Latest news with #JohnMullins
Irish Independent
25-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Everymum deal cost ‘Irish Daily Mail' publisher €1.4m
The company paid €1.4m for the business. The £2.2m deal is disclosed in new accounts for the Irish arm of the UK-headquartered Associated Newspapers, which show pre-tax profits increased by 29pc to €1.46m in the 12 months to the end of September 29 last year. The directors for Associated Newspapers (Ireland) Ltd, which trades as DMG Media Ireland, said revenues increased by 5pc from €15.64m to €16.47m as costs increased by 7pc, 'resulting in a positive profitability for the year of €3.8m'. The company recorded the post-tax profit of €3.8m after recording a corporation tax credit of €2.33m. The directors said: 'The revenue and cost increases are due to the investment in Everymum and ongoing investment in print and digital content. A note to the accounts states that on 17 October 2023 the company purchased the share capital of Everymum Limited for a total of €1.4m.* Husband-and-wife team John Mullins and Gina Militiadou of the Bray-based Zahra Media sold Everymum to DMG Media Ireland in October 2023 in the £2.2m deal. The sale came 23 years after the couple established the website. Everymum has a community of over 200,000 opted-in users. The couple's former Eumedia Ltd, which operated Everymum, recorded post-tax profits of €162,015 as revenues increased by 22pc to €1.07m in 2022. The Everymum website also includes the Ultimate Maternity Guide, the National Parenting Product Awards and the Everymum SuperValu gift bag scheme. The acquisition of Everymum continued a period of expansion at DMG Media Ireland having acquired a number of businesses over the past number of years including Business Plus, and Geek Ireland. The publishing group also operates and ADVERTISEMENT Numbers employed by the expanding group increased from 124 to 129 as staff costs rose from €9.96m to €10.49m. Pay to directors declined marginally from €762,000 to €748,000 made up of €699,000 in emoluments and €49,000 in pension contributions. Accumulated profits at the end of September last totalled €6.67m. Separate group accounts filed by Daily Mail and General Trust PLC show that revenues increased to over £1bn last year.
Forbes
24-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
AI And The Future Of Sustainability: Building Intelligence For Impact
Tourists watch the ecological patrol robot in Yuyuantan Park in Beijing, China, on April 23, 2025. ... More (Photo by Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images) By Dr John Mullins, London Business School Artificial intelligence (AI) has long promised to revolutionize business. But as it moves from the margins of experimentation to the mainstream of industry, its most profound impact may not be efficiency or profit—it may be sustainability. Whether we're talking about decarbonizing supply chains, optimizing resource use, or navigating complex ESG reporting landscapes, AI is already reshaping how organizations engage with the urgent demands of sustainable development. The question is no longer if AI will influence our sustainable future, but how we will guide it to do so responsibly, inclusively, and at scale. As the world faces climate change, economic volatility, and mounting social inequality, AI could be the most powerful tool we've ever had for addressing systemic challenges—if we build and govern it the right way. AI for Economic Resilience In an era of constant disruption, resilience has become a competitive advantage. AI helps organizations build this resilience by enabling better foresight and faster adaptation. Predictive analytics, for example, allows businesses to identify potential risks—ranging from supply chain delays to climate-related hazards—before they materialise. Consider the agricultural sector. AI-driven models can analyse weather patterns, soil conditions, and satellite imagery to help farmers optimize crop yields and reduce water usage, mitigating the effects of drought and fluctuating climate conditions. In finance, AI can assess creditworthiness in underbanked communities using alternative data, expanding access to capital and financial inclusion. In supply chains, AI can reroute logistics dynamically in response to geopolitical conflict or environmental catastrophe—limiting economic losses and enhancing continuity. These applications are not merely operational improvements; they are strategic levers for long-term sustainability. Environmental Stewardship Powered by Data Environmental sustainability demands real-time, high-resolution data—and this is where AI shines. Machine learning algorithms can sift through massive volumes of environmental data, identify patterns invisible to human analysts, and offer actionable insights. Take energy optimization. AI systems can potentially balance grid loads, forecast demand, and even shift energy usage to periods of lower carbon intensity. Google, for instance, has used AI to cut energy used for cooling its data centres by up to 40%. Such improvements can be replicated across commercial real estate, manufacturing, and transport. AI is also proving critical in emissions tracking and reporting—two major pain points in ESG compliance. Startups are now using AI to automate carbon accounting, aggregating Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions data across complex supply chains. This not only improves transparency but builds trust with stakeholders and investors increasingly wary of greenwashing. AI's contribution to circular economy models—where waste is minimized, and resources are continually reused—is growing, too. It can track product lifecycles, anticipate obsolescence, and guide design choices that extend usability and reduce environmental impact. As regulators push for more sustainable production, such insights will become business-critical. Advancing Social Responsibility Beyond the environmental and economic, AI is also helping organizations act more responsibly on social issues. Natural language processing can detect harmful language patterns in online platforms, enabling faster action against hate speech