Leading Edge Group expands as small firms go green

An appetite among SMEs to boost their eco performance sees Cork-based Lean trainer Leading Edge Group create 30 new jobs

Fri, 12 Nov, 2021 - 11:02

Joe Dermody

Companies seeking to reduce their carbon footprint are driving growth at business transformation and change management specialist Leading Edge Group.

Headquartered in Cobh in East Cork, Leading Edge Group is directly creating 30 jobs in the Cork region over the next two years to support their expansion into the European and North American markets, with high-value roles in engineering, technology and business development.

Leading Edge also has successful operations in Canada and Australia, notably working with hospitals and other large groups, training staff in Lean, digital, agile and climate action solutions to boost performance.

Many of the 30 new Cork-based roles will be with Climeaction, the Leading Edge Group member focused on enhancing environmental performance. While the jobs are part of EU and US expansions, the company's Irish client portfolio is also growing.

“Since we set up Climeaction in May, our environmental services in particular have really grown rapidly,” said Joe Aherne, founder and CEO of Leading Edge Group. “We have won significant tenders and we have become an approved vendor with the Local Enterprise Offices, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland.

“We are approved with eight LEOs across the country. A lot of the new work we're doing is in the area of climate action, working with both large and small clients. Climeaction's clients ranging from micro-businesses right through to some of Ireland’s best-known brands.

“Of the 63 companies currently on our books here, ten are large. Many of the others have less than ten people working with them, everything from fish processing, small distilleries, restaurants, cafés, small manufacturers and retail.”

Mr Aherne said it is very encouraging to see the message around Ireland's environmental ambitions find its way into all segments of industry.

Encouraged by IDA, Enterprise Ireland and the LEOs, smaller firms are availing of green-focused vouchers and SEAI grants to train staff and learn how to reduce their carbon footprint.

Paul Murphy, climate action solutions lead at Climeaction, said: “As world leaders meet at COP26 in Glasgow to align on global policies on decarbonisation, there are small but significant steps being made on the ground by individuals and business to take action.

“There is no easy solution to such a complex challenge, however with the right people working together and collaborative business models, we can transform how we do business so that we can take practical steps to reduce emissions in line with climate science – and reduce operating costs simultaneously. Climate Action and Lean, can and does make business sense.”

Business movers: People starting new jobs in Ireland

Leading Edge Group announced its recruitment drive with a press conference in Midleton Park Hotel earlier this week. The event was attended by Damien English, Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Mayor of Cork County, Gillian Coughlan, David Stanton, TD, James O’Connor, TD, as well as local Councillors Sheila O’Callaghan and Sinead Sheppard of Cobh Municipal District.

Founded in Cobh in 1995, Leading Edge Group has supported 1,000 companies and institutions in Ireland and abroad, supporting savings and process improvements worth more than €500m to its clients.

Thriving in Canada and Australia, Leading Edge has also worked with Gilead in the USA, Pfizer in Singapore, and the Electricity and Water Authority in Dubai.

In Ireland, Leading Edge has delivered Lean transformation programmes ever delivered in the State for clients that include Dairygold, Bord Na Mona, Ornua and An Post. It has also advised more than 500 local enterprise companies that we supported over the pandemic period.

“Not everything about the pandemic was bad,” said Joe Aherne. “Of course, it impacted on our business like it hit everyone else, but it also gave us an opportunity to stop and time to think about how we could use technology to innovate to deliver our continuous improvement services remotely.

“We have married our Lean, digital transformation and climate action experience with digitalisation. Everything is being done on the cloud now.

“Working to reduce climate change has been particularly good for us. We find that the staff in the client companies we work with are hugely engaged with climate action principles.”

Companies, particularly customer-facing enterprises, can see the importance of these principles not just for the planet, but also for their retention and recruitment of new staff and for perception of their brand.

“More frequent and intense drought, storms, heatwaves, rising sea levels, melting glaciers, and warming oceans will, as we all know, directly destroy the places we live, and wreak havoc on people's livelihoods and communities,” said Joe Aherne.

“We have all seen the deliberations taking place at COP26 and the difficulties for Governments in coming up with an integrated strategy and roadmap that will reduce carbon emissions and greenhouse gasses. “We want to be at the forefront of climate action and to help in any way we can for ourselves and for our children’s sakes.”