---
title: What’s Next for Irish Business? Insights from Bríd O’Connell, CEO of Guaranteed Irish
description: What is the biggest challenge facing Irish business today? In this thought leadership piece, Bríd O’Connell, CEO of Guaranteed Irish, explores the key challenges and opportunities shaping the future of Irish business, from competitiveness, infrastructure and sustainability to global growth and the importance of strong business networks.
---

[Guaranteed Irish Blog](https://blog.guaranteedirish.ie)

# [What’s Next for Irish Business? Insights from Bríd O’Connell, CEO of Guaranteed Irish](https://blog.guaranteedirish.ie/whats-next-for-irish-business-insights-from-bríd-oconnell-ceo-of-guaranteed-irish)

 Written by [Áine Dempsey](https://blog.guaranteedirish.ie/author/áine-dempsey) | Oct 29, 2026, 11:59:05 AM

What is the biggest challenge facing Irish business today? In this thought leadership piece, Bríd O’Connell, CEO of Guaranteed Irish, explores the key challenges and opportunities shaping the future of Irish business, from competitiveness, infrastructure and sustainability to global growth and the importance of strong business networks. Bríd shares six leadership principles to help Irish businesses scale, compete internationally and continue creating economic and social value in Ireland, while building a stronger future for Brand Ireland.

#### What is the biggest challenge facing Irish business today?

For me, the challenge is no longer simply helping Irish businesses to grow.

It is about creating the conditions for businesses to scale, stay rooted here and compete confidently on the global stage, while retaining the economic and social value they create in Ireland.

 

Through my role at Guaranteed Irish, I work closely with businesses across sectors and see first-hand the pressures and opportunities facing them, from competitiveness and infrastructure to supply chains, sustainability and the cost of doing business.

There are a few principles I believe are increasingly important for leaders navigating this environment.

 

#### Don’t let your history become your strategy.

Guaranteed Irish has a long and proud history, but heritage alone does not guarantee future relevance.

Organisations need to continually ask: Why do we matter today? What do our customers, members and communities need from us now?

Strong organisations respect what came before while remaining willing to evolve.

 

#### Be dogged about your vision.

I have a vision for Guaranteed Irish and I’m dogged about it.

Change takes time. Repositioning an organisation takes patience, and not every decision or idea will deliver immediately.

 

Leadership requires the conviction to keep moving forward when you believe in the purpose and the direction.

 

#### Build an ecosystem, not just a business.

Businesses don't operate in isolation.

 

Some of the greatest opportunities can come from looking sideways - building partnerships, strengthening supply chains and creating opportunities for the businesses around you to succeed.

 

At Guaranteed Irish, we see the value of connecting businesses and creating stronger, more resilient supply chains.

 

Your next growth opportunity may already exist within your network.

 

#### Think local - but don’t limit your ambition.

Being rooted in Ireland should never mean thinking small.

 

We are Irish and global. Ireland has extraordinary talent, innovation and entrepreneurial ambition, and our businesses should have the confidence to compete internationally while continuing to create value here.

 

This is central to the future of Brand Ireland. 

 

#### Measure success by the impact you create.

Success isn't simply what your organisation achieves. It is also what you enable others to achieve.

 

For Guaranteed Irish, that means helping our members grow, thrive and contribute positively to their communities and to the wider Irish economy.

 

Purpose should not sit separately from business strategy. It should be part of it.

 

#### Don’t make yourself indispensable.

One of the hardest lessons for any leader is recognising that you cannot, and should not do everything yourself.

 

No one is indispensable.

 

The role of a leader is to create the vision, build the right team, trust people to deliver and give the next generation of leaders the space to grow.

 

The biggest challenge facing Irish business today is therefore also an opportunity:

 

How do we create the conditions for Irish businesses to put down roots here, while giving them the scale, infrastructure and confidence to take those roots to the world?

That is a challenge we all have a role in shaping.

 

Interested in becoming a member of Guaranteed Irish? [Contact us today!](https://www.guaranteedirish.ie/contact-us/)

 

**Guaranteed Irish, Supporting Business that Supports Ireland**

[View full post](https://blog.guaranteedirish.ie/whats-next-for-irish-business-insights-from-bríd-oconnell-ceo-of-guaranteed-irish)

```json
{
  "@context" : "http://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Áine Dempsey"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2026-10-29T12:26:07.412Z",
  "datePublished" : "2026-10-29T11:59:05Z",
  "headline" : "What’s Next for Irish Business? Insights from Bríd O’Connell, CEO of Guaranteed Irish",
  "image" : {
    "@type" : "ImageObject",
    "height" : 525,
    "url" : "https://20452249.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/20452249/What%E2%80%99s%20Next%20for%20Irish%20Business_%20Insights%20from%20Br%C3%ADd%20O%E2%80%99Connell%2c%20CEO%20of%20Guaranteed%20Irish%20%281%29.jpg",
    "width" : 800
  },
  "mainEntityOfPage" : "https://blog.guaranteedirish.ie/whats-next-for-irish-business-insights-from-bríd-oconnell-ceo-of-guaranteed-irish",
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "height" : 60,
      "url" : "/hs/hsstatic/content_shared_assets/static-1.4092/img/default-amp-logo.png",
      "width" : 60
    },
    "name" : "Guaranteed Irish Blog "
  }
}
```