Name: Martin O’Reilly
Job title: Country Director Ireland
Tell us a bit about yourself
I’m married to Leone since 2002. We met each other in college where we were studying marketing and business. We have four children; Rebecca (16), Jim (14), Laura (13) and Clara (10). I live in Lucan which is on the outskirts of Dublin. I have lived in Lucan for most of my life, we are really settled there. Our family life is very busy with my four children being very active in the local GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) and football clubs. Most weekends are taken up ferrying the kids from one match to the other. I also manage two ladies Gaelic football teams; the U18s which Rebecca plays on and the U14s which Laura plays on.
I am a keen sports enthusiast myself. I am a member of our local golf club with a handicap of six. I’m a big Liverpool football fan and also support the Dublin Gaelic football team who have won the All-Ireland championship for the last six years in a row. I also have a keen interest in rugby, supporting Leinster and Ireland. Ireland had an easy win last weekend but the opposition wasn’t up to much!!
Describe your job to a five-year-old
We make and sell the best bathrooms in the world!!
What do you like most about your job?
The variety of the role. Every day is a different challenge. I really enjoy working with the team in Ireland and driving as hard as we can to achieve our full potential. I also love the cross functional nature of my job and getting to interact with many different people in the UK and Europe.
How did you get here?
When I left college I had a couple of different sales roles and also spent some time travelling. I joined Shires in 2005 as marketing manager, then moved on to contracts manager. Shires was bought by Ideal Standard in 2009 and I worked in the contracts department before progressing on to key account manager for the Grafton group whilst also taking on marketing responsibilities for Ireland. I was promoted to the Country Director role in June 2018.
What motivates you?
Success and happiness motivates me. I am a very self-driven person. I constantly challenge myself to improve both personally and professionally. I’m highly motivated and committed to growing the business in Ireland and I really want to have fun along the way.
If you could swap jobs with anyone, who would it be?
Richard Branson. So many achievements and adventures whilst always putting people first.
Your favourite song lyric or line from a film?
“Brother you are going down” from the movie Heat where Al Pacino and Robert de Niro are in the café talking face to face. Great movie!
Your favourite app?
Brain HQ.
Biggest facepalm moment at work?
I worked in a sales role for an engineering company and decided to leave to join a life assurance company. The staff had a collection for me before I left and gave me a really valuable present. The owner tried very hard to get me stay but I was adamant with everybody that I was leaving. They had a leaving party for me on the Friday I finished working and we had a really great night out during which the owner eventually convinced me to stay. Walking back in the door on the following Monday to everyone’s surprise and having to hand back the present is right up there!!