Disruption 2017
17 May 2017
Ciarán Bergin
Last Friday Brightwater Consultants attended the Chartered Accountants Ireland Annual Conference as a sponsor in the Radisson Blu, Galway. Assistant Manager of our Accountancy division Ciarán Bergin shares his thoughts on this flagship, annual event.
Yet again the Annual Conference didn’t disappoint, this year’s theme was disruption, which brought together thought leaders and influencers who reflected on trends and events that are shaping our world. The line-up of speakers was impressive, informative and was a true example of how disrupting the norm can bring significant success to business.
Following a lively opening by Liam Lynch, President of Chartered Accountants Ireland, there were excellent topics covered in the morning session by Mark Little of Storyful fame, Paula Fitzsimons of Fitzsimons Consulting and Kevin Maughan, CEO of UrbanVolt. All three business leaders entertained with stories of their entrepreneurial journeys and how the ability to recognise a need and cause disruption in their industries has led to their success. Certainly, the most rewarding path is not always the one most easily travelled.
The afternoon sessions were broken up into focused sessions around leadership and wellness, business and innovation and practice planning. The highlights for me in particular, had to be Sinead Mahon, COO of Barclays Bank Ireland and her stories of her desire to always ask “what else needed to be done?” In fact, it was this desire that got her involved and known across senior levels of the business and defined her current career success. Pat Moran’s topic on Cyber Security and Cyber Disruptions could not have been more topical considering the global malware events of the day.
The evening wrap up of speakers was truly inspirational. Anyone who wasn’t discussing Annalise Murphy’s story of resilience, determination and courage, was discussing Brian Cody’s ability to see opportunity to take risks at the most critical of times. Even the Tipperary contingent were impressed with his explanation of why he took the chance on bringing in three inexperienced players into the fold for the 2014 all Ireland final replay for their eventual victory.
The event wrapped up with a champagne reception, banquet dinner and a lively set from Mundy. A great way to top off an enjoyable and informative weekend, I’ll certainly be back next year!
Brightwater’s accountancy recruitment team would be happy to assist anyone with their career moves and future direction. For further information and a confidential discussion about your career please contact Ciarán Bergin, Assistant Manager at Brightwater on 01 662 1000 or email [email protected]
To see photos from the weekend, checkout Brightwater's Facebook & Twitter pages or visit our events page.