By Business & Finance 
Jack Teeling, founder and managing director of Teeling Whiskey takes the Business & Finance 60 second challenge.
Q. What was your first job?
Fourth year work experience placement in Cooley Distillery, where I covered for a secretary who was responsible for all incoming calls on a 1980s switchboard.
Q. What would you regard as your greatest achievement to date?
Managing the growth and evolution of Cooley Distillery for the last few years prior to its acquisition by Bean Inc in 2012.
Q. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Lead through decisive decision making.
Q. If you could step into the shoes of one business person for the day, who would it be and why?
Elon Musk. He dreamt and bet big; and, more importantly to me, did it with his own money.
Q. In three words or less, how do you define success?
Self fulfilment
Q. How do you motivate yourself and your staff?
At Teelings Whiskey, motivation comes by setting ourselves very high standards and rewarding appropriately when achieved.
Q. How do your relax?
I try to play junior rugby with Clontarf Rugby Club.
Q. What’s your motto?
Dare to be different.
Q. What are your aspirations for the future of your business?
To establish Teeling Whiskey as the leading independent whiskey company in the world.
Who is Jack Teeling?
Jack Teeling is the founder and managing director of the Teeling Whiskey Company.
Teeling comes from a family long associated with Irish whiskey. From Walter Teeling in 1782 who set up a distillery on Marrowbone Lane in Dublin to John Teeling who founded Cooley Distillery in 1987, the first Irish whiskey distillery to be establish in Ireland in over 100 years.
Teeling has over 10 years experience in the Irish whiskey industry having previously held the roles of commercial manager, sales and marketing director and latterly managing director with Cooley Distillery. During his time as Cooley’s MD the company experienced sales growth of over 85%. Cooley Distillery was sold to Beam in January 2012 for $95m.
In January 2014, Teeling and his brother Stephen announced plans to open a new €10m distillery in the Liberties, with the creation of over 30 jobs.
Teeling holds an MSc in International Business (TCD), a MBS in Finance (Smurfit Business School) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce from UCD.
