Down To Business

In this day and age we spend more of our lives looking at screens than ever before.  From work and school to scrolling at night, our eyes are working harder than ever!  This week on the industry review we are going to be looking at the optical industry, from eye tests and glasses to contact lenses and the growing focus on eye health. 

For this week's Executive Chair, Emmet is speaking the Managing Director of Landmark Technologies who has recently carried out a very interesting pivot...

This week saw the first budget in the Andy Burnham era. Chancellor John Healey delivered it on Wednesday saying it was for ‘the working people of Britain’. How successful was it and will it provide any spark to an already weak UK Economy?     David Smith is an economic columnist for The Times and he joins Emmet to discuss.  

Forget the wars, a new walking tour coming to Dublin, and it is all about love triangles, secret babies and the time Bram Stoker stole Oscar Wilde’s girlfriend from under his nose.  Girly Pop Tours is aimed at solo travelling women and the LGBTQ+ community, and it comes with its own photographer and a glittery Guinness at the end.  Its founder, Chloe Schmid, tells Emmet what it's all abo...

Joining Bobby Kerr to go through this week's business stories is Stephen O'Leary, Founder of Olytico, and the author Sarah Stone McDevitt.

  Caroline Webb is seen as one of the best business coaches out there, has worked for the Bank of England, and has been a Partner at McKinsey. Her new book, Leadership Intelligence, describes itself as a ‘science based playbook for leading brilliantly’. She joins Emmet to tell him about it and how you can become an intelligent leader.

For this week's Executive Chair, Bobby is on location at the former Macardle brewery site in Dundalk to meet Seamus and Kay O’Hara, the couple behind one of Ireland’s pioneering independent craft breweries.

Bobby is joined in studio by Kate Doyle, founder of EcoKinly, the Irish business she launched from home in 2022 with a three-month-old baby on a mission to make reusable nappies and wipes feel simple, modern and accessible.

Joining Bobby Kerr ito go through this week's business stories is Ronan Reid & Joan Mulvihill, Industry Engagement Lead at the Command Gateway at TUS.

Bobby is joined by Nick Charalambus, Managing Director at Alpha Wealth, to unpack what the Revolut outage revealed about how we pay and how exposed we can be when systems go down.

For this week's Industry Review, we're looking at the world of precious gemstones: what determines their value, the skill involved in cutting them, and what makes one stone more desirable than another.  Joining Bobby are: Andrew Stuart - a Gem Stone cutter & Lapidarist at Stuart Gems Martin Commins - Director of Bespoke Diamonds Carol Clarke - Fellow of the Institute of Registered Jewelle...

Bobby is joined by leadership consultant and author Rob Cross to talk about his new book, Ask Three Questions, and the big moments in life that force us to stop drifting and take stock.

Joining Bobby to go through the main business stories from the Saturday papers is Susan HayesCulleton, host of Taking Stock here at Newstalk as well as vRobert Whelan of Rockwell Finance.

Joining Bobby in the Executive Chair this week is CEO of the Bellew Group, Ollie Bellew.

For those of us young enough the phrase ‘Citroën 2CV’ may well evoke memories of our first, cheap car. While the original 2CV stopped production in 1990, Citroën had some exciting news for attendees at the Paris Motor show earlier this month. Emmett Ryan from the Irish Times joins Bobby to chat about the return of the iconic Citroën 2CV as a simple electric car.

Olympic gold medal-winning archer Carlos Holgado and leadership expert Michael Watkins joins Bobby to discuss their new book ‘her's Edge: Ancient Wisdom and Modern Practice for Business Leaders’ which features Olympic archery as its central theme.

Chris Kane has previously spoken to Down to Business about the changing nature of offices following the paradigm shift of Covid. He’s the author of ‘Where’s My Office’ and writing recently he has turned his attention to something called the “adaptive office” and how we might all be working without desks. He joins Bobby to discuss.

AI is increasingly being used by businesses to improve efficiency, reduce costs and develop new services but how much of a difference is it making in practice? For this week’s Industry Review, Bobby looks at how Irish businesses are implementing AI, from speeding up veterinary diagnostics to tackling cyber threats and transforming how companies operate. Charles Cosgrave - Co-owner of Village Vets...

Following the latest budget announcements, Bobby is joined by economist Colm McCarthy and Paraic Burke, Head of Tax at PwC Ireland to analyse the winners, losers and long-term implications of Budget 2027. Our Budget coverage is thanks to PwC.

Today is World Homelessness Day, and this morning thousands of people around the country woke up having spent the night sleeping out as part of Focus Ireland’s Shine a Light event. Newstalk reporter Bairbre Holmes visited the event at Dublin's Iveagh Gardens, and joined Bobby to discuss.

Joining Bobby to go through the main business stories from the Saturday papers is Valerie Cox, Journalist and Author, and Ciaran Hancock, Business Editor of the Irish Times.

Bobby was Out and About on Clare Street this week and he stopped in Howbert & Mays, where he chatted to co-owner, Tig Mays.

Fruit and vegetables are a staple of the weekly shop but behind what we see on the shelves, there are some big challenges facing the people who grow, import, and sell our fresh produce. From changing shopping habits and rising costs to the impact of the weather, and the pressure on Irish growers, it’s a difficult time for the sector. So, for this week's Industry Review , Bobby is joined by three p...

Joining Bobby for this week's Executive Chair is Eoin Flanagan, Owner and Director of Siam Thai Restaurants & Candlelight Bar

To draw a close to a wonderful show in Dingle, Bobby was joined by musicians Eilis Kennedy and Gerry O'Breine.