Unique partnership for lawyer development
A&L Goodbody (ALG) has partnered with the Irish Management Institute (IMI) to co-create a unique lawyer development programme for the firm’s associate solicitors. The innovative offering reflects the changing face of legal practice in Ireland and recognises that the skills that contribute to being an excellent lawyer are not simply about passing law exams.
The highly experiential and immersive multi-year programme, called Fusion, forms part of ALG’s award-winning School of Business & Law – a holistic learning programme from trainee through to partner. Led by programme director Katie da Gama, the course is jointly delivered by ALG partners and directors, alongside experienced IMI faculty coaches and experts.
Based on the three key pillars of how to lead a firm, client relationship management, and personal leadership character, the bespoke programme content is highly practical and focuses on cutting-edge industry and management best practice. It is designed to broaden participants’ understanding of the business of law, while enhancing core management competencies.
Julian Yarr, managing partner of ALG, said: “Lifelong learning is a critical part of our talent strategy and what makes ALG different. We want our lawyers to develop and learn new skills to match the ever-changing needs of our clients. The partnership with the IMI is central to this objective. The IMI’s experience and knowledge of international best practice is second to none in Ireland and we are very pleased to collaborate with them in delivering this unique and bespoke development programme.”
According to IMI head of custom solutions and client development Julie Ryan, the new programme is the first of its kind. “What is unique is that the design and delivery of the programme is a collaboration between ALG and IMI,” she said. “The programme is delivered by IMI specialists in business and leadership alongside ALG partners. The participants are lawyers who have invested in their technical capabilities which enable them to construct complex legal arguments and advice for clients and they are now adding leadership and business expertise to that skillset.”
Niamh Cooney, head of talent development and graduate talent at A&L Goodbody, said the programme is aimed at helping ALG associates in their future careers. “The employee experience is very important to us, and we want to give everyone the best career path possible. This programme is empowering people to be better leaders and be better able to manage the demands of successful and busy careers.”
The firm and its clients also benefit, she added. “It’s very important to have lawyers who are skilled business professionals both in terms of providing advice to clients and evolving the firm in a rapidly changing environment. Deep business expertise is critically important for that. The programme has been collaboratively designed and is collaboratively delivered. We bring in external expertise, we bring in client perspectives, and our associates benefit from the experience and expertise of our senior partners.”
New Google school for start-ups
Google has launched its Startup School programme in Ireland. The series of virtual training courses is now available to start-up founders and teams throughout the country.
The initiative offers a series of free, hands-on virtual courses aimed at helping start-up founders to grow and advance their business. The interactive sessions cover a wide range of areas and feature Google tools and products as well as training on areas such as funding, expanding internationally and becoming an effective founder.
A number of the training sessions will be led by successful founders including Pat Phelan of SISU Aesthetic Clinic, Alison Sheehy, digital marketing lead at Gym+Coffee, and Ryan Scott, chief executive of Dropchef. The programme is being run in collaboration with Enterprise Ireland and Dogpatch Labs, who will assist Google in reaching startup teams throughout the country.
Paddy Flynn, vice president of geo operations at Google, said, “We are hugely excited to launch Startup School in Ireland. It’s no secret that Ireland is well known for its entrepreneurial start-up culture and building successful start-ups. We want to continue our contribution to nurturing the start-up community and providing free access to this training is one way of doing that.
“We are very proud of the great work Google has been able to achieve through partnerships with Irish start-ups and the start-up ecosystem, and with the launch of Startup School we hope to reinforce our commitment to helping Irish businesses to grow and succeed.”
Iarnród Éireann streamlines HR processes
Iarnród Éireann has awarded a significant contract to digital transformation specialist Version 1 to supply it with Oracle Cloud HSM human resource software. The technology streamlines payroll, diversity and workforce management and will help Iarnród Éireann roll out its learning and development programme which covers 600 courses, 200 competences, 100 external suppliers and 100 trainers and assessors. Version 1 will work with Iarnród Éireann to put the system in place as part of its People Strategy for 2027.
