Women in business panel

·15 min·1 clip

Irish Rail's CEO reveals female participation grew from 10% to 13% in a workforce of 5,300, highlighting persistent gaps.

The episode begins with host Joe Lynam introducing the panel for International Women's Day, focusing on women's transformation in the workplace and economy. Mary Considine, CEO of Irish Rail, notes female workplace participation has increased since COVID, with Irish Rail's rate growing from 10% to 13% but still low. She highlights initiatives like IWISH and open weeks to attract young women into STEM and railway careers, addressing perceptions of railway work as dirty or hard. Eimear Higgins, Minister of State, discusses hybrid working's benefits for accessibility but warns it might reduce visibility for career opportunities. Kate English from Deloitte shares her preference for office work, with flexibility varying across teams. The conversation shifts to infrastructure, with Mary Considine explaining that energy spikes increase costs but won't affect operations, as passenger journeys exceeded 55 million last year. She reveals new DART carriages are in testing, with 285 on order and service expected mid-next year after regulatory approval. Eimear Higgins details the government's infrastructure task force, which created an action plan to accelerate delivery, including a new division with seconded experts from organizations like ESB and Irish Rail. She emphasizes the need for better resourcing and targets in planning decisions. Mary Considine argues rail is enabling infrastructure that unlocks housing and economic distribution. Kate English notes infrastructure deficits are a key concern for businesses, with momentum building from the task force report. The episode concludes with thanks to the panel for International Women's Day.

As heard by us

A practical International Women's Day panel that links workplace change to operations and policy.

Breakfast Business uses International Women's Day to look at how more women in the workforce have shaped Irish business and the economy, then grounds that theme in Deloitte and Irish Rail.

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Why you'd press play

When you want International Women's Day talk that still remembers trains have to run.

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