By Business & Finance 
Pat McGrath is successfully expanding the company into lucrative international markets.
Because
With the signing of three €250 million contracts this month, engineering project management firm PM Group has once again proven that it has the ability and ambition to succeed in these economic times. Pat McGrath, the Managing Director and CEO of PM Group, has been integral in making the company a success both here and abroad.
International expansion
The company specialises in the design and project management of engineering and pharmaceutical projects both here and abroad. McGrath will oversee the start of projects in Singapore, China and India later this year.
In Singapore, PM Group will design, build and project manage the construction of a pharmaceutical technology center, while in India it will oversee the construction of a large scale biopharmaceutical facility in Ahmedabad. Working on projects in places like Singapore will benefit the company and position them well for the Asia market.
McGrath was appointed a director of the company in 1979 and in 1995 became Group Managing Director. During his time there he has made international expansion a priority in advancing the business. Currently 37% of PM’s revenue is generated outside of Ireland, up from 22% last year. McGrath plans to bring this figure up to 50% by next year.
Home success
PM Group is quite unique in its set-up. 75% of the company is owned by senior management and over 350 employees who participate in ownership through an employee share scheme.
PM Group employs 1800 people, across 30 countries around the world, but its head offices are located in Dublin and Cork. McGrath attributes much of PM’s success to international business, which helps develop business at home. Many Irish firms can not qualify or attempt to secure large contracts because they do not meet certain criteria, and McGrath has said that this can be a problem even for a company of PM’s size and scale.
Background
McGrath graduated from University College Dublin in 1969 with a B.E. in Electrical Engineering and he received his M.Eng.Sc. in 1971. After working for Roadstone Ltd. for three years on the design and construction of large quarrying installations, he spent a year in Detroit, USA, with a firm of Consulting Engineers. He joined PM Group in 1976, and moved to Cork in 1978 to work on the installation of the Kinsale Head offshore gasfield platforms.
He holds a Diploma in Business Leadership and Corporate Direction from the Institute of Directors and University College Cork, and an M.B.A. from the Open University. Pat is a non-executive member of the Board of the Irish Management Institute, and is non-executive Chairperson of the Health Information and Quality Authority. He is a former member of the Governing Body of Cork Institute of Technology.
PM Group is leading the current rebuilding of the Lansdowne Road sports stadium in Dublin. A 50/50 joint venture between the FAI and IRFU, PM Group has led the way on the estimated €365m project to build a 50,000 all seated stadium.
PM facts
- This month, PM Group has signed three international contracts worth €250 million.
- The company has operations in Ireland, UK, Poland, Sweden, Russia, Bulgaria, Romania, US, Singapore, China and India.
Business & Finance, Business Person of the Month
Business & Finance, in association with MERC Partners, has been awarding excellence in business through the ‘Business Person of the Month’ award over the last number of years. These awards seek to recognise noteworthy achievements in business leadership, and particularly those that make a telling contribution to the wider business community in Ireland.
