The owners and managers of businesses in Co. Carlow are being encouraged to use a free upcoming business breakfast seminar as an opportunity to start planning their growth strategies for 2023.
The breakfast seminar, entitled #Forward23, is being organised by Carlow County Council’s Local Enterprise Office in association with Harney Nolan Charted Accountants and the South East Technological University. It will be held from 7:45-9:30am in the Woodford Dolmen Hotel on Tuesday 22nd November. Attendance will be free but must be booked in advance.
The seminar will focus on key themes arising for businesses in the current changing business environment and how Carlow owners and managers can adapt to them to deliver growth and sustainability for their businesses. It is hoped the event will inform, inspire and engage the key leaders and decisionmakers in Carlow businesses to take a proactive approach to business planning and to face any challenges 2023 might present with confidence.
A range of speakers will discuss issues of change within individual businesses and within the business environment. The panel will be facilitated by Kieran Comerford, Head of Economic Development & Enterprise in Carlow County Council. Keynote speaker will be the prominent economist and author Jim Power, He will be joined on the morning by Change Management Consultant Joan Baker, accountant Tony Harney from Harney Nolan and Larry Banville, programme director in SETU. Each speaker will bring a unique perspective to the event and will challenge Carlow businesses to prepare for 2023 in a strategic manner.
Places at the #Forward23 breakfast seminar are free but numbers attending will be limited. Carlow business owners and managers wishing to attend can book their place online now on the Local Enterprise Office Carlow website https://www.localenterprise.ie/Carlow/Training-Events/Online-Bookings/-forward2023-Breakfast-Seminar-in-association-with-Harney-Nolan-SETU.html
Further info:
Kieran Comerford, Head of Economic Development & Enterprise 086-8252037
Speaker Profiles
Jim Power - Economist and Author
Well-known Irish economist Jim Power is a popular speaker and an advisor to both corporates and SMEs. Jim helps people to see economics as a ‘social science’—driven more by human behaviour than data—so that they can use economic trends to make better decisions and enjoy greater success.
Key Messages
Jim believes that economics impacts everything. Politics, policy, how much money we earn—these are just the start. Economics is also very closely linked to health, both physical and mental. In the current world, economics’ role is no longer to forecast the future with certainty. Rather, it’s about economic insights that help us make choices that improve quality of life. In his talks, Jim not only looks at what the economic and financial environment might look like, he also elaborates on shifting forces and influences such as politics, demographics and, increasingly, climate change.
More recently he has been talking about the importance of brand. In a world where disruptive forces can cause rapid changes, companies need a strong brand presence if they are to succeed, as customers are more likely to remain loyal even when price fluctuates.
Originally from Waterford, and from a farming background, Jim studied Economics and Politics at UCD before completing a Master’s in Economics at the same university. From there he moved to AIB, to work in its planning and strategy unit and also in its dealing room, and from there to the dealing room in Bank of Ireland, where he was promoted to director.
Finding that management responsibilities constrained his ability to ‘do’ economics as freely and productively as he wanted, in 2000 he left to establish a thriving portfolio career that from 2001-19 included being Chief Economist at Friends First and now encompasses lecturing, consultancy and broadcast and writing work, as well as a busy speaking schedule.
Jim’s independence, expertise and wide-ranging experience mean that he serves on many boards, so can speak to any industry. For example, he was Chairman of Love Irish Food 2010-20 and is now a director of the organisation, which educates on the benefits for businesses of supporting Irish food brands.
He was also Chairman of 3RockCapital for five years until January 2020 when they were bought out, and served as Director of Agri Aware for 10 years until three years ago.
Joan Baker
Joan Baker -- Joan has been a company director and a consultant to business and not-for-profit organisations across many business sectors both in Ireland and internationally for over 25 years.
She has served as a consultant to CEOs across the globe. She specialises in helping organisations and individuals plan for their future, make the changes necessary for high performance, and ensure that people achieve excellence.
Joan has worked with The Entrepreneurs Academy remotely for many years and relocated to Wicklow from New Zealand in 2018 and joined our Leadership Academy panel of consultants.
She is an accomplished author and has written several books on business issues, entrepreneurship, leadership, mindset for success in life and business. All of Joan’s writing and teaching is very accessible and full of practical, well-founded advice.
Joan specialises in:
• creating and delivering programs in leadership change
• helping organisations and individuals plan practically for their future
• making the changes necessary for high performance and achieving excellence
• team development
• sales and marketing
Joan is the author of 10 business books including:
- Don’t Get a Job- Build a Business (with Joanne Hession) Mercier Press (2013)
- Improve Your FQ (Financial Quotient), Wright books, (2003)
- My Time – How to Make the Rest of Life the Best of Life (with Mandy Fealy) Penguin (2011)
- Get Rich, Stay Rich (with Martin Hawes), Allen & Unwin, (2003)
- Get Set By 30 (With Annette Sampson), Allen & Unwin, (2004)
- Smart Women, Smart Money, Allen & Unwin (2004)
- Coach Yourself to Wealth (with Martin Hawes), Allen and Unwin (2005)
- Live the Dream Allen and Unwin (2006)
- A Man is Not a Financial Plan Allen and Unwin (2007)
- Your Last Fencepost – Succession for Farmers Longacre (2008)
Larry Banville B.Comm, HDipEd, FCCA, CMILT, MIITD
Larry is an accountant (FCCA) by profession and a Chartered Member of The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CMILT) where is currently a member of their Education Committee. He is also a member of The Irish Institute for Training and Development (MIITD).
Larry worked in industry for close to thirty years. In those years he worked for both publicly and privately owned companies. He has experience in the Food, Agri and Technology sectors. Since 2010 he has lectured at IT Carlow now South East Technological University (SETU). Larry is currently Joint Programme Director for Supply Chain Programmes.
His main areas of interest are Finance for Supply Chain Management, Performance Management and Technology use in Supply Chains (particularly Food and Agri Supply Chains)
