Lessons from the successes of Patrick Ricard

Last week Patrick Ricard, chairman of the global drinks company Pernod Ricard, passed away at the age of 67.

Anyone who believes in the importance of entrepreneurship to the development of an economy should take note of his life. Anyone who cares about the future of Irish industry should examine his career too, because Mr Ricard was a key player in the rejuvenation and subsequent global success of Irish Distillers.

If Ireland is to prosper and remove the Troika yoke off its back, it needs to embrace the kind of thinking that defined Mr Ricard’s life. Brought up in an already successful business, he could easily have taken a laid-back approach to life and enjoyed the wealth created by his family.