John Kennedy, head of HR organisational development at the transport company, said: “Iarnród Éireann is excited to be partnering with Version 1 on the implementation of Oracle Cloud HCM. This is a very exciting time for Iarnród Éireann as we continue to redevelop the rail system in Ireland. Iarnród Éireann will play a key role in delivering high-capacity sustainable public transport solutions and our colleagues will be at the heart of this transformation.”
New research identifies sustainability skills challenges
New research published by Skillnet Ireland has identified corporate sustainability strategies, carbon management and waste management as the top three development priorities to enable enterprise innovation and the country’s transition to a low-carbon economy.
Waste management (78 per cent of enterprises) tops the range of green skills needed for all enterprise groups, followed by corporate sustainability strategy skills (75 per cent of enterprises) and carbon management skills (67 per cent of enterprises).
The research reveals that developing talent and skills is the top challenge associated with the implementation of Ireland’s Climate Action Plan. Other key challenges include improving the way in which resources are used in their supply chain to reduce emissions and improving energy efficiency of processes, buildings and transport.
The top skillsets needed in the medium term to support enterprise innovations with environmental benefits include climate change and sustainability strategy skills (84 per cent of enterprises); marketing skills (70 per cent); and financial skills relating to investment and access to finance (67 per cent of enterprises).
Tracey Donnery, director of communications and policy, Skillnet Ireland, said: “Transitioning to a low-carbon economy comes with a level of uncertainty for businesses. We know from this research study carried out in collaboration with the ESRI and our work with industry that all businesses will undergo a significant shift and having access to responsive business supports will be key. Skillnet Ireland is engaging with industry to develop talent frameworks to build sustainable and digitally enabled businesses that enable innovation. We are committed to helping Irish businesses understand their talent needs and stay ahead of the curve as the transition to a new, carbon-neutral economy gathers pace.”
Prof Iulia Siedschlag, ESRI lead author of the report, said, “Our research identified a number of business challenges and skills gaps within the private enterprise sector to enable innovation and to support the transition to a low-carbon economy. Tailored training programmes to each sector and enterprise group and at different stages in the transition to a low-carbon economy would help businesses to better act and manage the transition to a low-carbon economy. Enhancing collaboration and co-ordination of different initiatives across government departments and agencies is important to ensure accessibility and maximise benefits.”
New investment for Salmom
Irish private equity firm Melior Equity Partners has agreed to acquire a controlling stake in Salmon Software for an investment believed to be in the region of €15 million. Salmon Software is a fast-growing financial software business that provides customers with treasury management software systems. Founded by its chief executive John Byrne, the Dublin-headquartered firm employs a total of 30 staff across its operations in Ireland and the Czech Republic.
The company’s software system enables customers to automate treasury management processes, providing information on debt, derivatives, foreign exchange, banking, cash management and payments which deliver efficiencies that save costs, ensure full regulatory compliance and provide real-time business insights. The system is used by a range of blue-chip customers including global businesses such as CRH, Avolon, Dechra Pharmaceuticals, DP World and Ryanair.
The investment from Melior will support the future growth of Salmon Software, facilitating further product innovation and the delivery of an even more comprehensive service for new and existing customers.
Commenting on the investment, Mr Byrne said, “The Melior investment will allow us to grow and invest further in our team, extend our support and sales infrastructure, and deliver product enhancements including a superior cloud-hosted offering. This investment will provide exciting career development opportunities for our existing employees, see new talent join the company and will significantly benefit current and future customers.”
Kinesis acquired by Linus Health
Linus Health, a Boston-based digital health company, has completed the acquisition of Kinesis Health Technologies, the Dublin-based company which specialises in physical function assessment for older adults. Founded in 2013 as a spin-out from University College Dublin, Kinesis has grown to offer a suite of objective, evidence-based tools for assessing gait, balance, mobility, falls risk, and frailty.
