Back to the desk today after a very warm few days at our stand at the education Hub at the 2024 ploughing.

A great few days meeting clients, colleagues and even the Minister for State Malcom Noonan called by our stand. Minister Noonan, as Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform and T.D. for Carlow-Kilkenny, works tirelessly for an Ireland where healthy, resilient ecosystems teem with wildlife, are conserved and made accessible to all.

_{CEO AnnMarie McSorley with Minister of Health of State and Nature, Malcom Noonan at Ploughing 2024 at VeriConnect stand}

Speaking to agency leaders such as Kieran from National Organic Training Skillnet, Mary from the National Parks and Wild Life it was great to get a meeting of minds on bringing Sustainability Strategy to life for our clients.

Clients such as Laois Development Company, who we worked extensively on the Nore Vision Project headed up a full Laois marquee. Their new CEO Caroline Lydon and new LEADER programme Manager Brian Kelly are bringing their new programme to life at present with the Sustainability pillar a focus for the role out of their programme.

Suzanne Kearny from SECAD, the LEADER company that developed the Wild Work programme was at the ploughing and called by the stand. Their EU best Practice Interregional award winning Wild Work project continues to be rolled out this Autumn. The Veri Connect platform and eLearning toolkit with 60 units for schools are being rolled out via upskilling teachers in the content to integrate into their curriculum delivery.

We were delighted to share the stand with LANTRA, the leading provider of training, qualifications and career guidance for land based industries across the UK and Ireland. A Not for profit that was set up 50 years ago, to support upskilling of rural workers. As always working with Paula Smyth and her team at LANTRA was a great education opportunity for me. I also got to spend the day yesterday with their new Irish Trustee, Pat Griffin. Pat’s career has spanned 30+ years, working quarrying, and in the agricultural
industry. Having joined the Health and Safety Authority in 1991, Pat held several positions with responsibility for Mining and Agriculture. This included the Irish Governmental representative on the European Standing Working Party for the Extractive Industries for over 30 years, developing policy and guidance for the sector.

Kieran Cowhig our Lead Ecologist is working today on our stand and will be investigating new LANTRA programmes in Tree Identification and management for Community spaces. I also met with Leitrim team on the Social farming, and our client Leitrim Development Company. There are a number of really exciting new PEACE PLUS programmes coming up in the Biodiversity sphere. We were also really excited to share an upcoming innovative re-wilding programme in the North West which we hope to be announcing soon and may even have some VIP’s to help us kick off!

This year’s All-Ireland Sustainability Summit is bigger and better than ever! We at Veri Connect are thrilled to be a sponsor of the event and a presenter on the Main Stage.

The sustainability summit is set to run from 9AM to 4:30PM on March 21st, in La Mon Hotel. The event will bring together some of Ireland’s most dedicated experts in the field of sustainability for a day of upskilling, networking and collaboration. The Summit will be exhibited on two separate stages: the Main Stage  which will focus on the wider sustainability agenda, and the Net Zero Stage, which will be focusing on all things net-zero, renewables & carbon reduction.

This year’s All-Ireland Sustainability Summit will facilitate a brand new ‘lunchtime and learn’ workshop series that will no doubt prove beneficial to all parties involved. Four of the five workshop sessions will offer a 45-min this ‘lunchtime and learn’ opportunity so that you grab some lunch, and drop in to any of our sessions for even more learning and engagement opportunities. There will also be an extensive exhibitors area, fostering a driven network of innovation.

The event’s keynote speaker is none other than Richard Shotton. Richard is the author of the best selling book, The Choice Factory. He specialises on how to apply findings from behavioural science to marketing. The main stage host will be Andi Jarvis, who is a marketing strategist, professional speaker and the Founder of Eximo Marketing.

Some of the summits highlights include:

• Circular Economy Opportunities
• Carbon Reduction Planning
• Green Communications
• The Future of Energy
• Finance, Regulation and Policy
• Sustainable Innovation
• Networking and Collaboration

For the final session and event roundup, our very own Yosef Dvores will be part of the panel discussion about the intersection of agriculture, tourism and sustainable business. Yosef Dvores hails from Canada, and is a passionate Ecologist for nearly a decade. He has worked across Canada, NZ and South America before settling in Ireland in 2020. His extensive knowledge and deep passion for the environment has led him to work with businesses, local authorities, community groups and specifically farmers for this session in order to ensure nature and people can thrive in these changing times.

