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| TCH Archives > Sunday Business Post > 2005/01/09 > Forty under 40 | ||
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Sunday, January 09, 2005 -
The Sunday Business Post profiles 40 people under 40 in the worlds of business, sport, music, politics, media and arts. They are likely to be the movers and shakers who will define the country's culture, politics, style and economics in 2005 and beyond.
SPORT: Gordon D'Arcy
Age: 24
Why: Having made his international debut in 1999, he came close to being left without a contract by Leinster after a dip in form. He has rebounded to become one of the best game breakers in world rugby.
The centre made a huge breakthrough this year, providing an extra dynamic to Ireland's back play. His low centre of gravity and quick feet enable him to keep making yards after being tackled, and he made a superb try-saving tackle on winger Ben Cohen to help ensure Ireland's victory over England in Twickenham. That win proved crucial to Ireland's eventual Triple Crown victory.
He was voted best player of the Six Nations championship and was shortlisted for the International Rugby Board's world player of the year award.
What's next? A place in the Lions squad to tour New Zealand is a certainty, while a place in the Test side itself is probably his to lose.
Padraig Harrington
Age: 32
Why? The Dubliner is probably Ireland's best chance of landing a victory in the Majors. His love of practice is legendary and this work ethic has helped make him one of the best players in the world. In a recent appearance on the Late Late Show, Harrington sounded confident that this would be a great year. This time last year he said: “I can't build on confidence. I build on fear.” His use of US sports psychologist Bob Rotella should help with the change of mindset.
Harrington won his European Tour card for 1996. In his first nine events on the tour, he made the cut each time and even managed his first win, the Spanish Open. He also secured five other top ten finishes in that time. He finished the year 11th in the Order of Merit, a remarkable achievement for a rookie.
What's next? Harrington's ambition is to enter the world top five this year and, having sorted out his swing problems, he says he has no more excuses. A victory in one of the Majors is a realistic target.
Willo Flood
Age: 19
Why? It would have been easier to pick Aiden McGeady or Stephen Elliott, both of whom have already won international caps, but Flood has been regarded as the next big thing in Irish football for the last three years.
Picking wingers to succeed is notoriously difficult, as many of their careers begin brightly before dipping, as opponents figure out their tricks. Fortunately for Flood, the success of fellow youngster Shaun Wright-Phillips on the right wing shows that Manchester City is willing to nurture players like him.
The Ballyfermot native, who has already been tagged as the next Damien Duff, has made eight appearances for City this season, including five starts and two goals.
He scored on his full debut against Barnsley and again in his Premiership debut against Norwich. He also played in the scoreless draw with local rivals United at Old Trafford.
His versatility is a big attribute.
He has played right wing, central midfield and up front for Ireland and has played right back, right wing back, right wing and central midfield for City.
What next? Once described by Brian Kerr as Ireland's “most exciting young player'‘, he probably needs to develop his upper body strength.
His next challenge will be claiming a regular place in the first team at City and then earning a place in the senior international squad.
The O hAilpin brothers
Age: Between 19 and 26
Why? Brothers Sean Og, Setanta, Teu and Aisake are possibly the most famous family in GAA at the moment.
Sean Og was immortalised by Micheal O Muircheartaigh with the words: “Sean Og O hAilpin: his father's from Fermanagh, his mother's from Fiji, neither a hurling stronghold.” The eldest brother secured his second All-Star award last year, after playing a key role in Cork's All-Ireland triumph.
The Irish Times described Sean Og and Setanta as two of the greatest hurlers of their generation, but Setanta has since decided to play Australian Rules football and joined Melbourne club Carlton.
Teu was part of the Robert Emmetts team that won the London hurling final in October and youngest brother Aisake was a key part of the Na Piarsaigh team that won the Cork county title last year. Aisake has since joined Setanta at Carlton.
What's next? Setanta and Aisake will play for Carlton this year.
Aisake would have been pushing for a place in the Cork intercounty hurling panel this year if he had decided to stay. Sean Og will captain the Cork hurling team this year.
Neil Callanan
PROPERTY: Una McQuillan
Age: 34
Why? In two years, this young architect set up her own company, took charge of some of the most talked-about buildings in Dublin and designed her own house.
After completing her architecture studies at the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, McQuillan spent a year in San Francisco. She travelled to Barcelona to work with MF Kent, and was involved in designing apartments in the Olympic village. She returned to Ireland in 1995, initially working for Building Design Partnership on the renovation of Connolly Station.
In 1998, she formed her own company, the all female-staffed McQuillan Architects (MQA). “I love being out on my own, but there is a little more stress,” she said.
What's next? MQA will be in charge of the design of a new franchise store, Budda Bag, which is set to have stores across Ireland and Britain.
“It's great being involved in the interior design as well as the architecture because you get to see the final dream finished, and that's what makes it special.”
