Inside Business with Ciaran Hancock

Tourism and air travel have rebounded strongly in 2022 after two years of pandemic restrictions. But both are also facing major issues around pricing, staff and availability of product.Hotelier Lorraine Sweeney and Irish Times Business Affairs Correspondent Mark Paul outline some of the problems faced by the hospitality sector. Ciarán is also joined by aviation expert, Joe Gill of Goodbody, to discuss how airlines across Europe are faring and whether the queuing at Dublin Airport will have a lasting impact on Ireland’s reputation as a tourism destination. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The European Commission says there's a limited risk of another housing bubble developing in Ireland due to stricter rules that have reduced risk in the financial system. The positive finding comes despite the fact that house prices are expected to continue to rise this year. Cliff Taylor gives his views on the matter. Also in today’s episode: after a gap of more than two years, the World Economic Forum has gathered again in Davos, Switzerland. Joe Brennan is there for The Irish Times and tells us what has been happening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Irish Times current affairs editor Arthur Beesley has the latest on the Siteserv deal, following a seven-year inquiry into its sale to a company owned by Denis O’Brien.Plus: Markets correspondent Joe Brennan reports on the Government’s efforts to address the thorny issue of banker’s pay, as it seeks the views of the public on continuing pay restrictions across Irish banks which were bailed out during the financial crisis, as part of a review of the future of the sector. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With rampant inflation, rising interest rates and the continuing war in Ukraine, warnings about the potential for a global economic downturn are getting louder by the day. Ciarán talks to Irish Times writer Cliff Taylor and Washington Correspondent Martin Wall. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With his new company Admatic, chief executive Stuart Fogarty is seeking to disrupt the traditional advertising market in Ireland. It allows clients to buy advertising directly online with the big media companies, cutting out the middleman. Fogarty explains the concept to Ciarán and the traction it has gained in its first five months. He also sounds a warning on the Irish economy, based on the spending levels he’s seeing coming through at Admatic, and they look back at Fogarty’s own storied career in advertising, which involved running two of the biggest ad businesses in Ireland and a brush with the law more than a decade ago. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dalata Hotel Group founder and former chief executive Pat McCann retired last year, after more than half a century in the hotel business. Last week Mr McCann was presented with an award for Distinguished Leadership at the Irish Times Business Awards. Today, he talks to Ciarán about his life and career, as he settles into a very active retirement. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Interpath Advisory, the UK-based corporate restructuring and insolvency firm, is planning to build up a practice in Ireland with 120 staff within the next three to four years, after poaching six partners from KPMG and Deloitte in Ireland. Its chief executive Blair Nimmo talks to Ciarán about Interpath’s ambitious plans for its Irish arm. Plus: Sixty years after it first launched, Golden Discs is opening a brand-new concept store POP! at their flagship Dundrum Town Centre retail unit, to coincide with Record Store Day 2022. Chief executive Stephen Fitzgerald, whose father Jack was one of the founders of Golden Discs in 1962, talks to Ciarán about POP!, vinyl’s renaissance and the future of one of Ireland’s best-known retail brands. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pat Davitt of the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers talks to Ciarán Hancock about the impact of rent controls on the Irish market.And The Irish Times investigative reporter Colm Keena explains the links between a company in Sandyford, Dublin and one of Vladimir Putin’s closest associates.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The economy is being affected by several strong trends - where will those trends take us in the year ahead? Cliff Taylor looks at the latest Central Bank growth forecast, inflation, and other economic threats posed by the war in Ukraine. The end of this month will see the return of the Pendulum Summit to Dublin after a pandemic hiatus. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is among the big names appearing at the annual business and self-empowerment event. Pendulum founder and former Irish rugby international Frankie Sheahan talks to Ciaran about what it takes to attract big names to the summit and what attendees can expect this year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Monday, VHI took the insurance market by surprise by announcing rebates to customers and a price cut to premiums that will take effect in May. So what has brought about these changes and what will rival companies do? Health insurance expert Dermot Goode from Totalhealthcover.ie joins Ciaran Hancock to discuss this latest development in the market. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.