Inside Business with Ciaran Hancock

This week on Inside Business host Ciarán Hancock is joined in studio by Gary McGann, a grandee of Irish business whose many roles included being chief executive of drinks group Gilbeys, Aer Lingus and packaging group Smurfit. Born and raised in Dublin, Gary actually began his career in the civil service, with the Comptroller & Auditor General. He studied at night to become an accountant and later moved into the private sector, rising up the ranks and moving around to eventually become CEO of Smurfit in 2002.He has also had a busy career as a non-executive director, including roles with Anglo Irish Bank at the time of its collapse, and with bakery goods group Arytza, at a challenging time for that business. We covered a lot of ground in this interview. You’ll hear Gary talk about his childhood, his time in school and a couple of false starts in university. We also take a deep dive into his business careers, the highs and the lows. And he gives Ciarán his perspective on the current state of the Irish economy, and what we could be doing better. Along with some tips for young business leaders starting out in their careers. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s episode of Inside Business sees host Ciarán Hancock joined in studio by Niall Tallon, chief executive of Irish telecoms group Imagine. A minor in the Irish market, the company recently made a bold move offering cheap fibre broadband products along with a promise not to increase those prices for the next five years. This is designed to double its customer base by 2030 as part of a multi-million investment in growing the business. It’s a brave strategy given that Imagine has just 35,000 existing customers and big competitors such as Eir, Vodafone, Three and Virgin Media who control a large chunk of the market between them.Niall explains how the offer will work and the business case behind it, as well as discussing the company’s Armenian owners and how he came to run a telco with a chequered history that was originally founded by the late Irish entrepreneur Sean Bolger. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s guest on Inside Business is Tom O’Brien, group chief executive of Nephin Energy. Nephin owns 43 per cent of the Corrib gas field off the west coast of Ireland and also has ambitious plans to develop a network of agri-based biomethane plants across the country. While gas is a polluting fuel it continues to be an important part of our energy mix. Tom joins host Ciarán Hancock in studio to talk about the chances of extending the lifetime of the Corrib field, why biomethane is a potential win-win for the country, the future of offshore wind as a natural resource for Ireland, and whether gas prices are likely to go up or down over the next couple of years. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is research from Brussels think tank Transport & Environment suggesting that plug-in hybrids are just as polluting as petrol cars. Neil Briscoe is a motoring expert and writes extensively on this for The Irish Times. And given his knowledge of motoring and our transition to EVs, were the findings a surprise to him? In the second part of the podcast, host Ciarán Hancock speaks to Cliff Taylor of The Irish Times about an upgrade to Irish growth forecasts by stockbroker Goodbody and some research from Ibec on hybrid working, suggesting that employees are expected to attend the office on more days each week. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Inside Business host Ciarán Hancock is joined in studio by Billy Hann, chief executive of Dublin Bus, the biggest public transport company in our capital city. He joined the State-owned operator almost three years ago after a long career with the Irish Aviation Authority and is charged with leading a company that now transports more than 160 million passengers a year. He has a busy agenda, with challenges including difficulties in the recruitment of drivers and mechanics, traffic congestion, the switch to a fleet of EVs, and countering anti-social behaviour. Billy also discusses how Dublin Bus was currently performing and whether the busy Christmas period was a positive or negative for the company. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ciarán Hancock is joined by guests to pore over the main elements of Budget 2026. The €9.4 billion package includes a minimum wage increase of 65c to €14.15c per hour, a €10 across-the-board increase to core weekly welfare payments, but no once-offs like double child benefit payments and electricity credits. On the panel:Cliff Taylor, Managing Editor, The Irish TimesFrank O’Neill, Tax Partner, EY IrelandSean Collender, President of the Restaurants Association of IrelandEllen Coyne, Political Correspondent, The Irish Times Produced by John Casey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ireland’s national soccer team will slide down the international rankings unless significant investment is made in the League of Ireland’s academy system, according to the league’s director Mark Scanlon.He has submitted a proposal to the Department of Finance ahead of Tuesday’s budget requesting €4m annually, rising to €8m after two years to be spread across Ireland’s 26 soccer academies.Mr Scanlon said the system in Ireland remains heavily reliant on volunteers, stunting the sport’s growth despite years of strong audiences and revenues.His plan includes three new full-time roles directing academy soccer across Ireland.On today’s podcast Ciarán Hancock is joined by Mr Scanlon and Irish Times Soccer Correspondent Gavin Cummiskey.Produced by Declan Conlon and Andrew McNair, with JJ Vernon on sound.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Pittsburgh Steelers will play the Minnesota Vikings at Croke Park this weekend in the first regular-season NFL game to take place on Irish shores.Dublin is now part of a growing roster of cities outside the United States hosting lucrative NFL games. Irishman Paul Holland has worked in the sports marketing industry for many years and has charted the financial rise of the NFL and how it dwarfs other sports. He joined host Ciarán Hancock in studio to discuss the financial impact of this game coming to Dublin. Plus, last week Donald Trump surprised us all by slapping a $100,000 fee on a key foreign worker visa used by Big Tech companies in Silicon Valley. Colin Gleeson covered the story and joined Ciarán in studio to discuss its implications for Big Tech firms and for Irish workers based in Silicon Valley. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First up on the Inside Business podcast this week, the rift between the board of the DAA, the State-owned operator of Dublin and Cork airports, and its CEO Kenny Jacobs. The Irish Times reported yesterday that a deal has been agreed between the two sides that will see Jacobs leave his role early with a €1m exit package. Joe Brennan and Martin Wall of The Irish Times have been covering the story and joined host Ciarán Hancock in studio to discuss the background to the rift. Also on the podcast, Conor Pope, Irish Times Consumer Affairs Correspondent, discusses new research from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, which shows that one in four Irish adults have no financial arrangements in place for their retirement. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the budget just under a month away, what will ministers Paschal Donohoe and Jack Chambers deliver on October 7th?The one-off cost-of-living measures of recent budgets may be discontinued, but what will be in their place to help families feeling the pinch? Will there be tax cuts? And what can renters and those looking to buy a home expect?Cliff Taylor of The Irish Times joined host Ciarán Hancock in studio to discuss.Plus, the three main Irish banks this week launched Zippay, an instant payments feature that they hope will launch next year. But will it be enough to win the battle with Revolut for Irish people’s digital wallets, especially as Revolut already has 3m Irish customers.Irish digital banking expert and CEO at InclusionFS, Brian Carroll, has helped to launch neobanks in a number of countries and he joined Ciarán on the line to discuss the timing of the launch and whether the Irish banks can beat Revolut at their own game.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.