Niamh Egan
Simon Kelly
Age: 33
Why? Kelly handles negotiations for his family's development company Redquartz and for several of its joint venture partners. He is also involved in the Prem Group and will help source properties for a new €200 million property fund set up by the Kelly family and Niall McFadden, an independent financier.
He is involved in the €450 million development on the west side of Smithfield in Dublin, which is due to be completed this year. He is a shareholder in the Sanovitae gym chain along with fellow developer Alan McCormack and Irish canoeist and kayaker Karl Dunne.
In 2003, Kelly bought the Irish Nationwide headquarters on Camden Street, Dublin 2, for €7 million, along with David Kelly (no relation) and retailer Noel Smith.
What's next? Will continue to grow the family property business, sourcing investment properties, increasing the number of Spar outlets owned by Retail Opportunities and growing a telecom business.
The family's joint venture also plans to expand Arnotts.
Neil Callanan
Noel Jr and Mark Elliott
Age: 32 and 33
Why? Family company P Elliott & Co is probably the fastest growing contracting and development company in the country. Turnover in 2003 was more than €130 million.
P Elliott & Co was founded in 1942 by the late Patrick Elliott, father of chairman Noel Elliott. Mark is managing director of the property division and Noel is managing director of the construction division.
The company has branched into property development and is developing the Forbes Quay complex in Dublin and planning a major mixed-use development at Ushers Quay, near Heuston Station.
Shareholders' funds at Elliott Holdings, the family holding company, rose almost 25 per cent to €19.4 million at the end of 2003. It had turnover of €136.7 million in the 12 months to the end of December 2003.
What's next? Will continue to grow the company's contracting business and an increased number of development projects are likely to be the brothers' targets.
Neil Callanan
Aidan Brooks
Age: 34
Why? Brooks has a property development business in Limerick and is one of the most active Irish investors in Britain.
Last year, he made headlines by teaming up with horse-racing magnates John Magnier and JP McManus to buy Unilever House in London and the House of Fraser department store in Manchester at a combined cost of €390 million.
Brooks started out fitting television aerials before buying his first Georgian property in Limerick and renovating it into flats. He used the rental income to buy a second building.
He eventually bought a derelict site in the city at Howley's Quay, secured tax designation for it and used the secured income to bankroll his investment business.
What's next? Expect him to continue to make high-profile acquisitions, particularly sale and leaseback deals with fixed annual rental increases.
Neil Callanan
ARTS: Jonathan Rhys-Meyers
Age: 27
Why: With his ability to portray a diverse array of characters, Rhys-Meyers is set to take over from Colin Farrell as the Irish jewel in the Hollywood crown. His unique acting style has earned acclaim from fans and critics.
He claims that acting and his motivation to accomplish something saved his life. His father abandoned his mother when he was two-and-a-half. He spent time in an orphanage and was kicked out of school aged 16.
His first film was a year later in A Man of No Importance with Albert Finney and he has since featured in Michael Collins, Velvet Goldmine and the international hit Bend it Like Beckham, among others.
What's next? He is in Oliver Stone's Alexander and will be seen this year in Mira Nair's Vanity Fair. He will also play the title role in Elvis, a four-hour CBS mini series, due to air in May.
“He was the first person I'd ever thought of for the role,” said executive producer Howard Braunstein. “He has the physical look and the style that embody Elvis, the sweetness and the sex appeal.”
Kate Betts
Age: 34
Why: Betts is one of the top print makers in Ireland. Her work is semi-abstract and employs a photographic etching process, though drawing is an integral part of her work. She believes there is a duality at the heart of all her experiences and she tries to reproduce this in her work.
Betts received a BA hons in fine art from the University of Northumbria. She is now based in Dublin and is a member of the Black Church Print Studio. Betts has taken part in shows worldwide, including in Paris, London and New York.
Her work can be seen in Dublin's National Concert Hall.
What's next? Betts will be taking part in the Punch exhibition in London from February 22 until April 3. She will be showing 12 to 15 pieces at the show. Her work is constantly on show at the Original Print Gallery in Temple Bar and she will also be taking place in a Bank of Ireland
exhibition later in the year.
Linda Maher
Eva Birthistle
Age: 31
Why: This Bray-born actress won Best Performance in a British Independent Film in 2004, and has been named one of European film's shooting stars by European Film Productions.
Birthistle's big break came when she starred alongside Robson Green in the British drama, Trust, in 2003. She also spent three years in Glenroe as Regina Crosbie and acted in Bloody Sunday, the documentary-drama with James Nesbitt.
In 2004, she had a leading role in Ken Loach's cross-cultural love story, Ae Fond Kiss. Birthistle played an Irish Catholic schoolteacher who falls in love with a Glaswegian Asian.