Amongst his success as Lead Ecologist with Veri Connect has been facilitating Ireland’s first and largest community seed bank. This project saw community members in the border area, many of whom were farmers, collect native wildflowers in order to preserve and enhance biodiversity. Yosef’s seed saving projects encapsulate the essence of Climate Action – making a lasting impact by increasing ecosystem resilience whilst building stronger communities.

Yosef has just completed training for Tourism Northern Ireland attended by over 70 Tourism businesses – ‘Threats to Biodiversity’ and ‘Commitment to Climate Change’. Also playing a leading role in the award winning €1 million euro Wildwork Biodiversity project for three local development partners via the LEADER programme. Here is a look into his time with Wildwork –

We look forward to seeing you at the All-Ireland Sustainability Summit. Visit www.allirelandsustainability.com to learn more and to book your tickets today!

Meeting two Ministers for the launch of our clients programmes on the seven year anniversary of Veri Connect meant it was not such a Blue Monday for me this week!

Minister Simon Harris and Minister Neil Redmond launched 24 micro- credentials including 2 of our team’s work on Sustainable Supply Chain and Green Procurement & Lean Practice and Tools which for Sustainable Business. 

Mary Lyon’s team under Noreen Fitzpatrick saw the need for these Micro Credentials and their work was launched today. 

What are Micro Credentials?

Micro-qualifications are short, part-time accredited training programmes, and they have been developed under the Skills to Advance initiative.

And more to the point –

Why will companies need to invest in these micro credentials ?

Climate now is a competitive issue in value chains for all businesses. Both in public procurement where up to 30% of tender responses may be judged on sustainability credentials or for Business to consumers who are constantly differentiating by buying greener. 

Listed Companies, Banks and insurance will immediately also be affected by the now Live ESRD regulations. In essence this means measuring a company’s effect on Climate Change, Pollution, Water, Biodiversity, and Circular Economy . 

But even small companies like our own who are part of the Supply chain to these from 1st of January this year now have to start their sustainability journey if they want to work in the supply chain to these buyers.

Who will deliver these programmes?

Our team recently delivered the SOLAS Train the Trainer for the  programmes to a number of trainers in the ETB sector in the field. Through the contracted training network we hope to be part of the teams that roll out these important programmes in 2024 via Skills to Advance in the 16 ETB’s across the country.

Our team currently deliver training for the 6000 plus ESB staff on Sustainability and Climate Action, as well as leading on some of the countries largest Biodiversity programmes in the local development sector. 

So not such a Blue Monday for Dr. Amanda Greer and our team of ecologists and technologist at Veri Connect!

Having been abroad for the riots in Dublin, last week I was in the Capital where the conversations were all about environmental and social governance and responsibility . We were delighted to take the  opportunity for invitations to two pivotal events centred around sustainability and the circular economy in Dublin City . Along with our new Sales Partner Yamini  it proved to be an enlightening experience that offered valuable insights. Yamini, a Smurfit graduate came along for CPD and also to get the unique opportunity to demonstrate  the inherent value these events bring as she acquaints herself with the intricacies of our industry.

Sustainability, Environmental and Social Governance 2024- Ethico at the Aviva Stadium 

The ESG (environmental and social governance) and Sustainability event unfolded as an exclusive gathering of influential business minds, with Jim Power economist delving deep into the evolving landscape of sustainability. Hosted by the dynamic Ivan Yates, the event provided a distinctive platform for networking and learning. Sustainability works and Ethico had a super overview of the Pathway for ESG for 2024.  What added an extra layer of significance to the occasion was an unexpected reunion with Tony Walker, my ex boss and GM of the Slieve Russell, a colleague from nearly three decades ago, who shared first hand accounts of the remarkable work and capital works in Sustainability investments in one of the North West’s most famous Hotels.

MODOS Launch at the Mansion House

The journey continued at the Mansion House for the launch of MODOS Sustainability and Circular Economy Training. Veri Connect are part of the framework team that will be rolling out this important programme in the coming years. With SMEs making up to 99% of Ireland’s economy, it is vital that these businesses embrace circular thinking. MODOS gives SMEs the practical advice and support they need to do this.

Dr. Joanne Rourke introduced the session and launched the programme   Hugh Coghlan’s strong stance on recent events in Dublin underscored the importance of diversity and inclusion for cultivating a robust skill set in Irish business. Beyond being a moral imperative, embracing diversity is a strategic advantage that fosters innovation.

