Kevin Young joins us to talk about nurturing our inner-child.
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David Harbinson is a Station Commander for the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service in Belfast. After joining the service at a young age, David has worked his way through the ranks and has a story or two to tell from his experiences along the way.
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Andrew Cuthbert is a tech entrepreneur, polymath, innovation maven and cofounder of The Change VC: a venture capital fund that invests in people with ideas that have the potential to change the world. Over the course of his life so far, Andrew’s been involved in research trips to Madagascar, campaigning for human rights, setting up social enterprises, publishing books, writing patents and developing strategies for businesses in sectors like proton therapy, microbiology and satellite technology. He’s also a husband and father to four kids.
Clodagh Dunlop is a detective for the Police Service of Northern Ireland. In April 2015, her life was turned upside down after suffering a brainstem stroke, which left her with locked-in syndrome. There is no cure for locked-in syndrome and she was expected to be a prisoner in her own body forever. However, against all odds, Clodagh astonished her doctors, family and colleagues with her recovery and the courage she displayed when faced with such a life-changing condition.
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Dr Mano Shanmuganathan is one of the only pediatric neurosurgeons in Northern Ireland. He also survived being stranded on a desert island for 30 days as part of ‘Treasure Island,’ a TV show hosted by Bear Grylls. This life-changing event has given him a completely new perspective on work, life, faith health and wellbeing — including losing over three stone — which he shares with us in today’s episode.
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Claire Dowds is the General Manager of Ormeau Baths, a coworking space right here in the heart of the city centre where she spends her time building an environment where people and businesses can thrive. As a lot of you know Best Of Belfast has been based out of Ormeau Baths for the last two years which means that I’ve had the privilege of getting to know and see Claire in action and I can tell you that she is the real deal.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Andrew Cuthbert is a tech entrepreneur, polymath, innovation maven and cofounder of The Change VC: a venture capital fund that invests in people with ideas that have the potential to change the world. Over the course of his life so far, Andrew’s been involved in research trips to Madagascar, campaigning for human rights, setting up social enterprises, publishing books, writing patents and developing strategies for businesses in sectors like proton therapy, microbiology and satellite technology. He’s also a husband and father to four kids.
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!
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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.
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Sarah McAnallen is the CEO of McAnallen, a design-focused business that creates products with the purpose of making life easier for individuals with mobility issues. When Sarah was six-years-old her mum had a stroke which caused her to lose the use of her left hand — making everyday tasks difficult. It was out of this personal experience that McAnallen was born.