Senior business leaders, founders and policymakers from across Ireland gathered in Clonmel for the Questum Leadership, Enterprise & Innovation Summit 2026, a forum examining the realities of leadership, scale and decision-making in today’s enterprise environment.
Hosted by Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) in partnership with Tipperary County Council at the Questum Acceleration Centre, the Summit once again positioned Clonmel as a strategic enterprise hub linking the Mid-West and South-East, attracting national leadership perspectives to the region.
The 2026 programme brought together former CEOs of global Irish companies, high-growth founders and national enterprise leaders for a morning defined by practical insight, experience and honest reflection. The Summit was led by Tom Brennan, Questum Entrepreneur in Residence and Co-Founder of EirGen Pharma and TriviumVet, and chaired by Conor Brophy, Managing Director at Teneo, who guided insightful discussions.
Speaking on the event, Questum Entrepreneur in Residence, Tom Brennan said: “The quality and candour of today’s discussions are exactly what this Summit is designed to foster. Leadership at scale is rarely straightforward, and creating a space where experienced CEOs and founders can speak openly about the real decisions behind growth is invaluable.
Questum exists to support ambition, to help companies move from potential to performance, and bringing national enterprise voices into Clonmel sends a strong signal about the role regional centres play in Ireland’s innovation ecosystem. The insights shared this morning will resonate well beyond the room.”
The opening CEO Panel featured Fergal Leamy (former CEO, Glen Dimplex Group), Gary McGann (former CEO, Smurfit Kappa Group) and John Moloney (former Group Managing Director, Glanbia and current Chair of Shorla Oncology).
Drawing on decades of experience across global manufacturing, public markets and governance, the panel offered candid reflections on leading through complexity, balancing risk and resilience, and building long-term value in an increasingly uncertain global climate.
Addressing the attendees, Professor Vincent Cunnane, President of the Technological University of Shannon, said: “This year’s Questum Leadership, Enterprise & Innovation Summit once again demonstrated the strength of collaboration between enterprise, education and policy. At TUS, we are committed to creating environments where experienced leaders, founders and policymakers can engage in meaningful, practical dialogue — and today’s discussions reflected exactly that. Hosting this Summit at the Questum Acceleration Centre reinforces our ambition to position Clonmel, and the wider region, as a dynamic hub for innovation and scale. The calibre of speakers and the openness of the conversations underline the importance of regional ecosystems in shaping Ireland’s national enterprise story.”
In attendance, Tipperary County Council Manager, Sinead Carr, said: “Tipperary County Council is proud to support the Questum Leadership, Enterprise & Innovation Summit, and to see Clonmel host such a distinguished gathering of national and regional business leaders. Events like this demonstrate the strength of our local enterprise ecosystem and the ambition that exists across the region.
“By bringing together experienced CEOs, founders and policymakers, the Summit reinforces the importance of collaboration in driving sustainable economic growth. We remain committed to working with partners such as TUS and Enterprise Ireland to ensure Tipperary continues to be a competitive and attractive location for businesses to start, scale and succeed.”
Delivering a keynote leadership perspective, Simon Coveney, former Tánaiste and current EY Geopolitical Strategy Advisor, addressed Ireland’s enterprise outlook in the context of shifting geopolitical and economic dynamics. His contribution provided senior leaders with strategic context on competitiveness, policy and the global forces shaping Irish business decisions.
Speaking at the event, Simon stated: “It’s fantastic to see Questum becoming not only a regional hub, but in a space where multinationals can grow. We are seeing extraordinary political change unfold. In history, we will see this as a hinge moment for businesses and society. Ireland has shown as a country its ability to adapt to environments, whether that be Covid, inflation, or challenges off the back of war in Ukraine.
“I spend a lot of my time speaking to Irish leaders and boards on how they think of those factors involving change and risk, and how they are adapting to this. We’re now moving towards a multipolar world. We are living in a volatile geopolitical environment, and relationships will be more complicated than what has been seen in the past- we need to monitor how Europe responds. Resilience is a crucial new pillar in business leadership.”
The Entrepreneur Panel brought together Hilary O’Shea (Co-Founder, Otonomee), Declan Wynne (Founder, Skanstec Engineering; Managing Director Europe, H&MV Engineering) and Frank Madden (Founder, Crest Solutions).
The discussion focused on the practical realities of scaling Irish companies into international markets, from access to capital and talent to operational discipline and organisational culture. Speakers shared first-hand insights into resilience, ambition and navigating the pressures of sustained growth.
Jenny Melia, CEO of Enterprise Ireland, closed the formal programme with reflections on leadership and ambition in Ireland’s current enterprise landscape, highlighting the importance of strong regional ecosystems such as Questum in supporting innovation and scale. Contributions from Tipperary County Council and TUS reinforced the role of regional collaboration in strengthening Ireland’s national growth story, while closing reflections from Pat McGrath, former CEO of PM Group and Chair of the Questum Advisory Board, drew together key themes from the morning.
With networking embedded throughout, the Summit facilitated meaningful engagement between founders, CEOs, senior leaders and policymakers, reinforcing its reputation as a serious forum for enterprise dialogue grounded in experience rather than theory.
The event was hosted by TUS in partnership with Local Enterprise Office Tipperary and Enterprise Ireland New Frontiers. It is supported by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the ERDF Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021–27 via the TU RISE scheme.