Overall the two events  reaffirmed the critical importance of staying engaged, informed, and connected. Veri Connect remains unwavering in our commitment to exploring avenues that promote sustainability, authenticity, and innovation.

Empowering Women Entrepreneurs: Change Makers and the Going for Growth Community

Being part of the Going for Growth Community has been a pivotal chapter in my journey as a Female Founder and CEO. This group of women has not just been a network but a vital support system, providing a scaffold of encouragement, wisdom, and true empathy.

The Community embraces a selection of development activities, designed with thoughtful precision to nurture each member and their businesses. After completing a cycle, participants can apply to engage in ‘Continuing the Momentum’ round tables, dive into topic-focused workshops, and receive warm invitations to seminal events such as the annual Community Forum.

October 2023 kicked off at a memorable event, where over 120 like-minded individuals congregated, the atmosphere was charged with collective ambition and shared understanding. The solitude that often accompanies leadership seemed less isolating and replaced by the genuine support and shared wisdom that has characterized the Forum Events over the years.

Una O’Hagan beautifully orchestrated the last session, encapsulating the key moments and contributions over the two-day programme. A spotlight was shone on Enterprise Ireland Leo Clancy’s insightful contributions, KPMG’s invaluable advice, and our collective endeavours to navigate the ESG challenges as team leaders.

However, the moment that truly touched the heartstrings of all present was the deserved accolade to the phenomenal Paula Fitzsimons. Paula identified a gender ambition gap among entrepreneurs and crafted a suite of initiatives to foster and champion ambitious female entrepreneurs. Her remarkable achievements have dramatically shifted the scales. In 2008, data showed that for every 7.5 male entrepreneurs aspiring to establish a sizable company, there was only 1 female counterpart. Today, thanks to trailblazers like Paula and supportive governmental policies, that ratio has improved to 2.5:1 – and the journey toward an equal 1:1 ratio is in full swing.

A heartfelt thanks to all the Lead Entrepreneurs, whose voluntary guidance continues to be a wellspring of empowerment in my journey, and to Paula’s diligent team – Orla Mooney and particularly Clodagh Slater, who navigated unexpected challenges with unruffled professionalism on Day 1.

Navigating the path of an entrepreneur can be lonely. Yet, within the Going for Growth Community, it becomes a collective journey of Change Makers – where shared experiences, wisdom, and steadfast support illuminate the path toward sustainable growth and success.

Climate Action Initiative Wild Work Endorsed by An Taoiseach

On a very special day for the company we enjoyed an audience with the Taoiseach in the beautiful surroundings of Fota House and Gardens. The reason was to celebrate our role as lead contractor on the digital platform and climate action programme delivery of Wild Work. In his own words.

‘I am greatly encouraged to hear about the various elements of the new modules being delivered by Wild Work, including training on our historic connections to nature, managing habitats for biodiversity and using nature for our overall wellbeing and mental health.’ An Taoiseach, Michéal Martin.

 

Under the shade of a tree our chat proved to be nice and relaxed and I took the opportunity to share our story. He was enthused about us operating as a female led Enterprise Ireland Supported high potential  software company.  In his speech he re-enforced that trends of biodiversity loss needed to be scaled, which is what we do best.  Disrupting  the delivery of such important skills-based programmes by supporting the learning with a digital platform. 

“The tools to help turn these trends around are accessible, and it is our duty to use them to the best of our capacity for not just the next generation, but also for our current generation.”

Our clients, SECAD Partnership CLG, West Limerick Resources and Cavan County Local Development  had a strong vision and as the main contractors on the programme it was our job to bring that vision to life. The plan was ambitious, 20 locations across four regions, multiple modules with online toolkits to complement the on-location education. The ecologists led by Dr Amanda Greer created a world class curriculum that I’m immensely proud of  to support the ethos of Wild Work which is to help people, help nature, help people. 

The modules included diverse subject matter from the history of biodiversity in the Irish landscape, the importance of biodiversity for wellbeing all the way to how the Wild Work Framework will function to support biodiversity action into the future. In a novel approach a Wild Work Toolkit was developed containing an exciting range of e-learning activities to support the learning and as the programmes continued, content would be added to by the participants themselves as they experienced the training.

 

Back in 2017 part of the  inception of Veri was the demand for technology to support and progress the delivery of skills-based initiatives.  I was confident that the sector would evolve and Wild Work is the perfect example of this. 