or misinformation. In human resources, AI is being used to reduce unconscious bias in recruitment and to detect signs of workplace dissatisfaction before they become crises. AI also plays a vital role in improving accessibility—enhancing tools for the visually or hearing impaired—and in delivering essential services like healthcare or education to remote or underserved populations. However, it's in the overlap of these domains—social, environmental, and economic—that AI's most powerful potential lies. In sustainability, silos no longer serve us. AI's ability to connect disparate datasets across systems enables more holistic understanding, smarter decision-making, and coordinated action. The Governance Imperative Yet with great power comes significant risk. AI systems, if unchecked, can also reproduce or exacerbate social and environmental harms. Bias in data sets can reinforce discrimination. Poorly designed algorithms can overlook ecological consequences. And the compute power required to run advanced models—especially large language models—can result in substantial energy usage if not managed sustainably. That's why governance must sit at the heart of AI for sustainability. Organizations must develop internal ethical frameworks for AI development and deployment—ensuring fairness, explainability, and transparency in their models. Boards must demand oversight, and regulators must move beyond reactive enforcement toward proactive partnership with industry. Globally, we also need interoperable standards for sustainable AI—guidelines that account for carbon intensity, data sourcing ethics, and social outcomes. The EU's AI Act is a good start, but the real work will be in implementation: aligning incentives, educating users, and integrating sustainability metrics into performance evaluations for AI projects. Additionally, the lack of diversity in AI development teams remains a systemic barrier to equitable outcomes. If we want AI to work for all of humanity, then all of humanity must be represented in the labs, data sets, and decisions that shape its evolution. AI, Innovation, and Responsibility: A Balancing Act AI is not inherently sustainable or unsustainable. It is a tool—one whose impact depends on how we use it. This requires leadership with vision and integrity. Entrepreneurs, investors, and executives must ask harder questions: Is our AI innovation aligned with long-term societal needs? Are we measuring not just what AI can do, but what it should do? Encouragingly, many startups and corporations are beginning to take this seriously. Sustainability-focused AI startups are growing in number and influence. Venture capital funds are beginning to include ESG criteria in their due diligence. Multinational companies are creating Chief Sustainability Data Officer roles to oversee responsible AI integration. These are promising signs—but we cannot afford complacency. The dual challenge of advancing AI and achieving sustainability will define the next decade of business. Those who can navigate this complexity with authenticity and boldness will shape the future—not just of markets, but of society. Building Intelligence for Impact As AI continues to evolve, it must not be defined only by its technical sophistication, but by its real-world impact. If we succeed in aligning AI's trajectory with the goals of sustainable development, we can harness one of the most powerful tools of our era to build a future that is not only intelligent, but just, inclusive, and resilient. This is no small task. But it is the task of our time. Dr. John Mullins is Associate Professor of Management Practice in Marketing and Entrepreneurship at London Business School. He is an award-winning educator, a three-time entrepreneur, and the author of four books on the creation, management, and financing of entrepreneurial ventures. His work focuses on helping business leaders navigate the intersection of innovation, growth, and impact.
Irish Independent
24-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Everymum deal cost ‘Irish Daily Mail' publisher £2.2m
The £2.2m deal is disclosed in new accounts for the Irish arm of the UK-headquartered Associated Newspapers, which show pre-tax profits increased by 29pc to €1.46m in the 12 months to the end of September 29 last year. The directors for Associated Newspapers (Ireland) Ltd, which trades as DMG Media Ireland, said revenues increased by 5pc from €15.64m to €16.47m as costs increased by 7pc, 'resulting in a positive profitability for the year of €3.8m'. The company recorded the post-tax profit of €3.8m after recording a corporation tax credit of €2.33m. The directors said: 'The revenue and cost increases are due to the investment in Everymum and ongoing investment in print and digital content. 'On October 17, 2023, the company purchased the Everymum business, together with all the assets and liabilities of the business, for a total value of £2.2m.' Husband-and-wife team John Mullins and Gina Militiadou of the Bray-based Zahra Media sold Everymum to DMG Media Ireland in October 2023 in the £2.2m deal. The sale came 23 years after the couple established the website. Everymum has a community of over 200,000 opted-in users. The couple's former Eumedia Ltd, which operated Everymum, recorded post-tax profits of €162,015 as revenues increased by 22pc to €1.07m in 2022. The Everymum website also includes the Ultimate Maternity Guide, the National Parenting Product Awards and the Everymum SuperValu gift bag scheme. The acquisition of Everymum continued a period of expansion at DMG Media Ireland having acquired a number of businesses over the past number of years including Business Plus, and Geek Ireland. The publishing group also operates and Numbers employed by the expanding group increased from 124 to 129 as staff costs rose from €9.96m to €10.49m. Pay to directors declined marginally from €762,000 to €748,000 made up of €699,000 in emoluments and €49,000 in pension contributions. Accumulated profits at the end of September last totalled €6.67m. Separate group accounts filed by Daily Mail and General Trust PLC show that revenues increased to over £1bn last year.