What's next? Another busy and successful year is on the cards for this actress as more dramas unfold and job offers flow in. “If Hollywood comes knocking on the door, I'll say c'mon in, have a cup of tea,” the actress has said.
Damien O'Donnell
Age: 33
Why? Inside I'm Dancing was one of the most acclaimed films of 2004 and followed the success of this Dublin-born director's debut film, East is East.
O'Donnell once said: “I did try to get to Hollywood, but when I got there the door was closed.”
He graduated from Colaiste Dhulaigh in Coolock in 1991 and directed the successful Irish short film, 35 Aside, in 1995. O'Donnell's East is East won Best British Film at the 1999 Bafta awards.
Inside I'm Dancing, a major hit in 2004, concerned a young man with cerebral palsy who is encouraged to experience life outside the confines of the system.
“Comedy is something I enjoy immensely, and the truth is, it's an easier sell to an audience,” O'Donnell said.
What's next? O'Donnell will take a bow on the international stage when Inside I'm Dancing premieres in the United States at this year's Sundance Festival.
Future celluloid success beckons.
Paul Murray
Age: 30
Why? The novelist was tipped as one of the publishing sensations of 2003. His first book, An Evening of Long Goodbyes, was shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award and the Hughes & Hughes/Sunday Independent Irish Novel of the Year Award.
The Whitbread judges praised its “extraordinary wit and dexterity . . . big, convoluted, with a cast of engaging characters.”
What's next? He is completing the first draft of his second novel, which he says is a much longer, darker book. “It's set in a posh school and mostly features 13-year-old kids and their conversations,” Murray said.
He hopes his book will be ready for publication in late 2006, and after that says with some relief that he will be working on a “much shorter book'‘.
John Boyne
Age: 33
Why: Boyne's writing career kicked off at 21, when he was studying English at Trinity College Dublin. His first short story was published and subsequently shortlisted for a Hennessy Literary Award.
He has written three novels, The Thief of Time (2000), The Congress of Rough Riders (2001) and Crippen (2004).
Boyne completed a masters in creative writing at the University of East Anglia, where he was awarded the Curtis Brown prize. He considers writing his day job – “I'm not the tortured artist, I just get on with it'‘ – and has just signed a deal for his first children's novel, The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas.
“It has opened up new avenues, and using your imagination to write for children is very liberating,” he said. “I plan now to write more children's books in tandem with my novels.”
Further deals are in place with publishers in the US, France, Italy and Norway, with further foreign language deals expected in 2005.
What next? Boyne has been awarded the Writing Fellowship at the University of East Anglia and begins as writer in residence there tomorrow. His next novel for adults will be published by Penguin in early 2006.
Niamh Egan
BUSINESS: Gene Murtagh
Age: 34
Why? On January 1, Gene Murtagh became the youngest chief executive officer of a publicly-quoted company on the Irish Stock Exchange when he took over the reins at building materials group Kingspan.
Murtagh, whose father Eugene is chairman of Kingspan, joined the group in 1993. After working in several divisions of the group, he was appointed to the board of directors in 1999.
The young executive then managed the Cavan group's insulated panels division and its environmental containers division. In September 2003, Murtagh was appointed chief operating officer.
What's next? Murtagh's meteoric rise to the top puts him in charge of an expanding business that is valued by the stock market at €1.2 billion.
With over a decade's involvement in the business behind him, Murtagh will provide both continuity and new energy as the group continues to expand, particularly in eastern Europe.
The wider Murtagh family's stake in Kingspan is worth close to €400 million.
Ed Micheau
David Drumm
Age: 37
Why? Almost a year ago, this newspaper received a call from a well-known developer following the publication of an interview with David Drumm.
“You were talking to a future chief executive there you know,” he said.
Nobody could have guessed how quickly he would be proved right.
Last September, Anglo announced that Drumm had been promoted over the heads of others and was the new chief executive officer designate. Drumm will succeed Sean FitzPatrick, who built the bank and oversaw massive expansion in recent years, later this month.
A chartered accountant, he joined Anglo in 1993 after a number of years in the venture capital industry. He worked in Anglo's banking division in Dublin before moving to the United States in 1998 to set up the US banking division.
He returned to Ireland in 2003 as divisional director and head of banking for both the Dublin and US banking divisions.
What's next? A settling period inevitably follows for Drumm but he will be expected to continue the bank's growth.
He has reaffirmed the group's long-term objective of doubling profits over four to five years and delivering annual growth in the region of 15 to 20 per cent in the medium term.
As first reported in this newspaper, the bank is also considering rolling out its corporate foreign exchange sales division along the east coast of the United States.
Neil Callanan
Patrick Kennedy
Age: 35
Why? Kennedy became chief financial officer of Greencore, the sugar to convenience food producer, at the ripe old age of 32.
The company is the largest producer of fresh sandwiches in Europe. It is involved in everything including mineral water, desserts, ready-made meals, sauces, pizza, quiche and cakes.
