deals over the coming months. We are well down the road in terms of committing the €40 million.” The business has a strong regional focus, he adds.  “We are already in Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Wexford, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Belfast and we are now focusing on areas like the Midlands, Waterford, Kerry and Mayo. We already have an office in Galway, but we want to expand there. We still have an eye on Cork, Limerick and Dublin as well, of course.  “Other firms looking at consolidation tend to focus on the major cities. We have a different focus because our client base is mainly made up of SMEs and having a local presence is really important to them and to us. We want to be close to them to build lasting relationships.” Location isn’t the only determining factor and Xeinadin is highly selective in the firms it wants to acquire, O’Connell points out.  “We are targeting high quality firms with ambitious partners who want to join us on a journey to drive the business on and avail of the growth opportunities being part of Xeinadin can bring.” The backing of Xeinadin is important in a number of ways. “Most smaller firms aren’t in a position to offer speciality services to their clients. They can offer those services through collaboration with other offices in the group,” O’Connell says.  “That will enable them to become the firm of choice in their locality helping to drive growth. My own office here in Cork has seen its headcount grow by 20 per cent since we joined Xeinadin.” Consolidation in accountancy The trend towards consolidation is by no means limited to the accountancy sector. “We are seeing it across every sector and in our own client base where the volume of transactions has been increasing steadily in recent years. The reasons vary but there are a number of core drivers. Succession planning is one.” As O’Connell sees it, the old model among accountancy practices – whereby a new partner would borrow to fund their way in to replacing a retiring partner – doesn’t really work anymore.  “Socio-economic changes mean that people are buying homes and starting families later in life. They don’t have the access to finance they did in the past. There has to be a different way of accommodating generational change.” He also notes other challenges facing small practices with one or two partners, including the necessity to meet the fast-changing and more complex needs of business clients.  “As part of Xeinadin, firms have access to the resources of the whole group when meeting those needs. With artificial intelligence coming down the line and the requirement to keep pace with issues like sustainability, this is very important.” Recruiting and retaining good employees is equally important says O’Connell, pointing to an example where one of the firm’s offices in a regional location was experiencing difficulties recruiting a Tax Partner.  “They were struggling due to their location,” he says. “We were able to recruit the partner here in Cork and they can now work in a Cork city location for that office. That would not have been possible in a standalone situation.” Similarly, when the Dublin office needed assistance with a large audit job, the Cork office was able to send a team to help out. The firm also offers good opportunities for young accountants, O’Connell says.  “Xeinadin can offer better training programmes and structured graduate programmes small offices just can’t provide. There is also the opportunity to move to other offices, both in Ireland and the UK, where they can gain experience working with a much wider variety of clients.” Economic outlook Turning to the economy and the recent budget, O’Connell is somewhat disappointed with the lack of business supports provided. “There was little or nothing in the budget for business,” he says. “It was very much focused on individuals.” The lack of movement on the hospitality VAT rate was especially disappointing. “I strongly believe the VAT rate should come down to nine percent, particularly for food. This is an absolute necessity. The 13.5 percent rate could be retained for accommodation. We have seen a large number of closures in the industry over the past 12 months and there are many more coming down the track.” Outlining some of the cost challenges facing the industry, he says: “The minimum wage has gone up by 38 percent since just before Covid, for example. Even people working in the industry don’t fully appreciate the cost challenge.  “I visited a restaurant client recently and I went through the costs involved in producing one of their best-selling brunch menu items. By the time I had gone through everything from the raw material and labour and the costs of napkins and energy to the share of overheads, they were left with a profit of 20 cent from the €13 charged to their customers. I hope the new government addresses the VAT rate as a matter of urgency.” He is more optimistic about the outlook for the wider business community in Ireland. “There is real positivity out there in terms of the economy. Cork is flying, but we do need further investment in transport and infrastructure.” Returning to Xeinadin and its future plans, conversations are already underway with other potential targets for acquisition with the remainder of the €40 million.  “Firms are aware of what we’re doing, our approach and the value we bring. It’s not about growth for the sake of growth. It’s about targeted growth in the regions and other specific areas. And firms joining Xeinadin have to align with our values, culture and long-term vision for the business.”

