Colm is the New Frontiers Programme Manager at IT Blanchardstown (he was formerly at IT Tallaght). He has nearly 20 years’ experience operating as an independent, professional management trainer, mentor and consultant. His main areas of expertise are in finance, business planning/analysis and management skills. His clients have included commercial corporates & micro-enterprises; government departments and state agencies; voluntary organisations and sectors such as financial services, retail, manufacturing, hospitality services and administration.
Colm has extensive experience in training, lecturing and tutoring (subject areas include economics, finance, business planning, applied management and corporate governance) and research projects for the Irish Management Institute, Dublin City University and the National College of Ireland, plus a number of agencies & private sector clients, particularly SMEs & start-ups.
His responsibilities in a variety of business environments have included staff management and development, planning and presenting training programmes, lending underwriting and financial assessment, business development and analysis, project and sales management, credit control/collections and recoveries, and general administration. He has worked for Bank of Ireland, Irish Nationwide Building Society (now IBRC), Eagle Star Life (now Zurich), and Irish Life Finance Group (now KBC).
Colm has been involved in a number of voluntary and community boards, but now dedicates all of his time to the New Frontiers programme. He loves the anticipation of receiving new applications from entrepreneurs with innovative ideas and the excitement of starting out. And to watch them leave the programme better prepared to face the future and the continuing challenges from the marketplace, customers, competitors and investors.
“I want the entrepreneurs to do well – even if that involves challenging their cherished ideas. And they challenge mine. I learn from their answers, rather than just providing them.”
