What is your background – what made you want to become a Chartered Accountant?
When I was young, my dad asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I told him I had no idea. He then asked what I liked at school, and I said maths. He replied, “Well, accountants work with numbers.” That simple comment stuck with me — and here I am today.
Can you give us a run-down of your career to date?
I started out in PwC audit after finishing university in 2002. After completing my training contract, I moved to KPMG in 2006, still in audit. In 2007, I joined KBC Bank in Belfast in a Business Development role, right in the middle of the credit boom. A year later, I moved to Bank of Ireland and experienced the credit crunch firsthand, working in Business Banking before moving into the finance team in 2010.
In 2013, I joined Norbrook as Deputy Finance Director, later becoming Head of Financial Reporting and Risk. Then, in 2019, I moved to S&W Wholesale as CFO.
What is your current role?
I’m now CEO of S&W Wholesale in Newry.
What do you like about your job?
I’m lucky to work with a great team. Across all levels of S&W, we have really good people. It’s also very rewarding to see colleagues progress through the business — we’ve a strong track record of giving people opportunities to develop and grow.
What is the most difficult aspect of your job?
Working in FMCG, curve balls are a daily occurrence. We run a next-day delivery service for customers, so something unexpected crops up almost every day — but that’s part of the challenge and pace of the industry.
Your company moved to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) model in January 2023. How difficult was the process?
The process itself wasn’t overly complicated compared to other transactions. The bigger challenges were things like securing funding for a relatively new business model in Northern Ireland; agreeing on the governance and leadership structure post-transition; and planning communications, both internally and externally, given that awareness of EOTs is still quite limited.
That experience led me to join the Employee Ownership Ireland Board, where I now share insights with other businesses considering the same path.
What has changed as a result of the new EOT model?
S&W was always a great place to work — something reflected in the long service of many employees. But the EOT has strengthened our culture even more. We sum it up as: “Together, we go further.”
We’re committed to being a business run for the benefit of our employees, and since the transition we’ve made improvements in training, investment in people and systems, and in being more transparent and open in communication. We’ve really tried to embrace what employee ownership means.
What was your best day working as a CA?
Many people would probably say passing their FAEs — and that was a relief! I’ve also been lucky with opportunities: travelling to California while at PwC, flying to Spain in a private jet during my time at Norbrook to explore an acquisition, and visiting facilities in Nairobi and Kansas.
But overall, the best day was announcing the EOT to the S&W team. It felt like we were taking a huge step forward — giving the business a sense of long-term stability and a very exciting future.
What is your favourite movie?
I love a good comedy, so I’d have to say Old School or Wedding Crashers. What was your first ever job? As a teenager, I sometimes helped my mum in her credit manager role, photocopying invoices. My first proper paid job was as a retail assistant in M&S, Belfast City Centre.
If you weren’t a CA, what would your dream job be?
As a lifelong Manchester United fan, I’d take any job at Old Trafford — ideally working alongside Roy Keane!
What time does your day start?
I’m usually awake around 6am and the first thing I do is check updates from the nightshift. We get three updates between 5.30–6.00am, which gives me a sense of how things are running. After that, I get ready and help (loosely!) with my four boys getting organised for school. I’m normally out the door by 7.30 and in the office before 8.
Do you ever turn your phone off?
Not really. We operate Sunday evening through to Saturday morning, so I’m always conscious of what’s happening. It’s less about needing to step in and more about staying aware of challenges or achievements. On holidays, I take my work phone but lock it in the safe, only checking it at set times — morning, lunchtime, and evening. The team runs things perfectly well without me, but I like to stay in the loop.
What is the best bit of advice you have received?
From my parents. My dad was a taxi driver and my mum a credit manager. They always told me to treat everyone with the same respect, no matter their role. It’s something I try to live by.
If you could spend the day with any celebrity, who would it be?
Roy Keane. He’s a United legend, but also highly entertaining. I think he’d be great craic to spend a day with.
What’s your favourite thing to spend money on?
Football and Gaelic gear for my kids. With four boys who are sport-mad, it’s where most of my spare cash goes!
What do you like to do when you’re away from the office?
Most of my time outside work is spent being “dad taxi” for the boys, but I love watching them play Gaelic or soccer. I also coach some of the underage Gaelic teams locally, which is great fun — especially with the U8s, where it’s all about taking part rather than winning. And if United are playing well, I’ll happily get over to Old Trafford.
