Breakfast Business with Joe Lynam

Phil Codd, Managing Director of Expleo in Ireland joined Breakfast Business to delve into the world of "sleeping agent" and agentic AI.

Susan Hayes Culleton was joined by Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Partner at Sisk, Amy Martin, to discuss the idea and the benefits behind Equity, Diversity and Inclusion professional networks.

Community pharmacists across the country are reporting that a growing number of people are making important healthcare decisions based on advice from social media influencers and AI tools. Susan Hayes Culleton was joined by Sheena Mitchell, spokesperson for a group of independent community pharmacists across Ireland, to explore the reasons behind this move.

Susan Hayes Culleton takes a look through Monday's business headlines with Russ Mould from AJ Bell

Susan Hayes Culleton takes a the business stories that are hitting the headlines along with Aidan Donnelly, Head of Equities at Davy.

Two years ago a new global tax arrangement under the auspices of the OECD for large companies came into force after years of wrangling and much resistance from this country.  It raised the minimum rate for corporation taxes on huge companies to 15%.   It was part of a suite of global tax changes and was affectionately known as Pillar Two. Speaking to Joe this morning was Brendan Murphy is a Tax Partner with the consultants Baker Tilly.

Only 47% of people feel confident they will manage financially after retirement. This is according to “The New Retirement Reality Report”. To explore how people expect retirement and employment to intersect, Susan was joined on the show by Emer Kirk, CEO for the Financial Planning Standards Board. 

We have become very familiar with working from home. But what about working from anywhere? Where should employers draw the line on time and location? To discuss the tax and HR risks, Susan spoke to  Ronan Berry, Managing Partner of HRConsultants.ie .

Thursday's business news headlines with Joe Lynam.

PTSB is hoping to catch up with the other two big pillar banks when it comes to business lending.  It loaned out €500m last year to SMEs.  Now it’s setting up a new pool of money for them worth €250m with the express view of lending for energy and sustainability projects as well as female entrepreneurs. Patrick Farrell - Chief Retail Banking Officer with PTSB explained all their plans. 

In the aftermath of the financial crisis, a whole new ecosystem of financial regulation was set up.  Now the Commission as part of its simplification drive is thinking about transferring some regulation of asset management from national to EU level.  Because Ireland has a very large fund management sector, we’re not so keen.Speaking to Joe this morning was Michael D'Arcy the Chief Executive of the Irish Association of Investment Managers.

Wednesday's business news headlines with Joe Lynam.

In the past 5 weeks, wholesale coffee prices have jumped 35%, Meaning your cuppa ‘morning Joe’ may soon get more expensive. De'Longhi says coffee is a useful indicator of the cost pressures on consumers and companies which also include tariffs, climate change and rising wages. Lee Bonniface is the Managing Director of De’Longhi UK and Ireland joined Joe this morning to discuss this further. 

Tuesday's business new review with Joe Lynam.

When people fall behind with their repayments, debt collection agencies are often engaged.  They operate in a strictly regulated environment because they handle people’s most intimate financial details. TCN is to provide cloud storage and AI capabilities to the debt collectors and last week TCN signed a major deal with one of the biggest platforms in this area Capone. Speaking to Joe on their new contract was Kerry Sherman is the Co Founder of TCN.   

After a few quiet years, the number of public share offerings soared in the past 6 months. It means the proceeds of public listings on global markets trebled over the past year.  According to EY though, there were fewer IPOs at 483 in the first 6 months of this year. But they collectively raised more money $186.8bn globally.  Speaking to Joe was Fergal McAleavey Corporate Finance Partner at EY

AI has yet to start devouring jobs and many experts are forecasting but that doesn't mean that it won't come.  There’s already evidence that graduates are finding it tougher to get entry level jobs because many of their roles are being done by large language models.  So how does a small open economy like Ireland manage radical change which is now measured in months rather than years?  To discuss this and more was Harry Goddard the Chief Executive of Deloitte Ireland. 

Post tax Profits for the first quarter of the financial year were down 34% to €538m. Thanks in part to the price of unhedged jet fuel spiking due to the Iran war.  Fares also fell in that 3-month period by 6%.  It comes as Oil prices are starting to creep up again amid renewed hostilities in the Middle East and a decision to cut passenger fees at Dublin Airport.  Speaking to Joe to discuss all was Neil Sorahan the Group CFO with Ryanair.

Most of us have to work alas during the warmest part of the day and most older offices in Ireland don't have air conditioning.  But should they and what sort of changes should employers consider if these heatwaves become a regular feature every year? Speaking to Joe this morning to discuss was Swenja Surminski, from the HR consultants Marsh.  

The commercial property market in our cities suffered a major recession since lockdown. But things are looking up especially in the capital with vacancy rates down to 14% .  But with AI quietly eroding tech jobs and Ireland having the highest working from home rates in Europe. How long will this minimum recovery last? Joe discusses this further with Tom McCabe the Director of Research with Cushman Wakefield. 

Friday' business news review with Joe Lynam and the Economist Austin Hughes.

Joe Lynam takes a run through Thursday's business headlines.

Zipit is one of the larger ziplining companies and is part of the ice rink group Cool Running Events.  It has opened up a new facility in Kildare and hopes to welcome 25,000 customers this year. Speaking to Joe about the business was David O'Donnell, Commercial Director at Zipit. 

Getting into a new market is always a challenge. Especially so if it’s a highly regulated one with safeguarding concerns such as gambling or gaming.  SolutionsHub provides advice for smaller overseas gaming businesses who wish to get into the Irish market.Joining Joe was David Lyons the newly appointed Non-Executive Director of SolutionsHub.

Wednesday's business headlines with Joe Lynam.