Kennedy previously held the position of group development director, before being promoted to chief financial officer following the retirement of Kevin O'Sullivan in 2001. He has been behind the disposal or closure of 30 business units since Greencore bought the British company Hazlewood Foods three years ago.
Before joining Greencore he worked with McKinsey and Law Management Consultants in London, Dublin and Amsterdam and KPMG Corporate Finance in Dublin. He graduated with a B Comm from UCD.
What's next? He plans to increase the company's share price, which has lagged the market, and boost margins in its convenience food business.
Neil Callanan
Jerry Henchy
Age: 39
Why? The Dairygold boss is presiding over a plan to turn the country's largest dairy co-op around, a strategy that has resulted in the workforce being cut by almost half over the past two years. It has also moved into the homewares and DIY sectors, one of the fastest growing sectors of the retail market in Ireland.
His strategy is not without its critics.
Last year, Tony Lewis, the Mitchelstown Business Association chairman, said: “Dairygold is being dismantled almost on a daily basis, hundreds of jobs are going month by month and the economy of north Cork is being devastated.”
Minister Michael Ahern criticised the relocation of 120 staff from Mitchelstown and Mallow to Cork city. However, the farmers who own Dairygold are giving Henchy their full backing.
Henchy was previously responsible for Kerry Group's manufacturing base and market development in South America and prior to that had similar responsibilities in Mexico.
He worked in sales and business unit management roles in the US for Kerry Group and graduated with an honours degree in dairy science from UCC in 1989.
What's next? He will continue to merge businesses within the group. Dairygold's milk processing activities are also expected to be rationalised.
Neil Callanan
Jay Bourke and Eoin Foyle
Age: 37 and 36
Why? The duo seem to have their hands on the pulse of what makes the 18 to 35-year-old leisure market tick. Their Cafe Bar Deli concept has proven hugely successful, showing exactly how Bewley's should have adapted to changing customer needs.
“We do intend to do more Cafe Bar Delis, we will try to expand it a bit,” said Foyle. “We also had the Odessa club opening recently and that has 300 members and is attracting huge interest. We'll work on it over the next 12 months.
“We also reopened the Savoy nightclub in Cork last month which had been closed for a year.”
Their other ventures in Dublin include restaurants Eden and Odessa, pubs The Globe and Gubu and nightclub Ri Ra.
They sold the lease of The Front Lounge in Temple Bar for about €2.5 million last year. They are also involved in the Savoy nightclub and the hugely successful Bodega pub in Cork.
What's next? A move into the accommodation business. After reopening a guest house on South Great George's Street, they and their partner in the venture, John Reynolds, are planning to turn the shop on the ground floor into an extension of the Market Bar.
The trio are also planning to open a 40-bedroom boutique hotel at Bellinter House near Navan, Co Meath. They paid €3 million for the property last year and will convert the 18th century Palladian mansion on 14 acres into a hotel with a spa, cinema and restaurant.
Neil Callanan
Emmet Daly
Age: 33
Why? Emmet Daly was aged just 26 when he left a “lovely little number'‘ in a pensions consultancy to become a pioneer in Dublin's burgeoning coffee shop sector.
Almost seven years later, his profitable Cafe Sol chain has ten outlets in Dublin with 65 staff and sales due to hit €5 million in the financial year to the end of March.
The company has grown, not just by opening new stores, but through clever products, such as food platters, chilled coffee, home-baked products and regularly-updated sandwich and soup lines.
“Everyone is playing down one road – we just take a slightly different one,” said Daly. He owns 90 per cent of the business, with the remainder held by his father.
What's next? Daly said Cafe Sol would sit tight at its current size until the middle of this year, as the sector was “slightly heated'‘, leading to high property prices.
While he said Cafe Sol was “not really a long-term plan company'‘, one thing is clear – the intention “ain't to sell'‘, but to continue growing.
Gavin Daly
MUSIC: David Holmes
Age: 35
Why? Because the former hairdresser from Belfast has gone from being a pioneering and sometimes infuriating DJ into one of Hollywood's favourite movie soundtrack composers. Brad Pitt is a fan and Matt Damon recently described his score for the upcoming Ocean's Twelve movie as “just amazing. It's the exact right music for the movie at every turn.”
Holmes teamed up again with director Steven Soderbergh for Ocean's Twelve, their relationship having begun on Out of Sight, and continuing through to the remake of Ocean's Eleven, a huge hit that grossed US$450 million.
He also did the score to Resurrection Man, a dark film set in Belfast.
Until recently Holmes' reputation was as a DJ, particularly in the acid house and techno scenes. His debut album, 1995's This Films Crap Lets Slash the Seats, showed potential.
Let's Get Killed (1997), in particular the single My Mate Paul, brought him into mainstream consciousness.
