THE VOICE OF THE IRISH IN BRITAIN SINCE 1970
Part of your business week
class team and that’s certainly how Learning Pool turned out. What is your best tip for people starting out in business? Just get started. Every day you delay is a day lost. They say that being an entrepreneur is like jumping off a cliff and building a glider on the way down. You’ll figure it out as you go along!
Mentees: OLWEN SHEEDY, 23, hails from Dublin. She moved to Britain in 2012 for a two year graduate placement as a market executive with Enterprise Ireland. She started a new job with PWC this October. Why have you joined the FLP mentoring scheme? I think it’s a fantastic opportunity. I was fortunate to be paired with two different mentors during my time at Dublin City University through the alumni network. These mentors proved a tremendous support and I have kept in contact with them both. I see real value in mentorship. What do you hope to gain from it? I would like guidance and help in identifying the key skills and expertise I will need in the future to achieve my goals. What is the calibre of mentors on the programme like? There’s a very high standard and they are extremely generous with their time. IIBN ran an event at the start of June for all the mentors and mentees which allowed everyone to meet each other. Having access to all of the mentors along with your own personal mentor is remarkable.
I was fortunate to be paired with two different mentors during my time at Dublin City University. I see real value in mentorship
Damien Kennedy of Whey Hey at the FLP Launch What is the best thing about being a part of the FLP scheme? It provides access to a fantastic network of people. The mentors and mentees all come from different backgrounds. Everyone I have met so far has been very willing to help and happy to open their network to others if required. Who are your business heroes? That’s a hard question to answer in a short space but I am a big fan of Sheryl Sandberg (COO, Facebook); I also think Arianna Huffington is inspirational and I love what she is teaching through Thrive — the third metric of success. I am fascinated by good business in general though. I love to experience or hear about a really amazing company and learn about the people behind the business. I also love great brands. Where do you want to be in business in five years? I hope that in five years I will be a fully qualified chartered accountant and will have experienced a variety of different businesses during my time at PWC. DAMIEN KENNEDY, 29, hails from Cork city but is now based in London after heading for Britain to complete his studies in 2004. He is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Wheyhey! — a firm which manufactures the world’s first 100 per cent natural ice-cream.
Olwen Sheedy, PWC 46
Why have you joined the FLP mentoring scheme? To listen and to learn. To have access to an incredible network of experience and expertise and to receive guidance from those that have already been through the journey we are on is priceless. What do you hope to gain from it? My sanity! To gain insights into the business experience of others, both good and bad.
What is the calibre of mentors on the programme like? The CVs of the mentors involved in the programme is like reading a who’s who of business. What is the best thing about being a part of the FLP scheme? Knowing there is a great resource there for you to tap in to, whenever it’s needed. It’s like receiving an MBA tuition. Who are your business heroes? Outside of the usual ones like Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, Felix Dennis, my dad! Where do you want to be in business in five years? I would like to be at the forefront of a health revolution; where big food companies and government are forced to act in the best interest of consumers rather than the ‘bottom line’; where truly healthy food is convenient, affordable and indulgent. Wheyhey! MARK BYRNE, 34, left Dublin for Britain in 2012 after securing a job with Londonbased advisory firm FTI Consulting. Now he is the Co-founder and COO at Schoolora, an educational technology platform for teachers, pupils and parents. Why have you joined the FLP mentoring scheme? I felt it was an absolute no brainer — the voice of reason and unbiased advice from a proven business brain is very appealing. What do you hope to gain from it? I guess I’m looking for some unbiased qualification of directions we as a business are considering. The positive and negative. How has the scheme benefitted you to date? Firstly I have enjoyed getting to know my mentor and so far he has been very helpful in steering us on our early stage development. It’s been very worthwhile. What is the calibre of mentors on the programme like? First class — the London