As talent partners, Kestria Ireland: Fastnet is proud to support The Schwabe Group and Cara Partners in continuing to attract and retain talent and the group’s ambitious growth plans over the coming years.
Recently, Kestria Ireland's Managing Partner, Niamh O’Driscoll, sat down with Stephen Kenny, Vice President API, who is leading through a time of significant growth and opportunity, to discuss business successes, challenges and what the future holds.
What first attracted you to a career in the life sciences industry?
My early career began in engineering, where I cut my teeth at E.G. Pettit & Co. in the Engineering Design office. It was an excellent foundation, but it quickly became clear to me that while I enjoyed the technical aspects of the role, I was drawn to something more people-focused.
I joined Cara Partners in Cork in 2000 as a Project/Technical Support Engineer, while also continuing my studies at night in Cork Institute of Technology. That period - my first real taste of leadership, project management and full immersion in the process - has shaped my entire career.
I’ve always placed my trust in people, but I believe the process is equally critical. When setbacks occur, my first question is: “Where in the process did we let that person down?” That mindset has stayed with me to this day.
Was there a pivotal moment or decision early in your career that set you on the path toward leadership roles?
Knowing when it’s time to move on - recognising that you’ve outgrown a role - is critical, and timing is everything. I knew I had reached that point with Cara and needed to back myself.
Against a lot of well-meaning advice, I left Cara in 2010 to take on a Site Manager role with Dairygold at one of their cheese plants in Cork. Three years later, an opportunity came up for the Head of Dairy Processing Ireland. It was an exciting role, coinciding with the end of dairy quotas and a period of major expansion for Dairygold - €130 million invested across four sites in four years.
I knew I was capable, but I was also probably the least experienced of the internal candidates. Still, I backed myself, put my name forward, and got the job. That was undoubtedly a pivotal moment in my career.
Suddenly, I was responsible for a €700 million business! The pace was relentless, the focus was on results - project delivery and implementing lean processes - and it was seven days a week. It was a steep learning curve, but also an incredibly rewarding one, and a time I developed as a leader.