What's next? The release of the Ocean's 12 soundtrack will cement Holmes' reputation as one of the best movie score composers around.
Holmes took old obscure Italian and French soundtracks and sent them to director Steve Soderbergh to help design the overall feel of the film.
“When I got to LA to see the film for the first time, I was thinking oh my God, I mean all this music is so great and I actually panicked a little bit because I thought there's no way I can better this,” he recently told MTV.
“In the end, when I look at it, how we did better it is because it has continuity and the music was made for the film. Every single sound was tailored to every single movement in every single scene. Steven said to me, ‘I give you permission to ‘psychedelise' this movie'. It freed me up to be much more interesting with the music.”
Neil Callanan
Snow Patrol
Age: various
Why? Because the release of Final Straw, one of the album's of 2004, gave them huge success in Ireland and Britain. The Belfast natives had been around for nearly a decade but the change in their fortunes has been profound. Their first two albums sold around 7,000 copies each but sales of Final Straw have topped the one million mark. Before Christmas, CDWow's stocks of the album ran out because demand for it was so high.
Nominated for the Mercury Music Prize for Final Straw, they plan to release their new album in the autumn.
Following up the success of addictive singles Run, Chocolate and Spitting Games will prove taxing and the first six months of this year will be spent predominantly working on the new album.
It's all a long way from the two years they spent without a label prior to signing to Polydor for Final Straw.
What's next? The ambition for them must be to achieve Coldplay-like success in the United States. U2 want Snow Patrol to tour with them and it would give them a massive promotional boost there. That said they toured the States five times last year, selling more than 150,000 copies of Final Straw, and have also appeared on the Letterman show. The new album is, of course, crucial for their reputation.
Neil Callanan
Gemma Hayes
Age: 27
Why? Tipperary-born folk-rock singer-songwriter Gemma Hayes started singing to amuse herself and her seven older siblings in the rural village of Ballyporeen, Co Cork. She worked for two years in a launderette before deciding to take up singing full-time.
She has been making an impression – if not yet a splash – on the American market with her performances there in small, select venues.
“People have this preconception that a female in the music industry is either going to be a sex kitten, or sing other people's songs, or if they do write their own music, that it's always going to be about some boy.”
Her 2002 debut album, Night on My Side, received critical appraisal and was nominated for a Mercury Music Prize. When she was awarded the Irish Tatler Woman of the Year in the music category, she dropped her Waterford Crystal award, which smashed to smithereens. She needn't worry though. Although Hayes may have missed out on a Grammy nomination for best new artist, she'll be picking up plenty more awards along the way.
What's next? Hayes is putting the finishing touches to her second album, much of which was recorded in LA and written in Kerry, and is still eyeing the oh-so lucrative American market.
Quentin Fottrell
Richie Egan
Age: 28
Why? A star of the underground music scene, Egan has become one of the most sought-after musicians in the country. As well as being bass player with rockers, The Redneck Manifesto, Egan has also garnered a cult following under his alter-ego Jape. A second album – The Monkeys In The Zoo Have More Fun Than Me – was released last year.
“I'm developing at my own pace and I'm really happy with where it's going.
“More people are paying attention to it, which has given me great confidence for 2005.”
Egan started off in a band called Parasite, taking part in the five band bashes in Temple Bar's Rock Garden (now Eamon Doran's) before becoming a back-up musician for the likes of David Kitt.
Although he plays with the more high-profile Kitt, many music critics say the association gives more kudos to the latter, with even a Rolling Stone magazine interview with Kitt giving the lesser-known Egan the nod.
What's next? With two albums under his belt, Egan will be working on his third solo album as Jape, but isn't likely to give up his widely celebrated collaborations with The Redneck Manifesto anytime soon, with a European tour earmarked for March.
Quentin Fottrell
MEDIA AND MARKETING: Orlaith Blaney
Age: 34
Why? This advertising executive is the only female managing director at McCann Erickson (Ireland), having joined the firm in 1997. Her clients include Heineken Ireland, Esat BT, Fuji Ireland and Failte Ireland and Coca-Cola. Blaney recently criticised advertising campaigns that she claimed were grossly insensitive to older people. She hit out at the Dennys Sausages campaign, where someone tries to sell their dotty granny, and the John Smiths advertisement in Britain where comedian Peter Kay tells his “mother'‘ he's sending her off to an old folks home. Of course, she also has her eye on the bottom line: by 2010, the number of people over 55 years old is expected to grow by 15 per cent, she said.
In Blaney's own words: “In advertising, there's a lack of real focus on effectiveness.
“There's not enough discipline on tracking how campaigns work, especially with companies cutting their communications spend.”
Armed with a postgraduate degree in marketing, she became a junior in a Dublin advertising agency as part of a government training scheme.
There, she worked on the launch of Goodfellas Pizza, one of Ireland's most successful new brands.
