By Business & Finance 
Dee Forbes, RTÉ and Niall Tuite, AIB Private Banking
On Tuesday October 18th, Ireland’s most prominent CEOs gathered at The Marker Hotel in Dublin at the launch of the Business & Finance CEO 100 edition.
Showcasing Ireland’s most influential CEOs, the Business & Finance CEO 100 edition profiles leading business leaders and the successes they have had throughout their careers.
The leading CEOs in Ireland represent the widest possible variety of industries. And 2016 has brought food for thought for CEOs in every industry without exception: Brexit.
Many of the leaders honoured in the CEO 100 have spoken in public about the political talking point of the day, and all will have done so in private. Understandably, for an open European economy driven by exports, the tendency has been towards caution.
On the other hand, IDA Ireland CEO Martin Shanahan has been at the forefront of efforts to capitalise from any potential opportunities.
In the edition, Ian Hyland, publisher of Business & Finance, comments: “Notwithstanding the advent of Brexit and the uncertainty that comes with it, where there is challenge there is also opportunity. In this vein, the past month saw Business & Finance open an additional office in London and launch businessandfinance.co.uk. We take pride in our role in shaping stories of Irish business in the last half-century and look forward to sharing and shaping the news in a new dawn for British business.”
He continues: “All in all, the long timeframe of Brexit means that adapting to the UK’s departure from the EU is now the new normal for Irish businesses and their CEOs. The fruits of their labours will be judged by next year’s CEO 100 – at which point the business environment could have changed just as radically once again.”
Shaun Murphy, managing partner at KPMG, reflected on the findings of KPMG’s research on global and Irish business leaders. He states: “The pace of change faced by CEOs in Ireland and worldwide is increasing – and technology, and its role in disrupting business and providing opportunity, is a significant factor. In addition to leadership and strategic skills, there is a growing requirement for CEOs to lead on mission-critical issues that they have not grown up with or previously experienced in their careers.”
Special honouree on the night was RTÉ CEO Dee Forbes. Accepting the award, she said, “Change is the new constant,” and nowhere more so than in media, she discussed the importance of keeping RTÉ moving forward, aligned with the way people consume their content now.
