By Business & Finance 
As Managing Director of Flogas LPG in Ireland and Northern Ireland, Kevin Donnelly’s role is to set and execute the strategic direction of the Flogas LPG business, which involves meeting customers, installers and developers to sell the vision of the LPG industry. He spends a lot of time outside the office, meeting customers and installers alike.
By Héloïse Chaudot
What are your main priorities and goals in the role?
My main priority is to set the strategy for the business and ensure we are aligned behind it. Striking the right balance between short-term performance and long-term, sustainable success is critical.
What are your biggest challenges as Managing Director?
I am fortunate to lead a company in an industry I genuinely enjoy. The sector is so varied that the role is never dull. I am supported by a strong senior leadership team that shares a clear view of where we need to take the business. The biggest challenge is managing change at pace – but that is also the part of the job I enjoy most.
What have been your highlights in business over the past year?
The standout highlight has been how the team has performed in challenging conditions and how we have adapted to both change and opportunity. Over the past few years, we have developed industry-leading supply chains and customer offerings. That progress, delivered by the team, is what I am most proud of.
What’s next in your firm/company?
Growth for us means helping more off-grid homes move to lower-carbon heating. We are investing in domestic central heating solutions that can support the Government’s 2040 climate targets, and in our systems and operations, so we serve customers better. On the commercial side, we continue to offer tailor-made one-stop solutions to large energy users who wish to reduce their energy footprint and embark on their carbon reduction strategies. In terms of new areas of growth, partnering with our sister company Clearpower, we provide biomass solutions for high process-heat users, and we see strong potential in hybrid biomass–LPG systems to cut carbon for those customers.
What new trends are emerging in your industry?
The key trend is decarbonisation and more conscious energy use. Customers want to reduce their carbon footprint, but many are unsure where to start. We offer a portfolio of energy solutions and work with customers at their own pace. Listening carefully and giving them the right solution for today – plus options for the future – is critical. It is about being in listening mode, not selling mode.
What are the challenges facing the industry going forward?
Staying relevant in a rapidly changing energy landscape is a major challenge. At the government and legislative level, we need recognition that renewable liquid fuels can and will play a key role in Ireland’s energy transition. LPG is a niche product, and advocacy has to start with education. Many people do not really know what LPG is. They are often surprised by how readily available, transportable, flexible and scalable it is, and by how much more environmentally friendly current and future products are. A level playing field with other biofuels – and full acceptance of renewable liquid fuels in Ireland’s energy transition framework – is essential.
How do you keep your team/staff motivated?
That is easy. The variety across the business is huge. We serve residential customers, hospitality, farms, the drinks and food sector, heavy industry and much more. The energy industry is at a critical moment. Being part of the energy solution is highly motivating and satisfying – for me and for the team.
Are there any major changes you would like to see in your sector?
I would like to see a Renewable Heat Obligation that recognises a wider mix of fuels. There is welcome support for biomethane on the national grid, but equivalent backing for renewable liquid gases such as BioLPG would help decarbonise off-grid homes and businesses quickly. As members of Liquid Gas Ireland, we believe a just transition means a multi-technology approach – not electricity alone – so no community is left behind.
What’s the best advice you’ve been given in business?
Take control of your own career. Make it happen. As in business, have a vision and work towards it – no one else will do it for you. Business is simple: people are key. Once you understand that, everything else becomes easier.
What’s the best non-business book you’ve read and why?
Stephen King’s ‘Gunslinger’ series – an epic tale with similarities to ‘The Lord of the Rings’ that weaves together many of his characters over the years.
What is your favourite hobby and why?
I play the world’s fastest racket sport – badminton – and have done so since I was about seven. I was lucky to learn from a qualified coach from an early age. I was a slow starter: at 13, I was a substitute on my primary school ‘B’ team; by 14, I was Irish champion. I have played competitively at all levels over the years, and I still play in masters veteran tournaments.
What is your mantra for life?
Family first, always. Secondly, it is only business, never personal. Thirdly, try something new on a regular basis – if it does not scare you, you are not doing it right.
Read more CEO Q&As:
Derry Crowley, CEO of Xeinadin
Ken McAndrew, Founder & Managing Partner of Camigo Consulting
