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Wednesday 2 April 2014

Richard Maguire Former Senior Management At Quinn Group Speaks Out

 ‘MOURINHO IS WRONG’

While I have always admired Jose Mourinho as a great manager, I felt he was off the mark in describing Arsene Wenger as a ‘specialist in failure’. While his cabinet trophy has been somewhat bare in recent years, not even his most ardent enemies can deny his achievements in rebuilding a great club and laying solid foundations for the future.

Much closer to home and in an altogether different sphere, the title of ‘specialist in failure’ should sit easily on the shoulders of Paul O’Brien CEO Quinn Group. In awarding Paul such a title I shall briefly summarise his many ‘failures’ that have merited this much coveted title.

Failed Joint venture with Lagan – a major cement competitor was given access to confidential information on Quinn cement customers including prices, tonnage etc and then allowed to walk away scotch free. While Paul has served with Kevin Lagan on a previous board of directors and obviously enjoys good personal relations, this course of action was despicable given a huge advantage to a competitor company.

Failed Ceva Logistics venture – by partnering up with a company with a financial record that can at best be described as questionable, this created huge uncertainly among staff in Quinn’s. Indeed for the first time in almost 40 years many staff felt compelled to join a union to voice their concerns and protect their rights.

Blatant lies to staff – after the illegal takeover of the Quinn group, staff were assured that all jobs were safe and no divisions would be closed or sold off for a period of 5 years. Within a space of 12 months the Williamstown quarry was closed with all jobs lost. Over the intervening period jobs have been lost in the Plastics division in head office, the IT division was decimated and outsourced, Quinn Roof tile division reported as sold to Lagan and Quinn packaging up for sale.

A culture of fear and intimidation where staff are afraid to highlight concerns in fear of been sacked. Paul and his side kick Kieran Leonard have headed up a process where staff who did confront them had fictitious charges made against them and sacked. The company was subsequently found guilty and had to pay out thousands in compensation.

A once profitable company has been decimated to a point where anything of value has been sold ie, loading shovels, dumpers, lorries, pool cars etc and now that the reported 3 million that was to be paid from Ceva on 7th May is off the table – what now?

Reliance on his self-appointed management team of Leonard, McGinley, Farrell, King and McNally. It is difficult to envisage these clowns managing a sweet shop no mind something of the complexity of the Quinn group.

Despite much research it is difficult to come up with any success that can be directly attributed to Paul since his much heralded appointment as CEO Quinn Group. However you only have to scratch the surface to see his many failures so I can think of no one more deserving of the title ‘Specialist in Failure’.
Congratulations Paul.

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