Larissa Feeney’s varied career set her on the path to business success as founder of award-winning online accountancy and business services firm Kinore, writes Barry McCall It may come as a surprise, but the founder and CEO of the Irish Accountancy Awards Online Practice of the Year didn’t set out to be an accountant. Despite accounting being her best subject in school, Larissa Feeney initially wanted to pursue a career in hospitality. “Looking back now, I don’t know if I got the right guidance at school or just didn’t listen to it,” says the Kinore founder and Chief Executive who has built Ireland’s first online, remote-first finance and business services company from revenue of €300,000 in 2017 to €4 million today. “We have seen year-on-year revenue growth of more than 30 percent and we are aiming to grow revenue to €15 million by 2028. We also plan to double our workforce from 75 to 150 employees over the next 18 months,” Feeney says. This remarkable success story began 25 years ago when the Ulster University hospitality graduate decided on a change in career direction. She had been working at a Donegal hotel for the summer following her graduation. “It was almost like Fawlty Towers,” she recalls. “It only opened for the season, and they threw everything at it. We worked morning ‘til night for seven days a week.” Then Feeney spotted an unusual job advert for a Director of First Impressions – receptionist – with Claremount Chartered Accountants in Derry. Not only was she intrigued by the advert, she was attracted by the idea of a nine-to-five job. “The Managing Partner, Gary Heaney, was very much ahead of his time and open to new ideas. That was my first exposure to an accountancy practice. I got to see just how important accountancy is. I saw clients coming in worried about something and coming out feeling okay. The impression I got was that accountants solved their problems for them.” Path to accountancy Her experience at Claremount Chartered Accountants set Feeney on a new path. “I asked the Managing Partner if the practice would put me through the accountancy exams and he said yes.” She qualified as a Chartered Accountant in November 2004 and stayed with the practice until the end of her contract in June 2005. “It was a fantastic journey. Gary Heaney didn’t have to say yes. If he had said no, things might be very different.” Feeney’s decision to leave was prompted by a desire to further her career. “I went into industry. I have always been fascinated by business and I wanted to learn about its inner workings.” She went to work for JML Transport in Donegal. “It was quite a significant business at the time. One of the directors, Bríd McLaughlin, was an unbelievable businesswoman. I gained great insights from her on the minute detail of how to run a business well. That was my first exposure to a woman in a senior position in business and it left an impression on me. She was well able to hold her own in a very tough, very male dominated business in an industry with tiny margins. I never would have got those insights had I stayed in practice.” Fate played a hand at that point. While Feeney was on maternity leave with her second child, the company sold off a substantial chunk of its business.  “While on leave, I had local people coming to me asking if I could do their books and VAT and so on. I asked if I could come back two or three days a week and keep on doing the other work. Bríd McLaughlin said yes. I reduced my time with JML over the years and the company eventually became a client. It happened quite organically, there was never a full stop when I jumped into self-employment.” Concept for Kinore The next significant point in Feeney’s journey came about as a result of another newspaper advert, this time from an accountancy practice in Derry looking for an accountant to take on work on a sub-contract basis.  “The accountant had been ill for a year, and it was coming up to UK self-assessment time in January. He had 30 to 40 clients and was struggling to get their tax returns done on time. I drove over, picked up the files and did the work back at home. It worked very well. He then offered to sell me the book of clients and that was really the start of me building my own client book.” Looking after all those clients from home planted a seed. “They didn’t care where it got done so long as it was on time and correct,” Feeney says.  “That was what started the concept of Accountant Online (the former name of Kinore). The website went live in 2011.  “Client numbers were very low at the time. I was doing everything myself, including blogging and web posts and so on. The first call I got was from a company in Cork that wanted me to do their accounts. It was during the recession, and I probably benefited from that. Companies were looking for cost-effective alternatives for everything at the time.” Roll on five years to a discussion in Derry about Brexit. “One of the people there represented an investor who decided to put some money into the business to take a small stake in Accountant Online,” Feeney explains.  “It wasn’t just about the money. The investor brought skills and advice as well. In 2017, I hired our Director of Sales and Marketing, Rose Kervick. Having her coming in at senior level helped to grow the business.  “An accountant has a very narrow set of skills, and you need a broader set to grow a business. Rose really helped in that area. We invested in digital marketing, online client engagement and so on. It has been a super growth journey since. There have been huge learnings on the way and loads of things I did right and didn’t do right.” Business expansion It has been difficult to keep up with the growth of the business at times, Feeney says. “You have to make sure you have the right structures in place. We are accredited to ISO standards and always make sure the quality is correct in areas like cyber and data security. We are also investing in automation and digitalisation.” For her, the key learning has been the importance of having the right people around you. “When you have the right team around you, you can achieve your goals. If you get that right, everything else is doable. The other one is the importance of our clients. We always put our clients at the centre of what we do. We work in partnership with them, we go on a journey with them. That’s our culture.” Looking after the people in the business is also important. “Working remotely can be hard. You don’t have learning by osmosis and water cooler moments. We are intentionally remote, and we invest massively to do it really well. What you save on office space you need to invest in bringing your people together.” Having grown a multi-million euro business while also being a busy mother to three children, Feeney has some advice for other businesswomen.  “It is not possible to grow a business and raise a family without a massive amount of support. You can’t do it on your own. I have had great support in the business and at home. My husband has been a massive support. You need to delegate, delegate, delegate and have the best people around you in all areas.” Looking ahead, she says the future is “growth, growth and growth.” “I am very lucky to have a young, ambitious and driven senior team in the business. They want to grow the business and help the people in it to reach their full potential. We will grow organically in Ireland and will expand into export markets and through acquisitions.”