Qatar Airways commences flights between Dublin and Doha this summer. Photo: Deposit This June, Qatar Airways will commence daily flights from Dublin to the Qatari capital Doha, the planned location of the Fifa World Cup in 2022. This is Ireland's first direct air link to the Gulf state - and Qatar Airways' first Irish route. But the airline is in ambitious expansion mode, as Dublin is just one of 14 new cities it will add to its network in 2017/18. According to forecasts from

Sean Gallagher with Hugh Maguire, founder and CEO of Ash Technologies. Photo: Damien Eagers Ash Technologies in Naas, Co Kildare was co-founded in 1994 by Hugh Maguire to design and manufacture a range of electronic magnifiers for people with visual impairment. When that market became overly competitive, Hugh decided to pivot the business. Today, with a staff of 29 and an annual turnover of more than €4m, he has repositioned the company to become a leading supplier of digital

Applied Concepts’ Mark Clendennen says ‘Irish engineering is probably the best and most highly respected in the world’. Photo by Mark Condren National Enterprise Winner Mark Clendennen has gone from selling go-kart designs in Offaly to selling blasting machines in Venezuela Some people are born with it, some learn it and some are born with it and never stop learning. Mark Clendennen first went into business at the age of 12. By 17 he was importing goods. He worked his interes

Sunday Business Post AIB is said to be looking at a ground breaking solution to its mortgage arrears problem which meets the objectives of clearing the debts off its balance sheets and giving the homeowner a chance to long-term rent or buy the house at current market rates. Irish Mortgage Holders Association, headed by David Hall, is expected to be the partner to help them execute. David Daly of Albany Homes, who exited NAMA early by selling off his Louis Vuitton building

Data security is not just for multinationals and banks anymore. Stock image Experts have warned that Irish organisations aren't prepared for tough new data-protection laws which come into effect next year and much of the preparatory work will fall on lawyers. The legal profession has an uphill struggle in making Irish organisations aware of the implications of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), according to Mark Adair a technology-focused partner in Mason, Hayes &

Far from the world of tech and apps, Maurice Sheehy grew up on a farm in Wicklow which, he says, taught him all about hard work. He is also the classic serial entrepreneur turning his hand from developing one idea to another throughout his business career. From farming and flying to gyms, horses and now a car rental app, Fleet, he has done it all. After school he studied construction management and engineering in college but the downturn happened and he started looking at oth

Almost 70pc of Irish workers would like to work in a small to medium-size enterprise (SME) or a startup, research has found - with respondents believing that startups and SMEs offer the best office culture. Younger workers are also following this trend, with close to half of those aged under 25 preferring to work in an SME, and a further 20pc saying they would like to work in a startup. Almost half of those surveyed stated that they would be more motivated to give up their fr

Isme has called on the Government to assist small and medium businesses in learning how to win EU tenders. The organisation, which has over 10,000 members, said that the Government should nominate one development agency to facilitate and drive international tender consortium information. Last month the group identified that billions of euro in tendering opportunities would open in the years ahead for Irish businesses as a result of Brexit, as British companies will be forced

Sunday Business Post Tenants in two of the country’s largest shopping centres, Blanchardstown (owned by US private equity firm Blackstone) and Dundrum (owned by UK real estate business Hammerson and German insurer Allianz Real Estate), are likely to face rental hikes from the new owners. Fears are that increased rent will lead to vacancies or expected price rises by retailers. The Sunday Independent reports that, according to lobby group Retail Excellence Ireland, "a raft o

A big proportion of work in the business is competitively tendered and recently I gave you a template for handling invitations to pitch for instructions. After your written submission, the next stage is usually a meeting with the prospective client to discuss your pitch - commonly known as 'the beauty parade'. This meeting is where the clients will decide whether they like you or not - so this is probably where you will win or lose the business. So what can you do to improve