In a time when communication is critical, Ciaran gets to chat to the Director of Communications and Government Relations of the Construction Industry Federation

Mark Lohan is the Managing Director at Brooks Timber & Building Supplies Ltd. Mark is a highly experienced MD who was drafted in by Brooks to navigate the last recession. Mark talks to Ciaran about their five year plan and when he forecasted a 2020 recession. He also describes how a 5 year plan in today's climate will not work.

James Gilbert is the Managing Director of Subby. Subby covers all of England and provides a solution to resolve supply chain challenges from hiring subcontractors, verifying information & accreditations and sharing work opportunities.

James has a wealth of construction experience and understands the industry, its challenges and effective ways to improve supplier relationships. James has created a community for Subcontractors by providing a platform for securing work, connecting them with suppliers and professional support.

Ciaran talks to James Benson of the Construction Industry Federation about the current COVID-19 situation and what we might expect to see in the coming months.

James is a qualified Engineer and Quantity Surveyor graduating from Waterford Institute of Technology and Dublin Institute of Technology respectively. James spent several years of his professional career surveying with building contractors before specialising in the field of passive fire protection before joining the Construction Industry Federation, where he is now the Director of Housing Planning and Development.

Stephen Kinch is the Business Manager for Kalc Accounting, who are part of the greater ICON Accounting group. Stephen shares his great experience with accounting softwares, diving deep into the pros and cons of Xero, Sage 50, Sage Business Cloud etc.

Jamie Heaslip is the former Leinster and Ireland rugby captain. Jamie has won 95 caps for Ireland. He was also part of two British & Irish Lions tours winning the Australian tour in 2013. Jamie is now a business owner and investor in various Irish based businesses across many sectors. Jamie talks to Ciaran about the parallels between professional sport and business as well as dealing with adversity, adapting to change, thoughts and tips on becoming a better leader in your business.

Due to COVID-19, construction companies will be worried about their current employment contracts. In this episode, Ciaran sits down with Anthony Brady who is an Executive, Industrial Relations & Employment Services at the Construction Industry Federation (CIF). He advises and supports CIF member firms in relation to employee disputes, compliance with employment protective legislation and general day to day IR/HR issues. On behalf of members, he negotiates with employee representatives to resolve disputes where appropriate. He also represents members at the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court.

In part two of this episode, Ciaran talks to Keith Kelliher who is an expert in construction law and brings huge experience in dealing with contract disputes on construction projects. Throughout this episode, Ciaran & Keith discuss the process and protections available to sub-contractors and main contractors on Irish construction projects.

In part one of this two part episode, Ciaran talks to construction contracts expert Keith Kelliher. Keith provides great insights to the current COVID-19 situation facing the construction industry as well as what companies can do to mitigate risk to their current and future contracts.

In this special episode, Ciaran sits down with Quantity Surveyor Eoin Darby of Darby QS. Eoin has many building companies as clients and can see exactly what is happening at ground level. Eoin & Ciaran talk through the potential damage, upside as well as what companies can do to navigate through this turbulent time.