Panel Discussion: Success & How to Achieve It
Mary Fitzgerald, Proprietor of Fitzgeralds Woodlands House Hotel
Mary is Proprietor of Fitzgeralds Woodlands House Hotel & Spa in Adare since 1983. Mary is also a director of Fitzgeralds Vienna Woods Hotel in Cork. Both are very much family orientated. Mary is involved in local and National tourism and business promotion organisations being Chairperson of Manor House Hotels & Irish Country Hotels, a member of the Shannon Airport Authority, and is also a member of Limerick County Enterprise Board and Limerick County Development Board. Mary is also a founding member of the Adare Innkeepers.
In 2002 Mary was the first woman to be President of the Irish Hotels Federation and is also a former Board member of Failte Ireland.A key note speaker at the National Women’s Enterprise Day 2010, Mary’s down to earth manner and positive work ethic was an inspiration to many.Liz Waters, MD of Malones
Liz took over Malone’s, one of Ireland’s oldest companies six years ago. A former teacher, linguist and Marketing Manager with Aer Lingus, Liz’s business model was a first to market.Liz, a mother of four, wanted to create a range of natural but effective cleaning products that .jpg "Liz and Products (3)")
would be available through the supermarkets at affordable prices.The company has grown in six years from a 1 product company, famous for its tin of lavender wax polish to a nine product company with listings in all the Irish multiples. Malone’s has recently obtained listings in the DIY sector and is now also available in hardware stores throughout the country.Malone’s, along with Dyson Ireland has just become the Corporate sponsor of the Asthma Society of Ireland and their logo is now on Malones’ products. Liz feels passionately that the future of the brand depends on it regaining its former export market to the U.K. and the company is currently in negotiations with some of the U.K Multiples.
Aisling Hurley, MD Teamwoodcraft, Writer, Blogger
Aisling Hurley is Mum to Katie & Amy, MD of the award winning Teamwoodcraft and sometime serial entrepreneur. She has been featured in all the broadsheets, various radio and TV programmes and many Interior magazines. Her background is i
n IT and property development (on the side!). She joined forces with cabinet maker Liam Hurley in 1996 when they created business to business architectural joinery firm Teamwoodcraft.She has been MD since 2004 and during her time at the helm she has grown the company substantially with clients in the US, Spain, France, UK, Switzerland, Wales and Scotland. For her work at the company, Aisling has won many awards including Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Nominee 2011, Finalist in the All Ireland Marketing Awards 2008-2009, Business Person of the Year 2008-2009, Finalist in the Small Firms Awards 2008 and more. She has just launched her nature photography work to huge acclaim and her own personal writers blog is about to go live. Watch this space! www.teamwoodcraft.com
Deirdre Murtagh, founder of Causey Farm
Deirdre worked in the world of IT for fifteen years both in Ireland and in the European Commission in Brussels. She became involved in tourism in 1997 when she opened a visitor attraction called Maze in the Maize, a 5 acre maze cut through a field of maize corn.
In 1998, Deirdre along with her sister Angela and her brother Matt, opened Causey Farm initially as a venue for Primary School Tours. Over the years the business has grown to a year-round operation employing up to 40 people at peak times. Causey Farm offers educational, cultural and fun activities to all kinds of groups from international tourists to hen and stag parties, transition year students to active retirement groups. Activities are authentic and varied – from making traditional brown bread to bodhran workshops, milking a cow to bog-jumping – engaging hands-on insights into rural Irish life. They also hold a big Halloween event called Farmaphobia and one of the most popular Christmas events in the country. The business has continued to grow each year and the friendliness, creativity and unexpectedly good fun are the basis of this continuing growth. Deirdre also set up a wholesale bakery as an offshoot of Causey Farm. She is interested in all aspects of business, particularly looking out for and assessing the viability of opportunities. www.causey.ie