By Business & Finance 
Teneo senior managing director Mary Moloney takes the Business & Finance 60 second challenge.
Q. What was your first job?
My first paid employment was as a five-year-old strawberry picker on my grandmother’s farm in Wexford!
Through my formative years, I’d a variety of jobs including being a personal trainer and switchboard operator in Brighton, a paralegal in Manhattan and a marketing campaign coordinator in London. My actual career started with Accenture the summer that I graduated from Trinity College with a Degree in Law.
Q. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Be true to yourself and know yourself; only then can you be at your best with others.
Q. If you could step into the shoes of one business person for the day, who would it be and why?
Richard Branson. I quite like the idea of running a business empire from a pool on Neckar.
Q. In three words or less, how do you define success?
Freedom to choose.
Q. What’s your motto?
We’re all going to die! So make the most of every day.
Q. What would you regard as your greatest achievement to date?
My own personal achievement is probably keeping things in perspective and continuing to learn and grow every day; never giving up!
Other achievements can only be attributed to a combination of hard work and luck, and were rarely accomplished alone.
Q. How do you motivate yourself and your staff?
Clarity of purpose really helps – knowing what you’re aiming for and why means you can focus on achieving goals and outcomes.
Q. How do you relax?
Time with friends and family is my favourite, whether it’s dancing until the early hours with friends or hugs and chats with my small boys!
Though Bikram yoga sessions and the odd burst of retail therapy are also pastimes.
Q. What are your aspirations for the future of your business?
For all the organisations with which I work (Teneo and its clients, CoderDojo and the Dublin Fringe Festival) I expect that all three will continue to grow and to deliver against the ambitious strategies that we’ve set for each.
My own personal achievement is probably keeping things in perspective and continuing to learn and grow every day
PROUD MARY
Prior to her role at Teneo Holdings, Mary Moloney was global CEO at CoderDojo and was responsible for operations and growth worldwide from 200 coding clubs to 1,100 tech clubs in 66 countries from 2014 to 2016.
Previously a partner at Accenture, she also filled managing director, CEO, COO and Talent/HR director roles within Accenture.
A law graduate from Trinity College Dublin and award-winning executive, she is on the board of CoderDojo and is chairperson of the Dublin Fringe Festival.
Moloney is on the ICT group at Ibec and the digital group at Institute of International & European Affairs.
She is a keynote speaker at international conferences, including Davos, The Web Summit, SouthxSouthWest, Salesforce World Tour, EU Parliament, MozFest, Dreamforce, Buckingham Palace, Digital Denmark, Digital Turkey and the Global Entrepreneurship Conference.