What's next? Expect her to continue her ascent in the cut-throat world of advertising without the need for a Gillette razor. In the meantime, she will continue her endeavours to rid the industry of its bad-boy reputation.
Angie Kinane
Age: 34
Why? She's trail-blazed her way through the fickle world of PR to land herself a partner position and equal shareholder in Q4 Public Relations, which operated from plush (and surprisingly vast) offices on St Stephen's Green. The company counts Eircom among its many high-profile corporate accounts.
Kinane's other partners are Gerry O'Sullivan, former Eircom corporate affairs director, Jackie Gallagher and Martin Macken.
“We're on focusing on continuing to grow and build the business, while maintaining a high level of service for our existing clients.” Like most PR representatives, she is tight-lipped in the face of controversy, such as when Fine Gael expressed concern about Q4's political connections when it won a multi-million euro contract to promote electronic voting in 2004's European and local elections. “Do we have to comment about that? It's so done at this stage,” she said, sidestepping the issue of Gallagher's former role as adviser to Bertie Ahern.
After graduating from Trinity College Dublin with an honours degree in economics and politics, Kinane spent three years in City Hall in Boston, working as a press and protocol advisor to the city's mayor, Thomas M Menino. After a stint at Fleishman Hilliard Saunders, she became a director at Financial Dynamics, which had large multinational clients like Xerox, Vodafone, Dell and Microsoft. The latter two firms gave Kinane their vote of confidence by moving with her to Q4.
What's next? She has no plans to move, but don't be surprised if Q4 is willingly eaten by an even bigger fish at some point in the not-so distant future.
Gallagher's former PR company, Gallagher Kelly, was sold to Cordiant for €15 million.
Karen Hesse
Age: 38
Why? She is joint managing director of Dyflin Publications, which publishes magazines like Confetti, House & Home (and its three sister titles), Prudence, a woman's glossy campaigning against rip-off Ireland, and a raft of trade publications. Dyflin is profitable – a rarity in the increasingly competitive magazine business. Hesse keeps a competitive edge by playing ladies football.
“All of our consumer titles are ABC-related. We're looking at professional-ising publishing, which has had a bad reputation. We don't see trade publications as the poor relation.”
A graduate of the journalism course in Dublin's Rathmines College, she then tried her hand at freelancing before moving into her publishing stable. In 2000, along with another former employee, Philip McGaley, she successfully completed a management buyout.
What's next? Hesse has more consumer and trade magazines in the pipeline, while luring fashion journalism movers and shakers, like Alanna Gallagher and Ciara Elliott, former editor of Irish Tatler.
Mark Little
Age: 36
Why? His star continues to rise. As foreign affairs correspondent for RTE, he covered the US invasion of Iraq and reported on the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York. He is now covering the tsunami disaster in Sri Lanka. He has written two non-fiction bestsellers, Turn Left at Greenland and Zulu Time.
“The opinion-formers of our society know which buttons to press, presenting evidence that strengthens our preconceptions, and painting the world around us in primary colours and not the thousand shades of grey that define it.”
Little joined RTE in 1991. His work covering the Ben Dunne scandal brought him to the attention of the station's top brass.
He was appointed RTE's first Washington correspondent in 1995, covering two presidential elections and the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
What's next? When the Prime Time co-anchor returns from covering the tsunami disaster in southern Asia, he's likely to get itchy feet to report on more big international stories.
DESIGN/FASHION: Joanne Hynes
Age: 28
Why? One of Ireland's most exciting new designers, Hynes has dressed stars such as Natalie Imbruglia, Jean Butler of Riverdance fame and Roisin Murphy of Moloko. Her bags were recently named Bags of the Season by Harpers & Queen magazine.
Hynes has worked with designers John Rocha and Tristan Webber, showing collections in London and Paris last year.
“My passion and commitment has led to great satisfaction, both personally and within the industry on many levels, and I am always exploring my personal style and concepts while striving towards new ideas and craftsmanship,” she told RTE's Off The Rails recently.
Born in Limerick, Hynes has been designing since the age of 19.
She studied for three years at the Limerick Institute of Technology, and graduated with a BA in fashion.
She completed a Masters in women's wear at Central Saint Martins School of Art in London in 2001, before going into business herself.
What next? If the success of recent past pupils of Central Saint Martins, Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen, is anything to go by, expect to see Hynes creating a stir on the international fashion scene fairly soon.
Niamh Hennessy
Charles O'Toole
Age: 31
Why? O'Toole is one of Ireland's most inventive young furniture designers, his work also receiving critical and commercial success.
O'Toole is renowned for furniture products based on the tennis ball. His pieces range from a tennis ball “chaiselawn'‘ – the surprisingly comfortable balls slightly deflate when you sit on them – to a tennis ball beanbag that combines the joys of bouncing and massage. He also produces a range of furniture products based on the semi-solid material corian, which is durable and stain-resistant, comes in a wide range of colours, and can be moulded into a continuous form.
