The view from Catherine O’Sullivan FCCA

The most rewarding part of my work is seeing the impact in communities. I’m from a small rural village in West Cork and the rollout of fibre broadband has been a real game changer. It’s one of the reasons families like mine can move out of Dublin and raise our children surrounded by their grandparents and cousins.

As finance business partner manager, I lead forecasting and reporting across key workstreams. I oversee capex tracking and governance, and support leaders with budgeting, profitability and investment choices. I’m at my best when I can make complex data easy to act on, using clear graphs, dashboards and straight commentary to show what’s driving performance and what we should do next. Stakeholders might (lovingly) call me the thorn in their side, because I’ll challenge assumptions and push for value for money and strong cost control.

SIRO is Ireland’s first full fibre broadband network, founded by ESB and Vodafone. We hold ourselves to a high bar on network quality, safe delivery and long‑term performance. In recent years, SIRO has been recognised for its focus on sustainability, environmental impact and employee wellbeing. As a parent of two young boys, leaving the world in better shape for the next generation matters deeply to me, and it’s motivating to be part of a company that backs that commitment with action.

I’m a big advocate of continuous upskilling. I recently completed a higher diploma in data analysis, and I’m excited to put that learning into practice by streamlining and simplifying our finance processes. The aim is straightforward: free up time from recurring tasks so I can focus on meaningful improvements and help our teams make clearer, faster decisions with better insight.

This year, I am also building and deepening my capability in AI. My focus is learning to use AI tools responsibly to strengthen forecasting, decision-making and the quality of our insights – helping us spot potential risks earlier and deliver better outcomes for customers and clients. I’m also making a point of attending more ACCA events.

In a male‑dominated technical environment it can take extra confidence to speak up. I’m lucky to have strong allies who share their expertise and ensure my questions are heard. The best part is working closely with the delivery, QS and operations teams, which has helped me build real relationships (and friendships) well beyond finance.

Being selected for ACCA’s Leaders of Tomorrow genuinely means the world to me. Being chosen has given me a fresh spark and a stronger sense of belonging in the ACCA community. So far, I’ve taken huge value from the launch and psychometrics session. I also attended the self‑awareness and preference profiling workshops, and I felt the strategic thinking session was a huge learning. I’m genuinely excited for what’s next.

To switch off, I’ve always loved travelling and the buzz of live sport, especially road bowling, football and hurling. These days, what I enjoy most is time with my husband and our two young sons, aged two and four. There’s nothing like seeing the world through their excitement when we discover something new.

The most important business lesson I have learned in my career is that the quality of the outcome depends on how well you plan, prioritise and keep the details moving. When inputs, actions and owners are clearly tracked, you can spot variances early, follow up quickly and avoid last-minute surprises. I’ve also learned that technologies like AI aren’t something to fear, but to embrace responsibly and safely.