Mairead Mackle's business empire covers homecare, housing, a charitable foundation, wagyu beef production and a programme for female entrepreneurs.
‘It’s okay to have moments where you’re not running at the same pace as you want to run all of the time’From a three-generation family history in retail to the magic of Disney and via two redundancies, Fiona Matthews brings her people-centred approach to her leadership to Applegreen’s Irish business. Fiona Alston speaks to the winner of the CEO of the Year category of this year’s IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of the Year Awards.
This is the first place I’m encouraged to take on new things before I’m champing at the bit looking for them.” Speaking of coffee, if you have ever had a cup of Applegreen’s own blend, Braeburn, then you’ve Matthews to thank for that cup of ‘passion’. “During the covid period, we worked on this new coffee brand – we took the time to strategically look at our coffee business, and we know how important it is to our overall business, and we really wanted to put some more passion into the brand.
“In the last seven months, we’ve had over one million charging sessions, so it just gives you a sense of the scale. In comparison to ICE vehicles and fuel as we know it, it’s relatively small, but it is growing. The UK is probably the most mature market for us when it comes to EV drivers, so we’re building out the infrastructure as consumer demand changes and people are making that transition.”
Six months into the Chicago stay and “all of a sudden, friends and family started getting married and having babies, and I was missing the rugby matches, and it turns out, I was far more of a home bird than I ever thought,” she says.“Not at all, it took at least 12 months. There was a lot of ‘but this was so easy in America, and that was so easy in America’.
“And then it opened up the opportunity to get into Disney which was a fantastic opportunity. I worked with Disney for nine years, and they really are a masterclass in brand management. I learned a lot when I was there, it’s such a powerful brand.
IMAGE Business Club Business Club Business Club Hub IMAGE Business Club Hub BWOTY24
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
‘Who cares if you fail? You learn by your failures. We’ve tried loads of things and failed’Mairead Mackle's business empire covers homecare, housing, a charitable foundation, wagyu beef production and a programme for female entrepreneurs.
Read more »
Mairead Ronan opens up about family life and explains why she left full-time broadcastingBroadcaster Mairead Ronan has explained why she walked away from her full time radio job and a prime time TV slot, as well as giving some parenting advice
Read more »
Ireland’s corporate tax bubble is now a €30bn hot air balloonNot for the first time Apple has sent Ireland’s tax figures stratospheric and the Department of Finance running for cover
Read more »
Life after running Harvey’s Point hotel: ‘We found our little piece of paradise in southwest France’Starting again after 30 years of running Harvey’s Point was a challenge, but Deirdre McGlone is enjoying the slower pace of life in France
Read more »
People told not kill daddy long legs and to leave them in their homesFinding spiders in your home is one of the most disgusting moments, especially for those who hate the arachnids, but you’re not meant to touch daddy long legs
Read more »
No, Elon Musk will not be a trillionaire by 2027Any claim that anyone is to be a trillionaire any time soon is not credible
Read more »