Down To Business

The Global Economic Summit 2025 is taking place at The Europe Hotel in Kerry on 26-28 May. The weekend retreat will host a number of economic heavy hitters from around the globe, including NASA’s first chief economist, Alex MacDonald, who joins Bobby to chat about the economics of space flight.

Bobby was out & about at The Flight Club, an establishment that combines a fine cocktail & food menu with high-tech social darts.

 When it comes to our green spaces, the more attention we give them, the more we get out of them.And what with the nice weather we’ve been having this week, Bobby thought it would be timely to explore the realities of working in garden design with three of Ireland’s leading lights in this space.Joining Bobby is:Renowned garden designer, Diarmuid GavinIngrid Smyth of Ingrid Smyth Garden DesignAlan Rudden of Alan Rudden Garden Design

It's an uncertain time for business with talk of tariffs and trade wars, not to mention that businesses are finding that they need to focus on sustainability, but how are businesses interacting with banks? Michael Lauhoff, Head of Specialist Banking - Corporate & Commercial Banking at Bank of Ireland.

Joining Bobby to go through the main business stories from the Saturday papers is Stephen O’Leary of Olytico & Joan Mulvihill, Digitization Lead at Siemens.

It is sad to say but there is still some hesitancy around allowing women to realise their full potential in the workplace. Elizabeth Willets has made challenging these perceptions and helping women maximize their careers a passion. Her new book Flex is a practical guide in negotiating today’s work spaces where flexible work can become more than a buzz word. 

Joining Bobby on the Executive Chair this week is Adrienne O'Sullivan - CEO ARAG Legal Protection Ltd

Bobby's guests this week were Vinny Browne from Charlie Byrne's Bookshop, Liam Donnelly, Bookshop Manager with Hodges Figgis & Louisa Earls, General Manager of Books Upstairs.

Bobby spoke to Cliff Taylor of the Irish Times about Market Turmoil in the US

Bobby went out to meet Anne Marie Feighery of Feighery's Farm

Susan Hayes Culleton and Declan Ralph sat down with Bobby to talk through all the business stories hitting the headlines.

Zoe Sinclair, founder of Employees Matter, joins Down to Business to share why companies need to take staff wellbeing seriously — and how her work helps bridge the gap between work and life.Listen here.

Paul Candon of United Hardware, Sean Moran of Home Project Centre, and Colin Baker of Decwells Expert Hardware join Down to Business for this week’s Industry Review — looking at the hardware and DIY sector amid rising costs and shifting consumer habits.Listen here.

Cathal Friel, pharmaceutical entrepreneur and founder of Raglan Capital, joins Down to Business to explain why Trump’s trade talk is making waves in Ireland’s life sciences sector.Listen here.

Bobby visits the Diamond Rocks Café in Kilkee to find out how a seasonal seaside business manages to stay open all year round.Listen here.

Norah Casey, broadcaster and businesswoman, and James Loutit of Impactful Ltd join Down to Business to review the week’s biggest business stories and what’s making the headlines in today’s papers.Listen here.

Dominc McGrath of the Business Post sits down with Bobby to go through how the UK will cope in the face of President Trump's tariffs.LIsten Here

The performance arts help us to foster creativity, communication, and collaboration while also providing a platform for self-expression and community building. We here in Ireland have a strong tradition in this space, and so Bobby wanted to get a sense of how the next generation of dancers, actors, and musicians are coming along.Joining Bobby to discuss is:Will Wollen, Director & CEO of Gaiety School of ActingAidan Curran, Music Director with the School of Rock Samantha Lyons, Artistic Director with The College of Dance

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair is Eamonn Brennan, former Chief Executive of the Irish Aviation Authority,

Power is something that most people strive for in their lives, but it can also be a difficult and sometimes toxic partner that changes everyone who holds it. So, how can we better understand it and have a healthier relationship with it? Nik Kinley, author of 'The Power Trap: How Leadership Changes People, and What to Do About It', joins Bobby to discuss.

Tech guru Andy O'Donoghue joins Bobby to chat about the looming sale of TikTok’s US operations.

Defying the logic of decades of economic trade policy, Donald Trump had been doubling down on his hugely damaging reciprocal tariff plans. But, in an unforeseen turn of events and with the exception of China, a 90 pause has been initiated, which has given markets a welcome reprieve. Joining Bobby to make sense of it all is Peter Goodman, Global Economic Correspondent with The New York Times & author of ‘How the World Ran Out of Everything: Inside the Global Supply Chain’.

Joining Bobby to go through the main business stories from the Saturday papers is Gina London from The Language of Leadership & Robert Whelan of Rockwell Finance.

Joining Bobby this morning in the executive chair was John F Concannon CEO JFC Group

Joining Bobby this week out and about was food futurist Charles Banks.

