Brian Horgan knew his destiny lay in the United States from the time he visited San Diego as an 18-year-old student.
“A guy in a business suit and tie pulled up at the beach in his Jeep. He changed into a wetsuit, went surfing and then put the business suit back on and went back to work. I realised then that this was the country for me,” he recalls.
“I went back to Ireland with a bee in my bonnet about how I wanted to move to the US and never stopped talking about it. I became known in college as Captain America.”
When Horgan graduated from UCC with his BSc in computer science in 2002, he was presented with an opportunity to realise his dreams. He was on the radar of global media company Bertelsmann from a work experience placement in Birmingham during his course and a position had become available in South Carolina.
“You wouldn’t pick it out on a map but it’s a great place to be as you are within driving distance of Knoxville, Nashville, Memphis, Atlanta and Charlotte so I got to see a whole region for four years. South Carolina is unique. You can play golf in your shorts 11 months of the year.
“What blows your mind about America is that you have countries within countries. South Carolina has very little in common with New York or LA. I got to experience that southern culture.”
Horgan’s IT skills were employed to help roll out a CD distribution system and he eventually moved to a consulting role in the emerging ecommerce sector, which became his area of expertise.
One of the downsides of consulting, Horgan says, is that you don’t own the strategy and it is generally a temporary assignment. So when the opportunity came to move to one of the firm’s big clients, Adidas, he jumped at the chance.
“They were early in their ecommerce journey. I got to be part of a big team. This added a global element to my role and I developed my management skills in a large organisation, running the sales channel component.”
This led in turn to his current position at Acushnet, a big player in the golf equipment and apparel sector, whose brands include Titleist and FootJoy. He is now vice-president, digital commerce, at the 7,300 employee firm.
Horgan’s role involves ongoing responsibility for the digital transformation of the firm, supporting both the consumer ecommerce aspects of the business and the platforms that enable retail customers to interact with the firm online.
The majority of sales still come through traditional retail outlets, principally around 8,000 golf shops, many of them based on golf courses. These are served in many cases by long-tenured company sales reps on the road. Horgan says his role means he is “the disrupter and change agent” and he strives to help the company blend the best of the traditional and newer approaches to marketing and customer service.
This is a good time for people in the golf industry, he explains. There were a record 531 million rounds played in 2023, surpassing the previous high of 529 million set in 2020 and rounds are trending more than 10 per cent ahead of the five-year, pre-pandemic average from 2015-19, he says, noting that Covid has made a big difference.
“It was a Covid-safe pastime of course but more generally it has brought people back to the game, serving as a reminder of the advantages like putting your phone away for a few hours and spending time outside with friends, regardless of how well you are playing.”
Favoured destination
Home for Horgan these days is the seaside town Newport, Rhode Island, a favoured destination of J1 students.
“You have beautiful beaches, and you don’t have the hassles of city traffic but there’s enough to keep you busy. You have to balance yourself in terms of climate and plan trips abroad during the year as winters here can be tough, but you can plan on it unlike in Ireland.”
Horgan does miss aspects of Ireland. “I miss the people, the humour and the warmth and little things like the courtesy you experience on the roads in Ireland.
“Being away for so long heightens your appreciation of how special Ireland is. I have found my happy balance of a rewarding career and a good life with friends but also getting home on holidays regularly. I stay connected with Ireland through sport too.”
There’s a strong Irish community in Newport and Horgan enjoys the hospitality and craic in a local Irish pub called the Fastnet. “You go down there at the weekends and its full of Irish, with GAA and rugby shirts. That means a lot when you are away for home.”
Any homesickness he feels is quickly countered by a reality check from those who know him. “If I ever moan to Irish friends about missing home, they are pretty quick to remind me about the weather in Ireland and the lifestyle I have here and it’s hard to argue with that.”
