Inside Business with Ciaran Hancock

The Irish Times
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A weekly look at business and economics from an Irish perspective hosted by Irish Times Business Editor Ciarán Hancock. Produced in association with EY. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 1D AGO

    PrepayPower are hiking their prices - will other energy suppliers soon follow suit?

    First up on this episode of Inside Business, the rising cost of living. Prepay Power last week became the first Irish energy supplier to announce an increase in its prices since the Middle East conflict began. Daragh Cassidy is Head of Communications at consumer advice website bonkers.ie, and he joins host Ciarán Hancock to discuss the outlook for a range of consumer prices, and whether other energy suppliers would follow Prepay Power’s lead and increase their prices. In the second half of this episode, Professor at the School of Computer Science & IT at UCC, Barry O’Sullivan, joins Ciarán to get under the skin of artificial intelligence and its poor image. Some say it will cure cancer and solve climate change; while others view it as a threat to humanity and something that will take away all our jobs. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    26 min

  2. APR 29

    Inflation remains steady; and Conor Pope’s energy saving tips

    On today’s Inside Business podcast Cliff Taylor from The Irish Times discusses the latest inflation figures, and our Current Affairs Correspondent Conor Pope offers tips on cutting your energy bills. Headline inflation in the Irish economy remained steady at 3.6% in April, figures published today show. “It’s hard to know how things will go but it looks like we could have a turbulent three to six months where energy is concerned” Cliff Taylor said. For consumers that could mean the need to take a look at the small changes that could, by the year’s end, tally up to substantial savings. The time you spend in the shower, the amount of water you put in the kettle, and how often you put the immersion heater on are all behaviours worth looking at, explains Conor Pope.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    31 min

  3. APR 22

    Kerry Group CEO on the impact of Middle East conflict, AI and drive to keep bread fresher for longer

    Our guest this week on Inside Business is Edmond Scanlon, chief executive of Kerry Group, the global food ingredients player and one of Ireland’s biggest stock market companies. The Tralee-based company has left behind its dairy roots to focus on high value nutrition and ingredients, supplying major food companies around the world. Edmond joins host Ciarán Hancok in studio to discuss how Kerry Group has created ingredients that have reduced the salt and sugar levels in popular foods without compromising on taste while also keeping prices down. It is also working on ways to extend the life of bread, so it lasts for up to two weeks. Edmond also explains how the current Middle East conflict is affecting its operations in the region and why the weak dollar, rather than Donald Trump’s tariffs, are impacting on its operations in the US. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    48 min

  4. APR 15

    Has the fuel protest shown that the loudest lobby generally gets what they want?

    On this week’s episode of Inside Business, host Ciarán Hancock speaks to Mayo entrepreneur Ciaran Crean. Ciaran is co-founder of Micksgarage.com, a business founded in 2004 selling car parts online. There have been a few bumps on the road since its foundation, but Micksgarage is currently in growth mode and has spun out a couple of businesses. One of those is WaveOMS, which provides software to Irish retailers looking to fulfil their online orders. Plus, IFAC chairman Seamus Coffey discusses the Government’s €505 million package of supports in response to last week’s fuel protests around the country. Is this money well spent? Will it be enough if the Middle East conflict drags on? And is it now a case that those who shout loudest will be appeased by the Government? Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    44 min

  5. APR 8

    “Back yourself”: Aimee Connolly shares her story of 10 years in business

    In the 10 years since Aimee Connolly founded the viral beauty brand Sculpted by Aimee, it’s become a multi-million euro enterprise with plans to increase its revenues this year by 25 per cent. Today, Ciaran asks about her early days as an entrepreneur, starting the business with €10,000 in savings, and her tips on leadership, scaling, and plans to enter the lucrative US market. Connolly tells Inside Business that her supply chain - with some products coming from South Korea - have been impacted by delays in freight getting through the Middle East. “I remain optimistic and hope that whatever happens [in the conflict] we’ll be able to pivot” she says. Following the ceasefire between the US and Iran which began on Tuesday, Cliff Taylor of The Irish Times explains the impact of falling oil prices, and the jump in European and Asian stock markets. Produced by Andrew McNair and JJ Vernon.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    44 min

  6. APR 1

    Iran’s cyber-attacks on Irish-based companies and the ongoing impact of conflict in the Middle East

    It’s a year on since Donald Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs and host Ciarán Hancock is joined in studio by Aidan Meagher, EY partner and co-head of the geopolitical strategy team; to hear about the impact this has had on Irish exporters and global trade. They also chat about the current market turmoil and an increasing level of cyber-attack on the operations of American companies in Ireland by Iranian interests. In the second half of this week’s Inside Business, Ciarán speaks to Declan Bolger, the chief executive of the Irish Life group, one of the biggest asset managers in the country. Declan gives his thoughts on the State’s new auto enrolment pension scheme, the rising costs of health insurance premiums, and the impact of AI on his sector. He also explains why Simon Harris’s plan to introduce a tax-friendly savings and investment scheme will be an “absolute failure” if only viewed for the wealthy. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    48 min

  7. MAR 25

    Are Government's fuel measures betting on a quick resolution to the conflict in Iran?

    This week the Government introduced a €250 million package of measures to help businesses and households with their fuel bills over the next couple of months. But will it be enough? And is it merely a bet by Government on the Iran conflict being resolved quickly? Joining host Ciarán Hancock in studio to tease this out are Cliff Taylor of The Irish Times and Fergal O’Brien, director of lobbying and influence at employers group Ibec. But the episode starts with Irish times political correspondent Cormac McQuinn taking us through the various fuel measures introduced by Government.  Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    28 min

  8. MAR 18

    The difficult choices that could dramatically increase housing supply in Dublin

    First up on this week’s Inside Business is Ireland’s housing crisis and where it is felt most – Dublin city. Mark Fitzgerald is chairman of the Fine Gael Commission for renewal and a non-executive director of Sherry FitzGerald Group. He joined host Cliff Taylor in studio to discuss a recent piece he wrote for the Irish Times where he highlights restrictive geography and the lack of imagination around land use and zoning as some of the key contributors to the challenging housing situation in the capital. But what decisions led to the current scarcity of supply and what choices could be made to meet demand for future generations in the capital? Also on this episode, the latest report from the Economic and Social Research Institute suggests Ireland is trending to fall far below the 2030 targets as set out in the Climate Action Plan. Focusing on decarbonising Irish households, the report highlights the slow uptake in retrofitting and the installation of heat pumps. The report also points out some of the barriers preventing homeowners from taking such measures. Muireann Lynch is a Senior Research Officer with the ESRI and co-authored the report. She joined Cliff on the line to go through the report’s key points. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    44 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

A weekly look at business and economics from an Irish perspective hosted by Irish Times Business Editor Ciarán Hancock. Produced in association with EY. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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