Joining Bobby for this week's industry review was: Vincent Brady of Rathbornes Mark Van den Bergh Creative Director of Max Benjamin Lisa Barnett, Owner of The Irish Chandler

Joining Bobby this morning was Newstalk's own Emmet Oliver to talk about his new book.

Joining Bobby this morning to recap the business stories making the headlines was Caroline Reidy and Doug Keatinge.

Joining Bobby to explain how Trump's tariffs are impacting businesses and markets was Simon MacAllister, Co Head of Geopolitical strategy at EY Ireland and Corporate Finance Partner, Economist Cormac McCarthy, and Pat Rigney of the Shed Distilery.

A new book reveals how working backwards can help you work smarter and live better.Bobby was joined by Author Tim Duggan to speak about his new book, and a perhaps revolutionary way to look at work-life balance.

Lisa O’Connell shares her journey from primary teacher to CEO of Forus Training with Bobby Kerr.Get the whole conversation here.

Pat Conway from Smokin’ Soul in Wexford, Catherine Fulvio, from Ballyknocken House, Farm & Cookery School and Darina Allen from Ballymaloe Cookery School talk about the business of teaching people to cook.Listen to our Industry Review here.

Charlie Taylor, Technology and Innovation Editor at The Business Post discusses how the music giant is reshaping the industry and why some artists are pushing back.Get all the latest here.

Economist, Jim Power and Cormac Lucey, Chartered accountant and Economics columnist Sunday Times (Ireland) explain what the incoming U.S. tariffs mean for Ireland.Listen here.

Businesswoman and broadcaster, Norah Casey, and Louisa Meehan from Woodview HRM. join Bobby Kerr on Down to Business to break down the biggest business stories of the day.Get all the week’s business news here.

Ireland has committed to halving its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2050 but with those ambitions comes a lot of hard work and graft. So, what are the challenges facing homeowners when it comes to making their homes more energy efficient and how are the businesses involved keeping up with demand? For this week's Industry Review Bobby was joined by Martin Grogan, Director of Green Energy Homes, Briain Kelly, Editor with Energy Efficiency Ireland & David Walsh, Owner of Energy Efficient Homes.

On this week's Executive Chair Bobby spoke to Stephen Faloon, General Manager, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre.

James Louttit, Author of Leading Impactful Teams is an award-winning project manager. He has also seen the stress that comes with managing large projects as you juggle timelines, budgets, and stakeholder expectations. He joined Bobby to discuss his new book

It has been something Irish customers have been wishing for since they clicked a mouse - Amazon.ie saw daylight this week but what will it mean to both consumers and businesses? One man has all the Answers. Conor Pope, the Consumer Correspondent from The Irish Times joined Anton to discuss.

Tesla has seen its sales across the U.S., China, and Europe decline in recent months and its stock price dropped almost 50% from a mid-December peak. Is all of this down to Elon Musk mixing business with politics and if so, what can the company do to stem the tide? Adrian Wecker from the Irish Independent spoke to Anton

Joining Bobby to recap the business papers is Robert Whelan of Rockwell Finance & journalist and author, Valerie Cox.

The AI Leadership Institute is an organization founded in 2015 to help businesses and individuals understand and implement artificial intelligence responsibly. That’s nearly 10 years ago and its founder Noelle Russell has spent most of her recent career advising businesses how to use AI. She has distilled all this in her latest book Scaling Responsible AI: From Enthusiasm to Execution. And she joined Bobby earlier.

Joining Bobby in the executive chair this week is marketing guru Gary Brown.

Karen O'Reilly of Employ flex joins Bobby to examine what 'hybrid' working actually means.

Spring is finally here with longer days, warmer evenings, and lots of life and colour on show. Bobby was joined by three fruit & veg business owners to chat about some of the challenges the variability of Irish seasons can bring. Joining me is:Eamon Crean of Greenhills Fruit Farm WexfordTom Keogh of Keogh’s Farm in DublinMichael Kelly, founder of GIY (Grow It Yourself)

Joining Bobby to look at the property market is Liz O'Kane.

Joining Bobby was the author of 'There's Nothing Like This: The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift', Kevin Evers.

Bobby is joined by Mark Wilkinson, co-author of 'Money Remixed', a guide designed to reshape your mindset, redefining your relationship with money, and unlocking the abundant life you've always desired.

Is Dublin retail in a state of decline or is it simply a changing of the guard? Joining Bobby to discuss is Neil Bannon of Bannon, Ireland’s largest independently owned commercial property consultancy & Vinny O'Brien, e-commerce and marketplace consultant.

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair this week is Katie Farrell & Matthew Coffey of Dublin-based loyalty app, Squid.