Best Of Belfast: Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast

This week’s interview is the fifth episode in ‘The Disruptors’, a mini-series presented in collaboration with Fleet Financial where we sit down with some of Northern Ireland’s most disruptive industry leaders.

Today’s guest is no exception.

Colin Anderson is the serial entrepreneur behind hugely successful businesses like ASG & Partners, TIBUS, B-Secur, Webrecruit Ireland, Activitybreaks.com and has held several senior positions over the years for organisations like the NI Chamber of Commerce, NI Screen and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board. 

Colin is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and is also a member of the Institute of Directors, and The Royal Television Society. He’s been a sailing instructor, a visiting professor and in 1997 the recipient of an OBE. 

But what about the man behind the bio? What about the challenges endured behind his many successes? What were the tactics and strategies deployed to make all of this happen? 

In today’s episode, we dive deep into Colin’s early childhood experiences, how he dealt with personal loss as a young man, where he got his start in advertising, what it was like to set up his first business, essential marketing and communication principles, the highs and lows experienced along the way and questions of legacy. 

All this and more on today’s show.

Check it out.

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Colin (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/colin-anderson-asg-partners

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

Cheers!

— Matt 

Reuben Skinner is a Belfast born and bred videographer currently living in Sydney Australia with his wife Estelle and three kids to Dora-Rose, Toban and Zeke.  

Having initially studied Education with Art and Design, Reuben moved to Japan in 2010 to teach English, they were caught up in the devastating 2011 earthquake.

Upon his return to Belfast, Rebeun set up a small video production company, working initially in weddings and events before transitioning to commercial and brand video content.  

After 8 years of working with brands from NI, the UK and the US, Reuben now works for tech unicorn Canva in Sydney.

Since then Reuben has been carving out the roadmap for how the multi-billion-dollar design company offers video as a tool for making Canva into a household name. 

In this episode, we talk all about relocation, how to get hired by a unicorn and how to do creative work that moves the needle.

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Reuben (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/reuben-skinner-videographer-canva

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

Cheers!

— Matt 

Carmel McKinney is the Chairperson of the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS). 

After studying English and French at university, Carmel went on to become a teacher and one of Northern Ireland’s leading experts in the area of Dyslexia. This journey eventually resulted in her becoming the principal of a school and receiving an OBE for her work in education.

Later in life, Carmel pivoted into a career into the public sector, sitting on and advising many boards — some which where she was the only woman out of 35 people — before becoming the chairperson of the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service.

The impact of her work has been recognised through a number of highly prestigious awards including the Institute of Directors Non-Executive Director of the Year Award and the Guardian Public Services Diversity and Inclusion Award. 

Carmel is also an acclaimed Irish-dancer and has taken part in competitions all over the world. Her claim to fame in that department of her life was dancing for the US President on St. Patricks day. 

In today’s episode, we talk about the importance of ‘giving it a go’ and trying new things, the role Carmel’s family has played in her success and how to really change the world.

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Carmel (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/carmel-mckinney-nifrs

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

Cheers!

— Matt 

Ok, so when I think of Dale Farm I think of milk, cheese, eating Joker ice lollies in the car. Tasty delicious, love it. But I always assumed it was just another Northern Irish food company like the rest of them. 

But, as you will hear today, I only knew a small slice of the incredible Dale Farm story and in this episode, you’ll have the chance to hear it for yourself, from a man who is equally as interesting. 

Nick Whelan is Group Chief Executive of Dale Farm, the UK’s largest owned dairy cooperative. Unlike traditional companies, Dale Farm is owned by the 1300 farmers that that make its products and that all profits get pumped back into the local farming industry.

Nick grew up on a dairy farm in County Wexford before heading off to the University of Cork. After his working way up through the dairy industry with big players like Glanbia and Kerry Group, Nick had the unexpected opportunity of relocating with his family to Northern Ireland to take his current role.

Despite being a self-confessed ‘blow-in’ Nick is one of the most passionate people about Northern Ireland that I’ve ever met and his drive/ambition for this part of the world is really inspiring, as is his own personal story.

So in this episode, we talk about how Nick got to where he is today, the importance of casting a vision that other people can follow and why Northern Ireland is truly incredible.

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Nick (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/nick-whelan-dale-farm

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

Cheers!

— Matt 

James Leckey is the founder & CEO of Leckey: a company focused on designing life-enhancing products for physically challenged children. 

After starting out small in a garden shed, the Northern Ireland-based company now employs almost 200 people.

Today, Leckey is a globally recognized pioneer in the research, design and development of pediatric postural supports that are clinically focused and based on the developmental needs of children, including their social and emotional needs.

In this week’s episode, we talk about what Jame’s humble beginnings taught him, the importance of designing products that improve the lives of the people that use them and how to balance being an inventor with being a businessman.

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to James (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/james-leckey-design

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

Cheers!

— Matt 

I first met today’s guest when I was 16 while doing Young Enterprise at school and since then I’ve also known him to be incredibly passionate and supportive of entrepreneurship for people at every age and stage of the journey.

Ciaran Sheehan is an entrepreneur himself, probably best known as a leading Executive Recruiter and Board advisor to many companies in NI.

But he also has business interests in Care Homes and most recently a very exciting venture in tourism in North Donegal on the Wild Atlantic Way – an authentic holiday, glamping, camping experience that is really taking off!

In today’s episode, we talk about the importance of serving customers, how he ended up buying a holiday park in Donegal and the legacy of entrepreneurship in Northern Ireland.

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Ciaran (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/ciaran-sheehan-clarendon-executive

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

Cheers!

— Matt 

Jonny Quinn is the drummer of Snow Patrol, an alternative rock band from Northern Ireland that has released six albums so far and sold over 13 million copies worldwide. 

Their latest album ‘Reworked’ features reimagined versions of their career highlights, including all-time classics like Chasing Cars, Open Your Eyes and Run.

Hailing from Bangor via San Jose, Jonny has been nominated for both Grammy and Brit awards, won a prestigious Ivor Novello Accolade and has been responsible for several era-defining singles.

Alongside Gary and Nathan from the band, Jonny set up Polar Patrol Publishing, a company that that takes a hands-on approach to nurturing new songwriting talent and artist development.

In today’s episode, we talk about what it’s been like to revisit songs from early on in the band’s journey, why he’s only recently started taking drum lessons and the advice he would give to someone trying to get into music today.

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Jonny (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/jonny-quinn-snow-patrol-drummer

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

Cheers!

— Matt

When Sarah was six-years-old her mum had a stroke — making everyday tasks difficult. It was out of this personal experience that McAnallen was born.

Find out what it was like to start a business while at university, how she developed the confidence to speak in front of large crowds and what’s next...

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Sarah (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/sarah-mcanallen-design

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

Cheers!

— Matt 

Zoe Salmon is an award-winning television presenter from Bangor, Northern Ireland.

In today’s episode, we talk about how she overcame childhood shyness, her unusual Blue Peter audition and the highs/lows she’s faced along the way.

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Zoe (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/zoe-salmon-blue-peter

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

Cheers!

— Matt 

Philip Bain is the co-founder of ShredBank and the author of two business books: Start to Grow and Start to Lead.

We talk about his exposure to entrepreneurship at a young age (his dad brought Pizza Hut to NI), how to make a difference while making money and advice on how to stay authentic in our work.

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Philip (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/philip-bain-shredbank

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

Cheers!

— Matt