Sarah Ryan

The cost and benefit of hiring a fractional executive may seem obvious to some, but for many SMEs and Start-Ups in Ireland it's still a slightly abstract concept. At the same time according to the Scale Ireland State of Start-Ups Survey 2024, nearly 50% of respondents claimed they lack the marketing skills & experience they think they need. Yet, SMEs that invest in marketing capabilities grow 24% faster on average (from The IJRM - International Journal of Research in Marketing). According the Morgan McKinley 2024 salary guide, the average salary for "Marketing Director with 3 - 5 yrs experience" is around €120,000. Considering Salary + Other Overheads, an FTE Marketing Director with limited experience could set a small business back nearly €200K PA not to mention recruiting time and other variables. A Fractional Marketing Leader with 3 times that experience at a 40% engagement (approx 2 days a week) is less that half that cost. c. €93K, can provide immediate impact, strategic direction and leave your business with the money to hire a more junior FTE to execute the marketing tactics, learn from the Fractional Exec's experience and grow with your business. With this model, a good Fractional Exec will make themselves redundant over time. So, while these figures are "approximate" and there are variables on both sides of this equation - Fractional engagements make senior marketing experience accessible and flexible for SMEs and Start-Ups and should definitely be a consideration for those nearly 50% of business in Ireland that lack that competency. FIXED RESPONSIBILITY, FULL COMMITMENT, FRACTIONAL COST Visit my website to learn more or book a call: https://www.timlion.com/ --------------------- Sources: Fractional rate based on Enterprise Ireland Strategic Marketing Review Day rates (€900/day). FTE salary based on bottom end of median salary range for a Marketing Director in Dublin with 3 - 5 Yrs experience from Morgan McKinley’s Total Pay Calculator. Other sources: PRSI, Benefits, Pension, L & D, Office Equipment, Software Licences, Office Space linked in file.

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🌟 I'm thrilled to announce the launch of my new venture, Authentic Leadership - a coaching and leadership development practice dedicated to empowering women in tech to lead with confidence, purpose and authenticity. After 20+ years in tech sales leadership, I've witnessed firsthand the transformative power of embracing one's true self in the workplace. Now, combining my leadership experience and becoming an ICF trained coach, I'm on a mission to help other women unlock their full potential and create ripples of positive change throughout organisations and the industry. ✨ Why Authentic Leadership? I believe that when we lead from a place of authenticity, this is where the magic happens. Teams thrive, innovation soars and we create workplaces where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and make huge impact. My approach is rooted in real-world experience, blending strategic insights with a deep understanding of the unique challenges women face in tech. Whether you're navigating a career transition, seeking to amplify your impact or looking to lead with more confidence and clarity, I'm here to support your journey. Ready to step into your power and lead with authenticity? Let's connect! I'm offering complimentary discovery calls to discuss how we can work together to unlock your leadership potential. 🙏 Here's to creating a world where every voice is heard, every perspective valued and every leader empowered to make a lasting difference. To book a call: https://lnkd.in/eamh3fmv Website: https://lnkd.in/erK2a7ev #AuthenticLeadership #WomenInTech #ExecutiveCoaching #LeadershipDevelopment

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🚀 Empowering Partners at the FY25 Tech Strategy Day with Kainos 🚀 Yesterday, we had an exhilarating day at the Partner Tech Strategy Day for FY25, hosting one of our fantastic partner, Kainos in the Microsoft Dublin Office. The event was a melting pot of insights, discussions, and forward-looking conversations. 🔒 Security First: From zero-trust architectures to threat intelligence, we explored how partners are safeguarding businesses against evolving cyber threats. 📈 BizApps Unleashed: We delved into the world of business applications (BizApps). We discussed the latest enhancements in Dynamics 365, Power Platform, and how these tools are driving digital transformation for organizations worldwide. 🤖 AI and Beyond: The afternoon buzzed with excitement as we explored artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). Kainos shared their success stories. 🌐 Global Impact: The Tech Strategy Day wasn’t just about technology—it was about impact. We celebrated the role of partners in shaping industries, driving innovation, and creating positive change globally. 👏 A huge shout-out to Kainos for their active participation, thought leadership, and commitment to excellence. Let’s continue pushing boundaries together! 🌟 #MicrosoftPartners #TechStrategy #Innovation #Collaboration #Technology #Growth Palanikumar Annamalai Kirillos Akram Denis Condon Martina Naughton Clare Hillis David Power Grace Rogers Martin O'Neill Kevin Bushe Jing X.

