
Ford Chief Lisa Brankin on accelerating the switch to EVs
A reduction in the SEAI grant and gaps in charging infrastructure fed into consumer uncertainty when it comes to making the switch from petrol and diesel vehicles.
But that trend looks to be reversing this year, something that Lisa Brankin, chairman and managing director of Ford UK & Ireland, will be keen to see accelerate.
She joined host Cliff Taylor in studio to discuss the challenges of going electric, her plans for the company's future, and the launch of Ford Power Promise across Ford's range of electric cars in Ireland.
READ MORE
Also on this week's episode of Inside Business, AIB's Economic Outlook Report for May
highlights how
global uncertainty and an escalation in trade tariffs could lead to a slowdown in global and Irish growth in 2025 and 2026.
That said, the report also points out that the Irish economy has built up a certain level of resilience to withstand a potential trade shock in the short term.
AIB Chief Economist David McNamara went through the risk US tariffs and future US tax policy pose, and the outlook for 2025 and 2026.
Produced by John Casey and Suzanne Brennan with JJ Vernon on sound.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
Gareth Sheridan: Nutriband ‘will help a lot of people who are dealing with addiction and people who are dealing with pain'
Nutriband is a pharmaceutical company that was founded in Dublin in 2012 before relocating to Florida in 2016. Gareth Sheridan, who recently announced his intention to run for president and has stepped aside for three months as chief executive, is its founder. The company's lead product is Aversa, which it describes as 'abuse-deterrent transdermal technology', which incorporates aversive agents to prevent the abuse, diversion, misuse, and accidental exposure of drugs with abuse potential, specifically opioids. Its first application is its abuse-deterrent fentanyl transdermal patch, which it is developing to provide clinicians and patients with extended-release chronic pain relief. It is awaiting regulatory clearance for this product in the US. The company has operations in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina, and recently began its expansion back to Dublin. READ MORE What lightbulb moment prompted you to start-up in business? It was originally a thesis idea. I had noticed a patch that my dad wears and began wondering what other types of medications could be delivered that way that had not been explored yet. The thesis became a business plan, and Nutriband was registered in 2012. Describe your business model and what makes your business unique. We structured the company in a unique way, using capital markets and a public listing approach. We listed on the OTC Markets in 2016 and started using stock to purchase companies and technologies in place of cash. This helped us to avoid raising expensive early capital and retain a major equity stake in the company today, even after an eventual qualification to list on the Nasdaq (in New York) in 2010. We also do not develop new drug applications. We take existing generic medications and use our technologies to improve upon those and relaunch them as a branded product again. What is your greatest business achievement to date? Growing the company to a level where we qualified to list on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange and getting to ring the opening bell. What was your back-to-the-wall moment and how did you overcome it? We almost got sued by the SEC (The US Securities and Exchange Commission) for an accidental erroneous disclosure in one of our filings while on the OTC markets. At first, we thought it could be explained. However, it grew to the point where they were doubling down. We hired an excellent attorney with SEC experience and eventually settled the issue in a cease-and-desist, no-admit, no-deny agreement. This led to our back-to-the-wall moment, where, while running on fumes financially, we received a rejection from Nasdaq in our first application. After a couple of days of self-pity, we got back to work, raised some working capital with existing shareholders, and grew the company's equity by $7.5 million (€6.4 million) over the course of the next year. We reapplied to list again successfully. What moment would you cite as a turning point for the company? Credibility provided by our Nasdaq listing and subsequent partnership with Kindeva Drug Delivery (formerly 3M Drug Delivery), where Kindeva supplied their generic approved fentanyl patch for us to add our technology to. What were the best and the worst pieces of advice you received when starting out? The worst advice was that banks and institutions have your company's best interests at heart. I firmly believe that today, Wall Street is built on companies failing, not succeeding. Describe your growth funding path. We were reluctant to raise expensive capital early on and instead listed the company to use stock as an acquisition currency to grow. Our gamble on this paid off, and although we raised modest cash along the way, we were able to build Nutriband without any significant seed or angel rounds. We reached a market capitalisation of $120 million (its market value currently is about $75 million), and we have been able to maintain stable and steady control as a result of the minimal capital rounds. We turn down anywhere from $5 million to $15 million on a weekly basis from funds and institutions because we do not need it. We are not in the business of raising money, and having as little dilution as possible is a core focus for us as a company. How will your market look in three years and where would you like your business to be? For our first product, we are expected to reach annual revenues of $200 million. Our second product is independently estimated to have upwards of $135 million in yearly revenue. We are targeting the billion dollar club before the end of 2027. What are your annual revenues and profits? We are not yet profitable, as is typical with clinical development-stage companies. However, we also contract manufacture sports tapes and products for brands such as Reebok and KT Tape. Our target revenue from this source for the financial year to the end of January 2026 is $3 million * . This goes towards operational costs and reduces our clinical burn. Why have you decided to seek a nomination for the presidency? It's never been a more important or relevant time in our history for a young president, particularly with the average age just under 40. I would be hoping that having a younger president would help narrow the division we're seeing in the country at the moment and that we can work together to tackle the issues, particularly the housing crisis. The younger generation aren't feeling very enthusiastic that their voices are being heard. What impact will this move have on your business? The company is in very safe hands and the biggest asset at the company is the team. We've got a very definite plan and timeline between now and Christmas on what needs to be achieved. Whether I'm in there or not that timeline needs to be adhered to. The company is motoring along fine. Stepping aside is not something that I think will fundamentally affect the opportunity for the company. What happens if you win? There are mechanisms where I can put the shares into a trust. I would be very proud that it was a company that I started and be very keen to still follow the journey, just not as CEO. Nutriband as a whole is going to do a lot of will help a lot of people who are dealing with addiction and people who are dealing with pain. *An earlier version of this article stated a higher target figure for contract manufacturing, which has since been revised by the company.


