There was a fantastic turnout at the Thrive Centre of Business Excellence in Navan last week, where local business leaders, innovators, and partners came together to explore the challenges and opportunities shaping Irish enterprises on September 30th.
Hosted in partnership with The Mill Enterprise Hub Drogheda, the event delivered a blend of practical advice, thought leadership, and real-world insights from entrepreneurs and industry experts.
💡 Key Challenges for SMEs
Irish businesses continue to face familiar pressures:
Rising costs across energy, labour, and operations
Talent retention in competitive markets
Accessing decision-makers to unlock growth opportunities
These aren’t new—but disruption within Ireland’s own SME ecosystem is intensifying competition. The clear takeaway? Relationships matter. Building trust and forging partnerships is critical for resilience and growth.
👥 Expert Voices
There were inspiring contributions from Skillnet Innovation Exchange members:
– Evan Roarke, Co-founder of Nuálach Automation, on how automation is transforming operations
– Linda Ennis, Hanley Energy, on the role of people development in scaling successfully
🔐 Spotlight on AI & Cybersecurity
A highlight was Kammil Mahajan, Managing Director of Advice Bytes, who warned of emerging AI-driven threats:
– Sophisticated phishing emails
– Deepfakes and voice cloning
– Malware with evolving behaviours
His advice? To stay ahead, organisations must think like the bad guys. That means upskilling staff, insulating legacy systems, and ensuring security measures evolve alongside AI.
Three practical steps every business should take today:
1️⃣ Understand what data you hold
2️⃣ Limit unnecessary access & privileges
3️⃣ Keep defences flexible to adapt to evolving threats
✨ Moving Forward
The event showcased the energy and ambition of Ireland’s business community. With the right mix of relationships, talent, resilience, and awareness of new risks like AI-driven cyber threats, Irish SMEs are positioned to thrive.
A special thanks to Meath County Council and our fantastic speakers for sharing their insights and our own Sinead O’Riordan for hosting the event.