In his speech the Taoiseach spoke warmly about Kieran Cowhig, one of our ecologists both of whom are Nemo Rangers supporters and he pondered that with men like Kieran on board that the Wild Work journey was sure to be a success. I am so grateful for the opportunity to give kudos to my team. The final word from the Taoiseach is a sentiment that unequivocally share.

‘Wild Work is exactly the kind of locally led initiative that I want to see rolled out right across Ireland.’

You can read the Taoiseach’s official speech here : https://www.gov.ie/en/speech/49fc9-speech-by-the-taoiseach-micheal-martin-td-at-the-launch-of-the-wild-work-co-ordination-project/

Heading West to Reflect on our Success.

My colleagues Michelle, Amanda and I all took some time out to head West over the past few weeks to celebrate the huge work of our clients Forum Connemara and Galway Rural Development. Their vision together with Lawpro was to create ambitious programmes to share skills and knowledge from our ecology team and develop action plans to animate small changes across the breath of beautiful regions. Over 300 people in total, with more than 100 in person and in online sessions, combined with high quality action plans. These are the visible outcomes to be brought forward for water quality and biodiversity improvements.

On the 4 hour drive last week , with my hands free , the calls from work were coming thick and fast but as we crossed the county boarders it was apparent that the beauty and biodiversity around us were silently encouraging us to slow down.

Ambition is defined as ” A strong desire to do or achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work.”

I couldn’t help but ponder all the hard work that we embarked on with our clients. It was so apparent in the wonderful events we shared together with the participants and clients.

 

As CEO of the company , I am so proud that at Veri Connect we empower companies and communities to undertake these type of ambitious programmes, reassured that Veri Connect will manage the complexities. Our clients take a leap by showing the ambition, we then streamline the process, augment communications via the digital dashboard and link the data to the projects for compliance and success. Allowing our clients to enjoy the journey by giving them the tools for successful completion.

Sustainability is at the core of everything we do, but sometimes we need to realise that we can’t always sustain constant hard work . The demands of business, family and emotional life, often mean that we have to slow  down a little and enjoy smelling the roses of success. Like we did at the Wild Goat Café last week!

The time in the west of Ireland showed me the value in connecting communities, networking and peer learning. Also it made me realise that when the opportunity came up, extending my stay in this beautiful part of the country for an additional 24 hours of slow down allowed me to recharge and be ready to head off again. It gave me time to reflect and focus, ready to enable effective programme delivery and compliance in a sustainable way through digitisation once again.

                                                 

 

 

 

Our sustainability focus at Veri brings to mind the lovely quote from Warren Buffet that said “Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”

This shade of support and encouragement came to me through my journey in the Going for Growth programme from the former CEO of Amplify  Aine Denn and Payslip founder  Fidelma Mc Gurke. These two amazing women have walked the walk in growing hugely successful international businesses, and voluntarily each year leading a group of earlier stage female founders through a six month professional development networking programme.

Being asked then this week to tell my story to the new round of over 100 female business leaders was such an honour  and a challenge. The added stress of being sandwiched “excuse the pun” between the driving force of Jeanneane O’Brien, the hugely successful food entrepreneur and the Tainiste Leo Varadkar on the agenda didn’t make it an easy Monday morning!

 

 

 

I decided to tell my story  through the three groups of people that have helped so much in developing my business.

The people in my personal story

The people in my company’s story

The people that use our products

The people in my personal story,  people like my mother, an amazing person with a work ethic that I feel is what has helped me and many of my family achieve our successes. It’s by her example that I’ve now come to a place where I’m leading a team of 19 and growing.

The people in our company’s story, our clients and supporters , the people who have helped us to grow , Like The REHAB group and Impact training  who help so many people reach their potential through programme delivery. This means funded support to deliver large scale programmes of learning in employability, education and specialist training services, biodiversity or anything that involves large groups of people sharing person to person skills based knowledge.

And finally the over 15,000 people that are currently our dashboard users. Like the volunteers in biodiversity programmes across the full Island making change happen through their passion for our planet. They participate in a blended delivery of shared  knowledge and skills all using Veri, a concept I came up with and I’m very proud of its ability to facilitate better communications and bring data to life.

I am delighted that my story seemed to  resonate with the group, and in particular  how much I stressed the importance of  family support in the entrepreneurial journey. I told the story of a difficult time in the business and being told  to stop overthinking things by my daughter. Joanne’s  sage advice, “Take a spoon of cement and harden up a bit Mum! ” An email just arrived from the lady that was sitting beside me on Monday, saying well done and that “We all need a spoon of cement at times, I had to take one today”.

