Finance & Management
Leadership Insight – Margaret Berry
Margaret Berry
As a board member of Gurteen Agricultural College and chair of their sustainability committee, what can you tell us about the evolution of agricultural education to combat climate change?
Despite the many challenges that exist we must acknowledge the unique infrastructure and world class experts in Irelands agriculture industry working together to find fact-based solutions to reducing methane emissions. Gurteen Agricultral College, the largest agricultural college in Ireland, is part of this infrastructure. It is part of Teagasc Signpost farm network which acts as demonstration farm for carbon sequestration measurements. These will point the way forward towards climate smart farming and will inform how sustainable agriculture is taught. Also, in September 2022 the first BSc students started in Gurteen, run in conjunction with Technology University of Shannon (TUS), in the new degree in Agricultural Sustainability course. The aim of the course is to produce graduates with the knowledge and skills in agriculture with a focus on sustainability.
- being supportive of their people
- operating with a strong results orientation
- seeking different perspectives
- solving problems effectively
Paul showed that responsible business models can go hand-in-hand with strong performance, raising top and bottom-line growth and increasing shareholder returns by 290% while the company consistently ranked first in the world for sustainability, and one of the best places to work.
I am also an avid follower of Professor Rita McGrath of Columbia Business School. She is consistently ranked among the top ten management thinkers in the world with a particular focus on the intersection of strategy and innovation. She always has so many interesting insights and really joins the dots to help people and business “see around corners.”