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Excellent Tech Industry Alliance Tech talk this morning in Cork city centre. The panel - Alan Lavery, Olivia Keenaghan, Alan O'Herlihy and Marie Toft focussed on a current subject of debate in many organisations -  ‘Transforming your business with GenAI’ Some key takeaways: ➡ In today’s business landscape, adopting GenAI is no longer an option but a necessity. Organisations that fail to integrate GenAI into their operations risk falling behind competitors. However, the question remains: How does one operationalise this transformative technology? 👨‍💻 👩‍💻 ➡ A critical element is finding the balance between managing expectations and effort level required. While the potential of GenAI is considerable, it requires planning and execution to realise its full benefits. Value assurance and quality assurance must be prioritised to ensure that the implementation of GenAI aligns with organisational objectives and delivers tangible results. ➡ All panellists agreed that the recent EU AI Act emerges as a guiding framework. Far from stifling progress and innovation, it provides essential guardrails to foster responsible AI development. By focussing on trust and human oversight, it ensures that AI technologies deliver in our best interests while mitigating potential risks. An excellent morning event sponsored by KPMG Ireland in the UCC Centre for Executive Education. 👏 🌟 The next Tech Industry Alliance Tech Talk event will be on June 13th when Starcircle will be hosting a panel discussion on AI and its application in Talent Identification & Diversity. Looking forward to seeing you there! 🚀 👩‍🚀 👨‍🚀

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My recent talk for the MoT Cork #meetup is now featured on the MoT homepage. It's great to see your content being featured on platforms like the Ministry of Testing 💙 To watch it, head over to ministryoftesting.com and click on the poster 🔗 Repost to share it with your network! Thanks to Diana d'Oliveira Dromey for publishing this one on the platform and to Simon Tomes for spreading the good news! #Testing #SkilledTesting #Automation #RahulParwal #TestingTitbits

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💡 A week removed from my first CIPD Ireland Conference last Thursday and I’m still reflecting on all the great learnings I took from the event 💡 🤖 Generative AI 🤖 - Generative AI is here, and we as humans have the ability to ensure it is used to augment workflows and processes, not simply replace jobs.  - As tasks become more and more automated, we need to further understand the skill sets of our workforce and redesign our practices to ensure continued individual growth and business success.  - We have the opportunity to think of AI as “Audacious Imagination”, but we must embrace AI with a human-technology partnership mindset, with ongoing analysis and iteration vital to safeguarding against bias and inaccurate information in our decision-making processes. 🧘‍♂️ Sustainable People Practices 🧘‍♂️ - There is a need to apply a sustainability lens to our people practices to ensure employees are supported to be “net better off”, and this includes thoughtful and intentional wellbeing initiatives, flexible work models, and an authentic dedication to DE&I. - The next generation of employees want to work for companies that share their values, with values-driven practices key to employee attraction, retention and engagement.  - Companies have a responsibility to create and maintain dynamic, resilient cultures amidst so much disruption and change. 🤝 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion 🤝 - The importance of allyship to DE&I initiatives cannot be understated - this work is about engaging the majority, not just working with the minority.  - Inclusion is fundamental for psychological wellbeing and belonging.  - Awareness isn’t enough, what matters is action: listening → learning → changing behaviour. I also particularly enjoyed learning from other attendees at two engaging roundtable discussions: - "How can people teams harness AI for enhanced performance?", led by Niamh McNamara FCIPD - "Bereavement support in the workplace", led by Amy Gibney Looking forward to returning next year already!