In 1950 the average person in Ireland lived to 64, now it's 83. It’s an astonishing rise and testament to our healthcare and lifestyle changes.  It also poses issues for the economy as it means that more of us will depend on a smaller number of people who will be paying for our retirement through taxes. ID Formulas provides a longevity supplement for older people.  But do they actually prolong our lives? Joe was joined in studio by Conor Murphy the cofounder of ID Formulas. 

Velico Irish company which makes a dehydrated blood plasma which has been rehydrated in minutes and potentially saves lives.  Even though Velico doesn't yet have EMA or FDA approval. It’s already in agreement with the French military for battlefield usage. A lot to chat about  Richard Meehan the CEO of Velico. 

From its first fabrication unit in 1989, Leixlip has grown to become the European home of chip-making for Intel. Intel will invest a further €5bn in Co Kildare to beef up its AI manufacturing and its ‘foundry’ business. Speaking to Joe was Naga Chandrasekaran, the Chief Technology and Operations officer at Intel Foundry.

The French national holiday Bastille Day is a chance to look at the significant investment in this country by France, The highest in the EU.  It includes Sanofi, Pernod Ricard and Veolia.  It also includes Schneider Electric which is one of the biggest suppliers of energy company also has a significant R&D hub in Galway.Joining Joe on the show Rhonda Doyle, Country President of Schneider Electric Ireland.  

Tuesday's business headlines with Joe Lynam.

Joe Lynam takes a look through Monday's business headlines with Lenny Mcloughlin from Irish Life Investment Managers.  

Vita Impact fund has started a fund which businesses can pay into and from which they will earn carbon credits. These can be traded and have a monetary value.  In the meantime, the fund is helping the world's poorest people in Ethiopia and Eritrea move away from carbon hungry cooking and subsistence.   We hear all about the fund with Ciara Feehily, Head of Communications and Fundraising with Vita Impact fund. 

ABM are a giant American listed entity who work quietly behind the scenes to keep hospitals, healthcare facilities and the life sciences clean. The have just announced a new contract in the pharma sector. We here all about it with Dinny Crowe, the Vice President of Operations with ABM. 

Friday's business news headlines with Susan Hayes Culleton and Kate English from Deloitte.

Cruise holidays now represent the fastest expanding holiday option for Irish travellers. This is due to the all-inclusive nature of them and the multiple destinations per trip. Joining Susan this morning Mary McKenna, CEO of Travel Suite and Tour America.

Gartner projects that 60% of all new code written globally will be AI-generated by the end of 2026. The method of building software by directing AI tools through natural language prompts, rather than writing code manually. Susan discusses this further with Elish O’ Connor Director of Strategy and AI, Viatel.

Thursday's business headlines with Joe Lynam.

Most live music venue act bookings are done by text or email and sudden changes are not unusual and can upset either the musician or the venue.  Eoghan Matthews is a musician who decided to simplify and digitalise the process by creating an app which venues can subscribe to and musicians can also promote their talents on .Eoghan Matthews the co-founder of CeolConnect told Joe all about his business.

13 years ago when Ireland went back onto the global money markets to borrow money after the Troika departed. it cost the State €8bn per annum to pay interest on that borrowed money.  NTMA says that amount is set to rise again notably as global rates are set to get and stay higher.  A lot to discuss with Frank O’Connor, the Chief Executive of the NTMA.

Mannok is a manufacturer of construction products and plastic packaging in Co Cavan. It is not a sector renowned for its green credentials.  But that’s about to change when 10,000 solar panels are placed on the roof to create Ireland's largest rooftop solar installation.  It will be installed by Activ8 and Ciaran Marron, CEO of Activ8 Energies spoke to Joe.

Heineken is the number 1 beer brand in the world and 2nd only to Guinness in Ireland. It also owns the Murphys and Beamish brands as well as Moretti, Sagres and Amstel brands.  Heineken has won an award for a campaign set in Ireland called 'The Pub That Refused To Die' which was a real pub in Limerick which was bought and run by the locals. Joining Joe this morning was Fiona Curtin the Marketing Director of Heineken Ireland.  

Joe Lynam takes a look at Wednesday's business news headlines.

Tuesday's business headlines with Joe Lynam.

Ian Hyland has spent his life promoting business in Ireland. Whether as chair of Ireland Inc, publisher of Business & Finance or sitting on the advisory board of the UCD Smurfit Business School. A lot to discuss with Ian Hyland.

Nationwide housing asking prices rose by 5% over the past 12 months according to MyHome.ie.  .  The median asking price for a house nationally is now just under €400,000  Final sale prices are 7-8% above the original asking price on average, suggesting that the market is still very robust. Speaking to Joe this morning was  Conall Mac Coille the author of the MyHome.ie house price survey.

Entrepreneurial tax reliefs were improved slightly in the budget last year.  That might be one of the reasons for a 13% rise in the number of companies started in the first 6 months of the year. How many of these companies will survive if there is an economic downturn?  To discuss with Joe was Christine Cullen, Managing Director of Vision-net by CRIF.

The government has promised to introduce a new tax efficient way to turn a nation of savers into one of mini investors.  These new schemes need to be robust, genuinely save on tax and simple to understand.  Joe discusses this and more with Teresa Kelly Oroz the Head of Public Policy with Irish Life.

Monday business news review along with Joe Lynam and Kathleen Brooks from XTB.

Friday business news review with Susan Hayes Culleton and Aidan Donnelly from Davys.

More and more companies are turning to corporate health insurance in an attempt to retain staff, but what do businesses need to know if they’re looking to set up a plan?   Susan Hayes Culleton spoke to Ger Conalty who leads SYS Financials' health insurance advisory service.