Its customers – spanning several countries, including the US, Canada, the UK, and Ireland – have conducted more than 40,000 patient assessments to date with Kinesis’ technology.
“Kinesis shares Linus Health’s vision of combining clinical expertise with machine learning to usher in a new paradigm of proactive screening and intervention to support older adults seeking to preserve their health and way of life,” said Seamus Small, chief executive of Kinesis. “We’re excited to join the Linus team and work together to bring effective and impactful digital screening solutions to more people around the world.”
“The more we can uncover about a person’s brain health, the faster we’ll be able to help providers intervene when something is awry,” said Dr David Bates, chief executive of Linus Health. “Acquiring Kinesis provides the opportunity to accelerate our progress in the key areas of gait, balance, and mobility – and garner related insights to shape our understanding of a patient’s health and associated risks to better inform our clinical guidance and care plan recommendations. We’re looking forward to collaborating with the Kinesis team to enhance our combined impact.”
Celebrating innovation at NovaUCD
NovaUCD has announced the recipients of its annual innovation awards which highlight successes made in areas of knowledge transfer, consultancy, entrepreneurship, and the promotion of an innovation culture, by members of the UCD research, innovation and start-up community.
Prof Barbara Dooley, acting UCD registrar and deputy president, said: “The NovaUCD Innovation Awards, which have become a key annual event at UCD, were established to recognise and highlight the successes being made by members of our research, innovation and entrepreneurial communities across the university. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all those who have received awards and I wish them ongoing successes in the years ahead as they continue to deliver impact for the economy and society through their commercialisation, consultancy, entrepreneurial and innovation activities.”
The 2022 NovaUCD Innovation Award, which recognises excellence in innovation or of successes achieved in the commercialisation of UCD research or other intellectual activity over a number of years, was awarded to Prof Dominic Zerulla of the school of physics who founded UCD spin-out PEARlabs, which has developed a novel photonic chip which enables ultra-high spatial resolution at video rates in optical microscopy, far beyond the diffraction limit of visible light.
Aidan Corbett, co-founder of Wayflyer, took the 2022 NovaUCD Outstanding Achievement Award. Earlier this year, Wayflyer became Ireland’s sixth tech unicorn on securing a $150 million Series B funding round.
Dr Sarah Cotterill, from the school of civil engineering and the Dooge Centre for Water Resources Research, received the 2022 NovaUCD Consultancy of the Year Award for a study entitled, “A Framework for Improving Domestic Water Conservation in Ireland” commissioned by An Fóram Uisce (the Water Forum) through ConsultUCD.
High levels of confidence revealed by Mazars research
New research from Mazars finds ESG is firmly on the agenda for business leaders. The Mazars “2021 C-suite barometer: Time for action” is the result of an in-depth survey conducted in Q4 2021, which gathered the views of over 1,000 executives from 39 countries.
Mark Kennedy, partner and member of the group executive board at Mazars, said: “We conduct our annual barometer to hear and understand, the opportunities and challenges our clients are facing. One of the most notable findings of the study was the sense of confidence and resilience we uncovered: with the ongoing impact of the pandemic, rising inflation and the horrifying attack on Ukraine, these are qualities that are likely to be tested once again this year.”
The research shows that leaders expect to transform their businesses, with technology and sustainability-related transformations being the most likely: nearly two thirds (62 per cent) expect to transform their sustainability strategy in the coming years, second only to technology transformation (68 per cent).
Businesses expect to transform their sustainability strategies, boost investment in sustainability initiatives, and are making public commitments on a range of ESG topics, according to the research.
Chris Fuggle, co-head of sustainability at Mazars, said: “The big challenge is to turn intentions and commitments into achievable strategies. It is critical to build understanding of ESG at the highest level, embed it in the core business strategy, and have a plan that you follow through on a daily basis. This isn’t a quick fix, but the important thing is starting the journey.”