“The success of the tennis ball furniture has been one of the major highlights of my career. In the future I want to continue concentrating on new designs in furniture, as well as a new progression towards some lighting projects.”
O'Toole graduated from the national College of Art and Design in 1994 in product design. He set up Charles Furniture while still studying furniture and lighting design in the School of Architecture in Aarhus in Denmark.
What next? O'Toole will launch a new range of executive furniture this year in a joint venture and undertake large scale lighting projects. Charles furniture will continue to develop new ranges.
Niamh Hennessy
POLITICS: Mary Lou McDonald
Age: 35
Why? Because this convent girl from Rathgar has become the acceptable face of Sinn Fein south of the border. A former Fianna Failer who left the party over its softness on the National Question, McDonald has been carefully groomed for greatness by none other than Gerry Adams.
While her job description of ‘Peace Negotiator' on the ballot paper in June's European elections drew howls of derision from her opponents, her smooth media performances ensured that she comfortably took a seat.
What's next? Although she has pledged to serve a full term in Brussels, many Shinners think that McDonald's talents will be wasted in Europe and want her to stand for the Dail next time out. Some of her more starry-eyed followers even see her as a presidential candidate in 2011. While the coming year will test her staying power, she is certain to play a key role in the party's ongoing campaign to soften its image.
Denis Naughten
Age: 31
Why? Because the plain-spoken Roscommon TD has gradually established himself as one of Fine Gael's biggest hitters. The eldest son of Liam Naughten (Cathaoirleach of the Seanad until his death in 1996), Denis has a steeliness and ambition that was conspicuously lacking in his father.
He does not yet have much of a national profile, and tends to confine his public statements to such non-controversial issues as tourism and road safety.
Within the party, however, he is regarded as tough, forceful and exceptionally hard-working. Fiercely partisan, he was temporarily deflated by the party's poor public image over the last few years, but is now believed to have regained his taste for the fight.
What's next? Naughten seriously considered standing for the Fine Gael leadership after the last general election, but eventually decided he was too young and threw his support behind Enda Kenny. Few expect him to be so modest when the opportunity next comes around.
Olivia Buckley
Age: 32
Why: Because a tree never falls in the Fianna Fail forest without its feisty young press director knowing about it.
The party's media team is generally regarded as the slickest and most professional in Leinster House.
Much of the credit for this goes to Buckley, a marketing graduate who cut her teeth with the Kerry Group and the Irish Farmers Association. A native of Co Offaly (which would do her no harm under a Brian Cowen regime), she is invariably courteous in her dealings with journalists, but is known not to suffer fools gladly.
What's next? Buckley's admirers in the party would like to see her run for office and a DaÂil nomination is probably hers if she wants it badly enough. Others doubt her commitment and believe that she will eventually return to the rather safer climate of the private sector. Much will depend on Fianna Fail's – and, by extension, her – performance at the next general election.
Ciaran Conlon
Age: 32
Why? Because Enda Kenny's communications director has overseen a remarkable transformation in his boss's political fortunes. As a media adviser to the PDs at the last general election, Conlon helped to devise Michael McDowell's ‘Single Party Government – No Thanks!’ poster campaign, widely credited with delivering a last minute surge to the party. Shortly after he joined Fine Gael in May 2003, they slumped to third in the polls, prompting an anxious phone call from his mother who wondered if he was getting the blame. These days, the party is riding high – and insiders are giving Conlon much of the credit.
What's next? If Fine Gael are returned to power in 2007, he is the obvious candidate to become Enda Kenny's Government Press Secretary.
Andrew Lynch
TECHNOLOGY: Eric Mosley
Age: 33
Why? When high-tech enthusiasts look back on 2004, they may be surprised to see that one of the largest funding deals in Ireland last year was done by a little-known internet firm.
Globoforce, an online incentive provider employing 50 people, raised about €7.6 million in October from heavyweight funders Atlas Ventures and Benchmark Partners. The company offers corporate incentive and motivation programmes in multiple languages and currencies, and its customers include Johnson & Johnson, Intel, Microsoft and Reuters.
It was founded in 1997 and is run by Eric Mosley, a Trinity College Dublin electronics graduate who worked in CSK Software, Bull Cara and Logica Aldiscon. Globoforce's growth has been impressive in recent years – it had sales of about €10 million in 2003, up from €4 million in 2002.
What's next? Mosley, the firm's youthful chief executive, is confident that the firm can sustain that rate of growth. He is focusing on growing the company's business in the US and said a stock market flotation was “certainly a possibility'‘ for Globoforce in the longer term.