Irish Times
10 hours ago
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on Budget 2026: put the focus on what is important
Over the next couple of weeks, as the Autumn political season starts to kick in, debate on October's budget will get underway in earnest. As ever, there will be a cacophony of demands from interest groups and lobbyists, looking for more spending or lower taxes for their particular cause. The job of the Government, of course, is to look through the noise to what is important. Despite the generous amount of €9.4 billion set aside for budget measures, this will not be easy. Money will be quickly eaten up through spending pressures in providing State services. Plans to hike vital investment expenditure need to be allowed for. And the demands on the table already would take up the €1.5 billion set aside for tax reductions a few times over. Yet while the choices will be sharp in some areas, context is needed. This is not shaping up to be a 'tough' budget. The promised package is still nearly three times the size of the last pre-Covid budget in 2019. The first job of the Government, indeed, is to start returning annual budgets to more sustainable levels, reducing them from the huge spending rises required during Covid-19 and to tackle the cost-of-living crisis. Claims that households are still squeezed need to be met in two ways. One is by appropriate increases in welfare and other support packages. The other is by continuing to improve the provision of services in areas such as health, education and childcare. These are much more effective in the longer-term than another round of universal cash supports. But by engaging in a blatant pre-election manoeuvre last year to repeat these 'once-off' supports again, Ministers have created a rod for their own back this time around. READ MORE Statements from Ministers that there would be no cost-of-living package this time appear to have become more equivocal in recent weeks. But giving a lot of money out again through these payments to all households is an inefficient use of State cash. If the Government does not bring this process to an end in the first budget of its new term, then – barring a big squeeze on the State finances – it never will. The plan to increase vital State investment is a key reason why there needs to be some restraint elsewhere. Realistic budgeting for the provision of State services also needs to be restored, ending the annual overruns in areas like health. Relying on corporate tax to keep outperforming as a way to pay for spending coming in ahead of target each year is not a good strategy. The other reason for caution is the uncertainty faced due to the policies of Donald Trump. Despite the trade deal between the EU and US, the economic and political backdrop for Ireland remains risky and unpredictable. Having cash in reserve and pursuing a strategic approach have seldom looked more important.


Irish Times
16 hours ago
- Irish Times
Ryanair adds 600,000 seats to Irish winter schedule
Ryanair will add around 600,000 seats to this year's winter schedule from Irish airports, new figures show, as restrictions at the State's key gateway remain in legal limbo. An analysis of the carrier's plans for winter 2025/26 by aviation data consultancy OAG, which Ryanair confirms as broadly correct, shows that the Irish group intends to grow in most key European countries. From this year, Ryanair will boost the total number of seats out of the Republic of Ireland over the winter season by 15.5 per cent, to 4.89 million. The corresponding figure was 4.23 million last winter. The airline confirmed that it is growing capacity at Dublin Airport , its biggest Irish base, 'thanks to our successful appeal' to the European courts against the 'illegal' cap, which caps passenger numbers there at 32 million a year. READ MORE Ryanair, Aer Lingus and others challenged the cap in the Irish High Court, which referred key issues to the Court of Justice of the EU , suspending the restriction pending the outcome of the airlines' action. Traffic at Dublin Airport could exceed 36 million passengers this year. Ryanair is adding almost 1.6 million seats in Italy, where its capacity will top 16.86 million this winter. The airline has been increasing its presence at bases in Italian regions that are cutting travel taxes and other costs. In another big market for the Irish airline, it will boost capacity in the UK by 6.3 per cent to 12.5 million. Ryanair plans to slash capacity in France this winter by 11.3 per cent to 2.64 million seats. The carrier blames the country's latest tax increase on flights for this. OAG notes that the airline is cutting back at every airport at which it operates in France. The biggest losers in terms of numbers will be Paris Beauvais and Marseille, according to the consultancy. It has pulled out of Strasbourg, Bergerac and Brive. [ Dublin Airport passenger cap to be breached this year, says DAA Opens in new window ] The Government pledged to lift the Dublin Airport passenger cap following 'consultations with stakeholders' in the programme published in January. An Bord Pleanála imposed the limit in 2007, as a condition of allowing the airport build a second terminal, to ease fears about traffic congestion. Darragh O'Brien, Minister for Transport, sought advice from the Attorney General Rossa Fanning, on legislation to lift the planning curb in spring. Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary has criticised the Government for failing to act on the pledge.