Down To Business

Bobby is joined Shane Leahy and Ross Kelly of One4Humanity for this week’s Executive Chair.One4Humanity is a registered charity that works to provide aid for victims of armed conflicts and natural disasters.The charity intervenes to meet the needs of people in crisis, while giving special attention to vulnerable groups such as women, the sick and children, ensuring that their basic needs are met.

Bobby hits the streets for his annual broadcast from Grafton Street.Get all the sights and sounds of Dublin's busiest shopping street, at its busiest time of year.Hit 'Listen' for all the atmosphere of a Dublin Christmas.

The Panto is a Christmas tradition for many families, but not a lot is known of the people behind the stage productions.So, Bobby sits down with some of the most experienced minds in the business; Claire Tighe, CEO of TheatreworX; Alan Hughes, Presenter on Ireland AM and renowned pantomime personality; and Robert C. Kelly, one of the industry’s biggest producers.Hit ‘Listen’ to get the inside scoop of this fascinating industry.

Ian sits down with Bobby on the dying days of Christmas to talk about embracing Christmas and forgetting your stress.Whether you’re Scrooge or Santa, this is a chat not to be missed.Hit ‘Listen’ to get all the latest.

It’s last-minute dotcom out there, and people are scrambling to get their presents together, so who better to have on than Conor Pope.Conor Pope is the Buddha of consumer affairs, so all you last minute worries are answered here.Hit ‘Listen’ to get all the best last-minute advice.

Bobby is joined by Joan Mulvihill and Stephen O’Leary to go through all the big business stories.A Guiness shortage in the UK and a new Taoiseach with a target on his back all in the papers today.Hit ‘Listen’ for more.

For something a little different, Bobby is joined by the Piccolo Lasso Choir to get a little festive cheer.The group of teenagers and kids sing some Christmas carols in the studio, so this is a fabulous listenHit ‘Listen’ to get the choir in action

Bobby was joined by the author of ‘Zero Sum’, Charles Hecker which offers a sharp and insightful look at Russia’s economic transformation and its impact on global business.With decades of experience in Russia—from the turbulent 1990s to the collapse of Western business in 2022—Hecker offers a unique perspective on the highs, lows, and lessons for businesses in volatile markets.

Joining Bobby this week for the industry review was:Jackie Spillane, Director of Spillane World Markets Bree Allen, Manager of Ballymaloe Grain Store Sadie Grace, Chair of the Committee for Casual Trading for Henry Street

Lorraine Butler, CEO UK & Ireland, CPM joins Bobby on the Executive Chair this week.

With a Trump presidency on the way and more competition from our neighbours in the EU when it comes to attracting foreign direct investment, where exactly do we stand when it comes to FDI and corporate lending as we close out 2024? John Feeney, CEO, Corporate and Commercial, Bank of Ireland joins Bobby to disclose.

Bobby heads outside to Super Social at Leapardstown Racecourse, a new competitive socialising place suitable for adults, with activities such as interactive darts, golf and shuffleboard. Bobby speaks to Paul Quinn and Dan Begley, co-founders of the new business.

Joining Bobby to roundup the stories making the business pages was Susan HayesCulleton and Doug Keatinge.

John Rooney, MD of Flogas Ireland, joins Bobby on The Executive Chair this week.Flogas is one of Ireland's biggest energy providers, so this is a really interesting chat to hear how the industry has been changing and adapting in recent years.Hit 'Listen' to hear this brilliant conversation.

Bobby sits down with three food producers that are putting a little Christmas twist on their products for the seasonJames Burke, Network Manager of the Dublin Food Chain, Andrew Brady from Garnacha, Kyle Petrie from Open Hive and Laura McCarthy from Drink Botanicals all sit down to discuss their seasonal products.Hit 'Listen' to find out more about these brilliant creators.

Bobby goes out and about to meet the three winners of the EY Entrepreneur of The Year winner.Bobby speak with winner from the International Category, Ivor Queally, chief executive of QK Group South Africa; winners of the Established Category, John, Ruth and David Mackey; and the overall winners, Orlaith Ryan and Sharon Cunningham from Shorla Oncology.Hit 'Listen' to hear about these great entrepreneurs

Earlier in the week, Bobby went out and about at the Arnott's Christmas Market.Five new Irish companies have been given their opportunity to showcase their wares at the market. All part of the Pitch '24 Startup competition.Hit 'Listen' to meet the creators.

Lord Mark Price joins Bobby to discuss the findings in this year's global workplace Report.Lord Mark is the founder of employee happiness platform, WorkL, the former UK Trade Minister and former CEO of Waitrose.Hit 'Listen' to find out why employee's have been happier in 2024than they were in work during the previous year.

Bobby is joined by Ronan Reid, from Cantor Fitzgerald Ireland, and Louisa Meehan, from Woodview HRM to discuss the big business stories in the papers.Fallout from the election, as government formation talks continue and how will Trump presidency hit Ireland?Hit 'Listen' to get all the big business stories

With the ever-changing online landscape and the globalisation of the business world, it has never been more important to reach out and communicate with your customers and clients. But with the explosion of social media in recent years just how hard is it in the world of PR in 2024?Joining Bobby to discuss is:Joanne Byrne, Director of Presence PRDeirdre Waldron, Founder of Fuzion Ann Power of Powerhouse PR

Joining Bobby in the executive chair was Larissa Feeney, CEO & Founder of Kinore.

Joining Bobby to look at the potential Twitter killer 'Bluesky' was Stephen O’Leary of Olytico.

