The latest episode of The Leaders’ Room podcast season four is a little different. It features two leaders – Apple VPs Cathy Kearney and Kristina Raspe. This series is created in partnership with IDA Ireland.
Once again in season four of The Leaders’ Room podcast, we get to know the leaders of some of the most influential multinationals in tech, life sciences and innovation, as well as getting insights into their leadership styles and the high-tech trends they see coming down the line.
In this latest episode, we did something a little different. We left the studio behind. With Apple VPs, our own Cathy Kearney, and US-based Kristina Raspe in town for the official launch of the new Hollyhill 5 building on the Cork campus, we sat down with them on location and did a two-hander for this special edition of The Leaders’ Room.
Kearney needs little introduction as the longtime Apple lead in Ireland and VP of European Operations. Raspe, visiting from the US, is VP of Places and oversees the physical footprint of the iconic company around the world from campuses, to retail stores to data centres.
We chatted leadership styles, the new 300-person Dublin office planned, Apple’s commitment to its Irish operations and Tim Cook’s love of Ireland, as the iconic company recently celebrated 45 years in this country.
Our recording location was the impressive new Hollyhill 5 building, which had just officially opened, so it was an opportunity to explore what this latest investment says about Apple’s future in Ireland. Both were quick to emphasise that, in the words of Apple CEO Tim Cook, Ireland is Apple’s “second home”, and they are here for the long haul.
Indeed Kearney is hugely ambitious for the site and says that, with the importance of emerging markets for Apple, she is keen to obtain further investment still for the future, as it is the team in Ireland that drive this critical part of the organisation.
And it is a sentiment echoed by US-based Raspe who said it was easy to get the commitment to invest in the new building in Cork and that Apple has every intention of being here for the long haul. Music to the ears of many I suspect, with Apple in Ireland recently being identified as one of the top three corporate taxpayers in the country.
The investment in a new permanent office in Dublin city appears to be further evidence of Apple’s commitment to Ireland, but the Cork Hollyhill campus continues to sit at the core of its European operations. Apple’s largest location outside the US, it has been more than 45 years since Apple opened its manufacturing facility in Cork with 135 team members. Today’s campus houses 6,000 people, with teams across the business – from operations, engineering and manufacturing to procurement, customer support and finance.
Interviews with Kearney are rare, so it was a unique opportunity to get a sense of the Irish woman’s leadership style – authenticity is key she says, adding she works as hard as she expects her team to work – and she emphasises the importance of curiosity and how it empowers a culture of innovation.
We’re grateful to all our interviewees again this season, for taking the time out of busy schedules to come into the studio and share their insights and their intelligence with us. And a big thanks as ever to our partners IDA Ireland who make this series possible.
The Leaders’ Room podcast is released fortnightly and can be found by searching for ‘The Leaders’ Room’ wherever you get your podcasts. For those who prefer their audio with visuals, filmed versions of the podcast interviews are all available here on SiliconRepublic.com.
Check out The Leaders’ Room podcast for in-depth insights from some of Ireland’s top leaders. Listen now on Spotify, on Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.