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MarketSizer Data-Driven Decisions® recognised at Enterprise Ireland's 2024 Startup Showcase 👏🏼 📍 Dublin Castle, May 2024 – MarketSizer.io was recognised as part of the Class of 2023 at Enterprise Ireland's 2024 Startup Showcase recently. I'm proud to say that this is the second startup backed by Enterprise Ireland in which I've been involved, founded or co-founded, and I'm looking forward to driving similar success, growth, and job creation with this new venture 🚀 💡 With critical funding from the Pre-Seed Start Fund in the second half of 2023, MarketSizer.io has advanced its technology and expanded its reach, underscoring our commitment to driving data-driven business decisions and helping us prepare for our next major milestone, which we look forward to announcing in the coming weeks. Enterprise Ireland's own Success and Impact during 2023. Enterprise Ireland's commitment to fostering innovation and supporting startups has significantly impacted Ireland and its businesses. In 2023 alone: - 💰 €24 million was invested in startups, bolstering innovation and economic growth. - 🚀 85 High Potential Start-Ups (HPSUs) were approved for €17.5 million in funding, supporting export-focused businesses. - 🌟 156 early-stage companies received support through HPSU and Pre-Seed funding, showcasing a robust pipeline of promising enterprises. - 👩‍💼 31% of HPSUs were female-led, highlighting Enterprise Ireland's dedication to diversity and inclusion. - 🏆 The introduction of the Pre-Seed Start Fund (PSSF) saw 70 companies receive up to €100,000 each, enabling early-stage startups to develop their potential. Enterprise Ireland's initiatives have solidified Ireland's reputation as a hub for international trade and innovation, driving sustainable solutions to global challenges. We look forward to providing an update on our latest collaboration with Enterprise Ireland in the coming weeks as we prepare to scale over the next 18 months. Stay tuned for more exciting developments. What makes this journey extra special (and if I'm honest, daunting at times) is that I turned 50 in March and have an AD⚡HD brain 🧠. That's why at MarketSizer, we take a neurodivergent approach to what we're building and to our team itself. For more on how Enterprise Ireland supported #GlobalAmbition by backing a number of innovative Irish Startups during 2023, see the attached report. Leo Clancy , Anna-Marie Turley, Donnchadh Cullinan, Niall Diffley, Mairead McTigue, Damien McCarney #EnterpriseIreland #Funding #Growth #Technology #Business #DublinCastle #EI2024 #GlobalAmbition #Entrepreneurship #StartupShowcase2024 #DublinCastle #MarketSizer #ClassOf2023 #Startups #ADHD #NeuroDivergent

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News Update Granite has acquired Coalface Digital. Coal Face deliver solutions for brands that are ambitious about their online presence. Applying data science and AI to the challenges clients face today. Backing up proven tactics with insights gained from data unification and customised business intelligence programmes. #data #digitaltransformation #AI

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An interesting and slightly different perspective on the effect of remote working, working from home and hybrid working on areas that have seen an influx of new residents who no longer needed to be office-adjacent, including myself! #wfh #remoteworking #wfa #hybrid https://lnkd.in/eG6bCy-v

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"Building a company is nothing more than a small series of pivots" "In 2009 we were a music company...today were still a music company..." Tom Höglund shared some great insights with Gary Fox today at Dublin Tech Summit What we assume our prospect's problem is...isn't always true --- Tom shared the example That he assumed Red Bull had a problem finding the right guitar sound for advertising campaigns. The Reality? Their real problem was finding music they could use across 50 platforms... Epidemic Sound solved this with music licensing that is universal --- The lesson for AEs & Founders? Validate your assumptions, dig deeper in discovery. Then pivot your solution to the actual problem that the prospect is trying to solve. ---

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One thing I'm incredibly proud of with Rare Founders’s Dublin Startup Scene events? The sheer number of female founders who absolutely crush it at our open-mic pitches. 🙌 When starting in Dublin, Vasily pointed out one thing: As men tend to dominate startup networking events, female founders might not always feel welcome. But guess what? He was right about the number of men, but did not anticipate the amount of energy the female founders in Dublin bring!! Shoutout to all the female founders who have joined us! 🔊🔊🔊 #WomenInTech #FemaleFounders #RareFounders

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🙋🏾‍♀️: Why do companies in Ireland invest in relocating marketing and sales professionals from abroad when there's talent already here? 🤔 🤷🏽‍♀️: That is a great question, Camilla. 🥲 Thank you for the incredible interview and great insights Nune Troy . I recommend everyone to watch this full interview. 🔗 LINK IN THE COMMENTS 😉 #Marketing #Sales #TalentRelocation #Ireland #HR

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🚀 Q3 2024 Startup Funding Vibes Are In! 🚀 🔹 Q3 Funding: €283 million invested in 103 Irish tech companies—a 79% increase from Q3 last year. This brings 2024's total to €835 million, up from €711 million in the same period in 2023. But outliers mask a less upbeat in fundraising activity.📈 📥 View and Download the full TechIreland report here: https://lnkd.in/eyGQbsy8 #FundingVibes2024 #TechIreland #StartupFunding #Q3Report #IrishTech #InvestmentTrends #Growth

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Category Highlight – Tech Startup We are looking to recognize the Ireland’s booming tech start-up community and celebrate and reward the nation’s best tech businesses. If you are a fast-growing digital company disrupting the tech industry in some way – we want to hear from you. Enter NOW ➔ startupawards.ie Entry Deadline Extended – 21st October 2024 #yourstartupjourney #Startups #SUA2024 #NSA2024 #nationalstartupawards2024