Ray Nolan & Tom Kennedy
Age: 39 and 38 respectively Why? Ray Nolan, a software entrepreneur and Tom Kennedy, a Dublin hostel owner, showed considerable vision when they founded Web Reservations International (WRI) in 1999. The internet firm, which trades as Hostelworld.com, has grown aggressively and now provides online booking for more than 8,000 hostels in 160 countries.
WRI made a profit of more than €1.8 million on turnover of about €7 million in 2003, when it handled bookings worth more than €70 million.
That year, Nolan and Kennedy won the emerging entrepreneur of the year award. Turnover is believed to have doubled last year as WRI bought a rival firm and raised its first venture capital funding.
What's next? WRI has a lean business model, with about 40 staff, but expects to hire about 20 more people this year and expand its network into Asia.
Further acquisitions are also likely and Nolan said WRI would appoint “key international figures'‘ as directors this year.
With internet firms – particularly profitable ones – back in vogue, WRI itself could be a takeover target. Expect Nolan and Kennedy to make headlines in 2005.
Donal Byrne
Age: 39
Why? Software firm Corvil has raised €15 million in funding and expanded aggressively since Donal Byrne was appointed chief executive in 2001.
The company's investors include technology gorilla Cisco Systems, which has been impressed with Corvil's technology. The software allows organisations to monitor traffic on their telecoms networks, a major development that led the World Economic Forum (WEF) to recognise Corvil as one of 30 global technology pioneers last year.
The pioneers “have the potential to have a substantial long-term impact on business and society in the future,” according to the WEF. (There are no Irish companies in this year's list of pioneers.) Much of Corvil's development is due to Byrne, who has gained an “anything is possible'‘ reputation that has put Corvil on every venture capitalist's wish-list. An electronics graduate of University College Dublin, Byrne gained experience at a range of multinational firms in Europe and the US, including Digital, Bay Networks and Fore Systems, where he was a vice-president.
What's next? 2005 will be a key year for Byrne and for Corvil, as the company expands and makes major product and customer announcements. Corvil is also expected to raise more funding, although the close relationship with Cisco has led to speculation the US firm could buy Corvil.
Eamonn & Brian Fallon
Age: 27 and 22 respectively
Why? Brothers Eamonn and Brian Fallon have two simple target groups for their online property provider, Daft.ie – people with property and people looking for property.
Brian Fallon started the website at Daft.ie while still at school in St Mary's in Rathmines, Dublin in 1997. The pair formed Daft Media in September 2001 and the combination of property with a low-cost internet model has proven lucrative.
According to the Daft.ie website, 12 million pages of properties are viewed every month by 520,000 visitors, the equivalent of one every 4.9 seconds. More than 700 estate agents and 80,000 landlords or homeowners advertise on the site.
Advertisers pay €2 to register and €3.95 for a standard ad or €19.95 for a premium ad. The Fallons have scooped a slew of awards, and were finalists for the entrepreneur of the year award last year.
What's next? The company is expected to broaden its offering with the launch of online property management software. It could also become a takeover target in 2005.
Gavin Daly
LAW: Oisin Quinn
Age: 36
Why? As a junior counsel with a social conscience, he had already established a legal reputation before being elected as a Labour Party councillor on Dublin City Council.
As a politician, Quinn has wasted no time in helping to finalise a six-year development plan for Dublin, with an emphasis on protecting green space for community use. The plan will move away from the 1980s practice of rezoning vast tracts of land solely for urban housing.
“You can't just leave the whole city up for development except for the Phoenix Park,” he said. “There are a lot of poorly-utilised sites that are already built on, but it's more attractive [for developers] to pick a juicy green field for development.”
Son of former Allied Irish Bank chairman Lochlann Quinn and nephew of former Labour leader Ruairi Quinn, this young buck has hit the ground running. A barrister specialising in employment law, he has frequently championed the cause of the underdog.
He successfully represented a female worker who was hit by a collapsing stack of biscuit tins and fought a more high-profile case of exploited Brazilian cleaners.
What's next? Don't expect him to remain in local politics for long. He comes from a family of high achievers, who are sure to give moral and financial support when he decides to make the leap into national politics.
Niamh Hyland
Age: 37
Why? As a junior counsel, Hyland has carved out a niche for herself in this traditionally male-dominated profession, where courtroom bravado goes hand in hand with testosterone-soaked egos.
In the early days of her career, she edited The Free Movement of Workers within the European Union and has become a sought-after expert in European law.
Hyland read law at Trinity College, Dublin, and later at Oxford University. She lectured at her alma mater for three years before moving to Luxembourg to work as an assistant at the European Court of First Instance. She returned in 1996 to work as a barrister and specialises in European and commercial law.
She is married to singer/songwriter Nick Kelly, whose repertoire of original work includes the intriguing The Night Cesare Lombroso Met the Elephant Man.
What's next? Colleagues say it won't be too long until she takes her silks as a senior counsel.
Quentin Fottrell.
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