Irish Independent
27-04-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
John Mullins obituary: Cork businessman and Fine Gael politician who was head of Bord Gáis, stood for election and proved a great supporter of the GAA
He became CEO of Bord Gáis in December 2007, a position he held until the end of 2012. During those five years, Bord Gáis set up an electricity unit and developed significant renewable and conventional power-generation assets. After finishing his time at the company, Mullins and Alain Desvigne co-founded Amarenco, a company in the PV (photovoltaic) sector focused on the use of solar panels to convert sunlight directly into electric power. He became executive chairperson of the company, which promotes the development, financing and ownership of solar PV assets in Europe, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Asia. In a wide-ranging career, Mullins held senior management positions with the ESB and its global energy engineering consultancy ESB International, the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (UK) and the renewable energy group NTR. He chaired the Port of Cork Company from 2013 to 2021 and was a director of the Cork-based Tyndall National Institute, a European research centre focused on integrated ICT (Information and Communications Technology) hardware and systems, cooperating with industry and academia to turn research into products. He was also a director of Páirc Uí Chaoimh as well as Wisetek Solutions Limited, also Cork-based, which specialises in IT asset disposition, data sanitisation and re-use, and was acquired by the Boston-headquartered company Iron Mountain in a major deal last year. Born in March 1968, John Mullins grew up in the Cork city districts of Knocknaheeny and Bishopstown, and attended the North Monastery Secondary School. He went on from there to University College Cork and acquired bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering, followed by an MBA from the UCD Smurfit Business School. A Fellow of Engineers Ireland and the Irish Academy of Engineering, he was awarded a Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur by the French government in 2015 — the country's highest civilian honour — for his role in developing the solar energy market there. He joined Young Fine Gael in the early 1990s, serving as its national president from 1993 to 1995. In 1994, Mullins put his name forward as a Fine Gael general election candidate for Cork North-Central. He fell short of getting the nomination by a single vote. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more He was a Fine Gael candidate last year for the European Parliament in the five-seat constituency of Ireland South, hoping to succeed the party's retiring MEP, Deirdre Clune. He told the Irish Examiner that, if elected, his priorities would be to achieve a 'new rural contract' with farmers in Ireland, the creation of 'pragmatic transitional environmental policies' and a 'fair but firm' approach to immigration. A visionary entrepreneur and a passionate climate protection advocate He finished in eighth position on the first count with 33,281 votes and was eliminated on the 17th count. John Mullins served as president of the Cork Chamber of Commerce from 2011 to 2013. He was also a member of the One Cork fundraising committee, dedicated to the promotion of Gaelic games in the county. He was a founding chairperson of the Anam Cara charity for bereaved parents, and he also chaired Energycloud, a charity for people facing fuel-poverty. In a statement, Amarenco described him as 'a visionary entrepreneur and a passionate climate protection advocate. John held executive roles within Amarenco until the end of 2024, driving the business forward in the face of many challenges. 'His dedication, vision and values have left a lasting mark and will continue to guide our company into the future. John will be greatly missed by all within our business, and our industry, for his leadership and friendship.' Cork GAA said: 'John represented everything our organisation stands for — a volunteer, a community man, a proponent of our games, and someone willing to go the extra mile for the benefit of others.' John was a wonderfully gregarious character who had a huge impact in Cork and across the country The manager of the county's senior hurling team, Pat Ryan, said: 'John Mullins was a great supporter of Cork GAA and especially the Cork senior hurlers.' Mullins's friend from his college days, Gary Murphy, now professor of politics at DCU, wrote in his Sunday Times column: 'Ultimately, Mullins simply wanted to make Ireland a better place for its people and it is a tragedy for the country, as much as his family, that he will not get the chance to continue his work of the past three-and-a-half decades. May he rest easy.' Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris said: 'It was an honour to know John, to soldier with him in politics, to canvass with him. I always found it a joy to be in his company. 'For Fine Gael, he was a proud friend of so many and a party activist to his core. The Fine Gael family, especially across Cork, mourns his loss. 'He was kind, witty, intelligent, fundamentally decent and someone who always wanted to do right by his community and his country. His loss is immense and will be felt deeply by so many.' Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said: 'I am deeply saddened at the passing of John Mullins, someone who made such a distinguished contribution to public life, business, sport and politics. John was a wonderfully gregarious character who had a huge impact in Cork and across the country. 'John had a particular interest in sport, with his beloved Bishopstown GAA and as director of Páirc Uí Chaoimh, and I often enjoyed great banter with him over sporting rivalries. 'John fully realised his potential in public service and in business, but he could just as easily have realised his promise in politics with his deep and abiding interest and involvement with Fine Gael. A great strategist, you would see John at all the election counts over the years.' John Mullins died suddenly after taking ill at his home on April 14. He is survived by his wife Siobhan, children Michael and Sarah, his parents Pat and Maureen, brothers Jim, Pat, Kieran and Brian, other relatives and a wide circle of colleagues and friends. A ceremony in the Church of the Holy Spirit at Dennehy's Cross was followed by removal to the Island Crematorium in Ringaskiddy.