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📢 📰 📰 📰 October in Irish Tech Here’s a recap of what’s shaping the future in Irish technology and the roles that will come with it. 🔥 1. Ocula Technologies - £4M Series A Raised AI-driven eCommerce platform Ocula has raised £4M and launched a tool for optimized product copy, supporting brands like AO.com and Coty. 2. Zerve AI - €7M Funding to Expand AI Data Workflows Dublin-based Zerve has secured €7M for its AI-powered data workflow platform. 3. Wrksense - €825K Pre-Seed to Expand HR Tech Wrksense, targeting recruitment agencies, raised pre-seed funding for global expansion and added AI features. 4. Spectrum.Life - 200 New Jobs Announced Ireland’s digital health company Spectrum.Life is hiring 200 roles across clinical, leadership, and business sectors as it deepens its health-tech footprint. 5. Noesis - 30 New Jobs in Dundalk Portuguese consultancy Noesis is creating 30 roles in Dundalk focused on quality management, DevOps, AI, and enterprise solutions. 6. Expel - 50 New Cybersecurity Roles Expel’s Irish team will grow by 50, hiring for customer and cybersecurity experts as it expands its EMEA footprint with IDA Ireland’s support. 7. ALTRATECH LIMITED - €10.5M EIC Funding Cork-based Altratech raised €10.5M for its molecular diagnostics platform, expecting new roles in software, hardware, and domain-specific fields. 9. SuperNode Ltd - €8M for Superconducting Tech Supported by AKER Horizons and Volnay, SuperNode’s €8M investment will boost superconducting tech for renewable energy, with future hiring likely in Ireland. 10. CalypsoAI - 50 New Jobs in AI & Cybersecurity As CalypsoAI opens its Dublin co-headquarters, it plans to double its Irish team, hiring engineering, data science, and cybersecurity talent. 11. Ordu - €1.5M Investment Galway-based Ordú, an online ordering platform, will add 10 jobs in product development to scale its offering in fast food and retail industries. 12. Equal1 - Partnership with Nvidia Dublin’s quantum computing firm Equal1 has inked a deal with Nvidia, poised to bring growth in quantum-classical infrastructure with domain-specific hiring. Did you see any other exciting news stories through the month? #IrelandTech #IrishStartups

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In Ireland, employees are significantly affected by the challenges of accessing GP appointments. Key Statistics on Workdays Lost Nearly 45% of Irish employees miss an average of 4.06 working days each year due to attending GP appointments. This figure reflects the cumulative impact of both appointment wait times and the actual time spent at the GP. This is worth noting for Small Firms Association members. Time Spent per Appointment: On average, it takes about 50 minutes for an employee to meet face-to-face with a GP, which includes approximately 26 minutes of travel time and 24 minutes in the waiting room. Impact of Delays: Many patients now face wait times of two to three weeks for non-urgent appointments due to increasing demand and a shortage of GPs. This situation exacerbates the issue, as employees may need to take additional time off work if their health issues worsen during the wait. Additional Burden for Parents: Employees with children report missing an extra four days annually due to accompanying their children to GP visits, further compounding the impact on productivity. Conclusion The combination of lengthy wait times and the necessity for employees to take time off for GP visits contributes to a significant loss of productivity and stress in the workplace. Alternatively, Reward your employees with Free GPs through Gewardz Health, and help your people reduce the stress and challenges of wait, travel times and costs to access GPs. But don't take our word for it, see the very kind testimonial below from Louise Dennison O'Shaughnessy who shares her story about using Gewardz Health #rewardemployeeswithfreeGPs #wellbeing #humanresources

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If you want to improve your job posts highlight the level of flexibility available in the role. Applicants are showing across the world #hybrid roles are the ones they want as they have the highest application levels. Worth rethinking your hiring approach if you’re not factoring this in, so you can attract the best talent!

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Discover our latest Work Trend Index (WTI) of workers in Ireland across all sectors, revealing the dynamic shifts in Irish organisations in 2024 compared to previous years.    The research shows that:  - Employee movement has surged, with nearly 1 in 4 workers changing employers in the past year. Younger generations are driving this trend.  - The quest for well-being, career advancement, and a harmonious work-life balance are the primary motivators behind these shifts.  - An impressive 42% of workers are exploring side projects or startups for additional income.  - Amidst this entrepreneurial spirit, there’s a keen interest to get AI skilling. However, only 29% of Irish workers are using AI tools ls, far below the global average of 75%, indicating a lack of access to AI despite the demand.    The research shows the need to bridge the gap between in-office and at-home experiences to combat isolation and demotivation, especially among younger workers. Embracing AI could transform the workplace by reducing busy work and enhancing meaningful tasks.    Read more: https://lnkd.in/eQakpHZ7    #WorkTrendIndex #AI #MicrosoftIreland

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