If I was to offer advice to anyone participating in this phenomenal opportunity that is Going for Growth it would be to surround yourself with the right people, work hard and never give up. Best of luck to all and I look forward to watching your achievements.

When days are filled with meetings and planning sometimes dates go unnoticed. It was only when LinkedIn sent me a notification that I realised Veri was 6 years old. 6 years striving for change and driving data in the business of training program management.  I’m always looking to the future, potential clients, industry trends and streams of revenue but this milestone is worthy of some reflection on our journey so far.

The idea for Veri came to me after experience huge frustration in the inefficiency of the processes involved in collating data for quality training contracts. The endless paper trail was time consuming and fruitless. Paired with the inability to aggregate valuable data intelligence that sat idle in endless excel worksheets or in a dusty filing cabinet somewhere was deflating. 

Through encouragement from mentors, Enterprise Ireland and most importantly colleagues and potential clients, Fiorú (Verification in Irish) was registered and from here our software Veri was created. I was confident that I could help training providers save time and money and improve the efficiency and quality of their training delivery.

When I took my concept to prospects the response was so positive, the early adopters were great but slow. What developed was that a ‘like to have’  in 2017 is now a ‘must have’ in the era of a global pandemic. If companies want to move forward with quality, compliant training delivery, data is the new currency.

The milestones along the way were winning  Google’s Adopt a Start Up – from over 100 participants nationally. Our acceleration as a high potential start up was aided when the following year we won Enterprise Ireland’s Competitive Start Fund for Women Entrepreneurship  another accolade to validate the potential of our concept. 

This brought real players in contracted training onboard. Companies like Impact Training that delivered  22,000 training days in 2019. That partnership prompted us to enter our work into the IITD’s National Training Awards. The results being that we won for the Best Consultancy Partnership.

The real evidence of how effective we are as a company has been our consistent growth in our client base. We span across the public and private sector. Veri software is the Unique Selling Point for our  Employability Programmes which have huge uptake, supporting soft skills and distance travelled data for SICAP & Pobal. We are leading the way in Biodiversity training nationwide with the Department of Rural and Community Development funding data driven blended programmes. This training delivery utilises learning online and in the field for well over a thousand volunteers in every corner of our island. Another facet is that 1000 companies across every industry currently benefit from being supported by our clients through Veri as a dashboard for SME mentoring programmes such as Mentors Work. 

Such is the demand for our services that I now have 14 people employed in 6 short years. We are seeing ideas that we discussed in 2016 now come to fruition. The move to digital and blended support for skills based training from traditional methods of delivery can be daunting. We have struck a balance with a blended approach that our clients are very receptive to and this is the way forward. 

The way to think of the software is like another team member. This team member works hard and is efficient and provides you with a plethora of valuable data that allows you to make decisions on how best to move forward in your company. A sea change in data was what we wanted to make happen in the training industry, and we are so grateful to all our clients to date and I’m excited to lead the way for the next 6.

The Irish regional BIC’s (Business Innovation Centres) have been really fantastic in supporting the team at VERI to grow and strive over the past 4 years.
SEBIC supported the team in the win of the EI’s Female Competitive Start Fund that saw Veri’s first investment. Then, CorkBIC came on board the following year, inviting Veri founder Ann-Marie McSorley to the Entrepreneur Experience. Led by Cork Bic and Pete Smith from Broadlake, this is  an amazing accelerator where 24 Start up’s get 24 hours one to one with seasoned entrepreneurs who have seen it all and share their war stories. The objective being to help these start up’s scale and grow.
2 years on with €500,000 investment and a team of 10 across Ireland and UK/NI market, our Veri founder Ann-Marie Mc Sorley has been invited by Cork BIC to join the panel for the international EBAN & CorkBIC Changing Worlds event & panel discussion on June 11.
Chaired by Eileen Moloney, CorkBIC will be a discussing Disruption Across Sectors due to COVID-19 with a focus on Tech, Data & AI and Medtech.

Veri is currently being used by clients on 2 Irish National Covid Response Programmes for SME’s in ROI and one in NI. The Agile Executive and Profile Tree will work with over a thousand companies to weather the Covid storm. Supported by remote mentors they will be using the platform to streamline compliance and data by the end of these programmes.
The Changing Worlds event takes place from 13:00 to 16:00 (Irish Time) and the panel discussion, which will take around 45 minutes will be first up.