Who’d be an RTé board member?

Who would want to serve on the board of RTé? We should find out sooner rather than later as the Public Appointments Service sought expressions of interest in December from “suitably qualified candidates” in a bid to find four new members.

Two are immediate vacancies, with the appointees due to succeed the now-departed Ian Kehoe and Connor Murphy, and two are to cover vacancies that will arise in November this year, as the terms of Anne O’Leary and Dr PJ Mathews come to an end.

RTé's staff representative, Robert Shortt, left the board at the start of the year to become company secretary, meaning there are currently three vacancies on what would at full strength be a 12-person board.

After chairwoman Siún Ní Raghallaigh apologised in January for a “significant lapse” in oversight concerning the Toy Show The Musical failure, some RTé-watchers called for the resignation of those board members who were in situ during the key period in which the project was pushed through in the spring of 2022.

But that would have meant the exit of all of the remaining board save Ní Raghallaigh, director general Kevin Bakhurst and Aideen Howard, who is director of the Ark Cultural Centre for Children. Wisely, Minister for Media Catherine Martin did not force the issue as it would only have created yet another RTé governance headache at a time when it has enough of those.

On paper, the task of being a member of the RTé board - a part-time gig that pays €15,750 a year - does not sound onerous, with the role entailing “eight to 10 half-day meetings”, additional meetings “if circumstances necessitate”, some time for “preparatory reading” and the requirement to serve on the board’s sub-committees, including perhaps the all-important audit and risk committee.

The lesson of the past nine months, however, is that the position itself comes with a high degree of public and political scrutiny and attention, not all of it friendly. Who would want to join the RTé board post-scandal? Someone who enjoys a challenge, or several. Who should join it? Someone who, as the information booklet suggests, is “prepared to challenge when necessary".

Top Stories

Support for IRES Reit board

Glass Lewis has followed rival corporate governance adviser ISS in backing the current board of Ires Reit, the State’s largest private landlord, with its report recommending that shareholders reject proposals brought by activist investor Vision Capital. It comes as Vision CEO Jeff Olin says it would not launch an offer for the Irish-listed company if its planned boardroom coup is unsuccessful at next week's extraordinary general meeting (egm) in Dublin.

Tesco taps direct provision for staff

Tesco Ireland plans to host job clinics for residents of direct provision centres, including CV and interview training, as part of efforts by the company to help more refugees secure employment. The supermarket group said its pilot initiative "aimed at attracting eligible refugees" has yet to commence but it is scheduled for the early part of this year. Tesco is one of Ireland’s largest private sector employers, with more than 13,000 people employed in 170 stores.

Bullish outlook for Irish economy

The Irish economy is expected to grow solidly this year, outperforming most peer economies, as “inflation tracks lower and the interest rate cycle turns”, according to consultancy EY’s latest economic outlook. “After stellar economic growth in Ireland in 2021 and 2022 and some normalisation in 2023, we are looking at reasonably solid growth in 2024,” EY Ireland chief economist Loretta O’Sullivan said.

World of Work

Changing jobs increasingly about more than just money

When it comes to changing job, it’s mostly about the money. A bigger salary is the main reason people move, but it’s no longer the only one. Since Covid, flexible working, or lack of it, is right up there as another key motivator to quit.

Just under half of those who participated in Morgan McKinley’s latest salary guide said that one or two days in the office is their preferred option. But while this might suit employees, it flies in the face of what a lot of employers want – their people back in the office.

This is a tussle that could go on for some time but there is evidence that employers are getting the upper hand. “Office creep”- getting people back in their offices more often – is on the rise.

Click to read the full article

In Other News

Sinn Féin take a hit in latest opinion poll

Support for Sinn Féin has slumped in the latest Irish Times/IpsosB&A opinion poll, with the party falling to its lowest level in three years. The results see Sinn Féin support fall to 28 per cent, a six-point drop since the most recent poll in September. However, there is no sign of any substantial comeback for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. The gains instead have gone to the smaller parties, including the Greens, who see support grow from 3 per cent to 5 per cent.

Support for Sinn Féin has fallen precipitously in rural Ireland, slumping from 36 per cent in late 2023 to just 22 per cent in this latest poll, Ipsos MRBI Ireland managing director Damian Loscher writes, noting that issues firmly on the radar in rural Ireland, such as immigration and climate change, may be acting as a drag on the Sinn Féin vote. The party is also losing ground among older and more affluent voters and the ABC1s/middle classes.

Today’s most read

1. Sinn Féin support hits lowest level in three years, falling by six points, poll shows
2. Irish Times/Ipsos B&A poll analysis: Sinn Féin support has fallen fastest among three groups of voters
3. Mysterious deaths of Kansas City Chiefs fans found frozen in back garden baffles America
4. Man dies from measles in first such case in Ireland this year
5. Exemptions system for study of Irish should be abolished, says Oireachtas committee

Inside Business podcast

Jeff Olin, the chief executive of Canadian activist investor, Vision Capital, joins Ciarán Hancock on Inside Business, to discuss his issues with the management of Ireland's largest private sector landlord, listed group IRES Reit ahead of a contentious EGM next week.

Highlights this week

• Past 'peak MBA': The comment for London Business School vice-dean Julian Birkinshaw that “we are past peak MBA”, is good news, Pilita Clark argues, with the high profile qualification proving generally less useful than their hefty price tags suggest, and maybe even being a cause for concern in the corporate world.
• Personal Finance: Irish taxpayers are leaving some €683 million on the table every year, or almost €300 each, by not claiming all the tax credits they are due, new figures show. Fiona Reddan runs through a range of credits that can cut your tax bill and how to get them.
• Commercial Property: Investors looking for a strong rate of return may be interested in a high-performing neighbourhood retail scheme in Swords that is being brought to the market by CBRE, which is guiding in excess of €3.7 million.
• Technology: As Facebook/Meta turns 20, Karlin Lillington looks at how consistent consolidation and investor support has driven two decades of growth despite numerous controversies. Looking to the future, she argues that regulators and lawmakers need to prevent our online future concentrating further into the hands of a few billionaires and their mega-companies.

One to Watch

Ireland's changing tastes will come into focus next week as the Central Statistics Office on Thursday reveals details of the new basket of goods on which Irish inflation is measured.

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