Coaching for Performance is often seen as the bible of coaching manuals. When it was first published, it made its author, Sir John Whitmore, the undisputed leader in the field.Sadly Sir John passed in 2017 but his book has been totally revised  for its 6th edition.The book’s new Co-Author, Tiffany Gaskell, joined Bobby this morning.

Joining Bobby to roundup the stories making the business pages was Caroline Reidy and Conor Faughnan.

Bobby continues his conversations with some of the finalists of this year's EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards this week focusing on the topic of resilience.

Long forecast to be going the way of the home movie rental business, cinemas have stayed the course and traversed some rocky waters in recent years.Indeed, the sector has remained a cornerstone in our social lives despite all the doomsayers and continues to work its way back to pre-Covid levels.Joining Bobby to give him some of their insights into just how our big screens are faring is:Karl Geraghty, Head of Stella CinemasMark Doherty, Owner, Century Cinemas Letterkenny Mark Anderson, Director of Omniplex

Bobby continues his conversations with some of the finalists of this year's EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. To discuss the importance of networking and mentoring when it comes to making business work, Bobby is joined by Damian Young of Zeus Mobility; Duncan O'Toole, Managing Director of Captured Carbon; and Caroline Dunlea of Core Optimisation.

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair this week is Eimear Byrne, Country Lead of SD Worx Ireland.

Web Summit has been taking pace this week. Tech guru Andy O’Donoghue, who has been there, joins Bobby to chat about what’s been going on.

Since retiring in June, Munster and Ireland rugby legend Simon Zebo has been busy finding his feet in the business world. He Joins Bobby to talk about his backing of Ireland's latest addition to the whiskey world - Black Emerald.

Family run businesses are the backbone of almost any economy in the world. Emanuela Rondi, co-author of 'The Family Business Book: A Roadmap for Entrepreneurial Families to Prosper Across Generations' joins Bobby to talk about how families can ensure their businesses are both profitable and harmonious.

Joining Bobby to run through the top business stories form the Saturday papers is Louisa Meehan of Woodview HRM & Robert Whelan of Rockwell Finance who has just won an award for 'Best CEO of a Small Business'

This week in the Executive Chair Mandy was joined by brothers Fergal and Barry Doyle from Arboretum.

We are living in a world where holding an opinion which differs from others may see you coming into conflict with family, friends and work colleagues. If you are a manager. How do you make sure conflict of opinion does not interrupt your business.  Karthik Ramanna, professor of business and public policy at University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government, and author of The Age of Outrage joined Mandy this morning.

In this week’s edition of the industry review we explored the world of sports journalism Joining Mandy to do so was ●      Kieran Cunningham, Chief Sportswriter at the Irish Daily Star●      Cliona Foley, Sportswriter, broadcaster, and podcaster●      John Fallon, Managing Editor of Media West Ireland

On Monday January 20th 2025 Donald Trump will be inaugurated for the second time as the president of the united states after wining a comprehensive victory in elections last Tuesday. With Trumps economic policies aiming to incentivise American business to return home the economic implications for Ireland and the United Kingdom could be potential devasting.Joining us to discuss this further is economist Jim Power and Kathleen Brooks, Research Director At XTB.

MSCI/SCSI Ireland Property Index for the third quarter of 2024 was released last week. One interesting trend that emerged from the index is that retail property prices in the provincial retail sector seem to be increasing in value. Joining Mandy to unpack the variables explaining this is Neil Bannon Executive Chairman of BANNON Property consultancy and Retail Consultant Eddie Shanahan.

Joining Mandy to recap the biggest business stories of the week is Jackie King, Executive Director with IBEC Global and Jon Ihle, Deputy Business Editor with the Sunday Times Ireland.

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair this week is Conrad Digan of Shaws Department Store.

Ciaran Burke from Swoop; Jonathan Larbey from T-Pro; and Stephen Nolan from Nutritics join Bobby to talk about how AI is powering their businesses and streamlining workflows.

To many, perfume is more than a simple beauty product; it is a tool for expression, personal improvement, and a marker of individuality.But while the biggest perfume companies sell their wares in some of the most high-end boutique shopping districts the world over, we here in Ireland have a few select businesses that can also help you make your presence known.Joining Bobby to chat about the perfume business in Ireland is:Joan Woods, Founder and CEO of Waters & Wild PerfumeryLucy Hegarty from La Bougie in Kinsale

Irish economic growth is expected to continue at a moderate pace as the economy nears full capacity but with a growing population and ongoing challenges around planning and infrastructure - not to mention our ever-increasing reliance on FDI - just how secure is our economic position? John FitzGerald, Adjunct Professor in the Department of Economics at Trinity College Dublin joins Bobby to discuss.

Resident tech guru Andy O'Donoghue joins Bobby to talk about how fintech can benefit SMEs.

Joining Bobby to go through the main business stories from the week is Leadership Communications expert, Gina London & Doug Keatinge, Head of Communications at Avolon.

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair is Declan Bolger, CEO of Irish Life

Bobby is joined by Wolfgang Münchau to discuss his new book 'Kaput: The End of the German Miracle'.

Joining Bobby to assess the state of the pub sector is Ronan Lynch, owner of The Swan Bar in Dublin; Gearoid O’Regan, owner of O’Regans pub in Ballyheigue; and Pat Crotty, CEO of the Vintners' Federation of Ireland.

Joining Bobby to talk about her new book 'Unlock Your Leadership Story: How to Build Understanding and Motivate Teams Using Fables and Folktales' is Pat Wadors, Chief People Officer (CPO) of UKG.

Bobby takes a trip out to Valentia Island in Co Kerry to assess how business is faring in what is one of the most picturesque spots in Ireland.

Bobby is joined by Donal Daly, co-author of 'The Customer is the Planet: A handbook for sustainable business'.