On March 27th, 2018, the group held its first official senior group meeting in Leixlip Manor Hotel and Gardens, just outside Dublin.

The event served a number of important, high-level group functions; firstly, it provided individual managers with an opportunity update the group recent business developments in their respective divisions and regions and to present potential roadmaps for the group’s activities into the future, secondly it allowed members to update the group with the latest internal company policies. Finally, it provided an invaluable opportunity for the group to meet in person and bond personally and professionally while sharing their hopes and expectations for the future development of the group..

There was very much an international feel to the event, with no less than seven countries being represented among the twenty-two senior management members in attendance.

There was a packed schedule to get through on the day too, and the event was officially opened with opening remarks from the group Chairman Kai to welcome the senior management members, before group CEO Martin took over to facilitate a fun group activity intended to serve as an ice-breaker for the day’s events. From here, it was the turn of the group executive office members to update the assembled management with recent business highlights in their respective divisions before group COO; Lingling introduced an updated group structure.

Lunchtime provided the group with a well-earned opportunity to refuel on Irish stew and fresh Irish soda bread before settling in for the second half of the day’s agenda.

The second part of the day opened with an introduction of potential new business models from the group’s VP of Research and Development, Olivia. This was followed by a lively activity in which the group was broken up into smaller teams to discuss the viability and implications of employing each model before presenting their results to the group. After this, the group turned its focus in-house with an introduction of updated internal group policies in the key areas of finance, hr and compliance. This agenda item was led by Zoe (group finance director), Michelle (VP of global hr), and Tony (legal deputy director) respectively.

Finally, closing remarks were left to group COO Lingling in which she impressed upon the management group the importance of continuing to openly communicate and share ideas with each other while paying close attention to the key market trends in their respective business areas.

After an intensive day of meetings and presentations the members welcomed the opportunity to unwind and continue their discussions in a more relaxed environment. This began with an Irish-themed drinks reception in the main bar before being greeted by traditional harp music upon their entrance into the manor house’s main banquet hall to enjoy a delicious Irish-influenced menu featuring fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. Dinner was punctuated with toasts from various group members thanking those who had traveled such long distances to be in attendance, to acknowledge the success of the event, and to toast to the group’s continued growth and success.

After dinner, and upon retiring to the cozy surroundings of the manor bar to see out the evening socializing, and digesting and discussing the day’s events, the group were treated to a surprise performance of traditional Irish dance - a very thoughtful surprise which will likely live long in the memory.

Overall, the smooth running of the event, coupled with the wealth of invaluable insights and ideas that were shared throughout the day, and the ease with which the senior management group bonded on both a personal and professional level, ensured that the event was deemed a huge success and will be used as a benchmark for future high-level meetings in the years to come.