Mr Mike O'Flynn

Mike O'Flynn is one of a new breed of business leaders in Irish industry that has the ability to drive exceptional business results, while at the same time understanding that there would be no business without people. 

His career has been a quarter of a century in the making and has taken him from the fast-paced world of telecommunications through to the highly regulated field of health care and medical devices. A strong influence on Mike's career - and a common theme running through each of these companies - is the use of leading edge technology to define the future and a relentless pursuit of continuous improvement to shape it. 

Originally from Mallow, Co Cork, Mike graduated from the University of Limerick with a 1st Class Honours degree in Production Engineering (B Eng) in 1985 following which he honed his early management skills at iconic global industrial leaders such as Digital Equipment, Nortel Networks and MSL (now Celestica). During his time with Digital, Mike found time to combine working life with a return to academia and completed a Masters of Engineering, also at UL, in 1992. 

By ‘97, Mike had developed immense technical expertise in manufacturing operations and together with a strong business acumen and innate drive for continuous improvement, had started to attract attention. In May of that year, he joined Bay Networks as Director of Technical Operations and was a key member of the dynamic management team that grew the business from a greenfield operation. When Bay Networks was acquired by Nortel Networks in 1998, Mike transferred to Galway and a year later, was appointed Vice President of Operations and General Manager for the Galway site which had over 600 employees at the time. In 2001, Mike went on International assignment to Ottawa in Canada taking on the role of Vice President of Global Supply Management. Two years later, he returned to Ireland as Vice President of European Operations for Nortel Networks. 

It was in 2005 that Mike made a career-defining change into the Medical Device industry when he joined the medical device giant, Boston Scientific. Medical Devices is a very challenging business where issues are often very technical and complex and the pursuit of perfection is not just a business aspiration but a business imperative. It's a context within which Mike has thrived, leading to his appointment as Managing Director and Vice President Operations in 2010, having spent the previous three years as Director of Operations, Lean Systems and Operations Training. In that time, the Galway site has increased its exports by 30%, seen employee figures grow by 12% and successfully launched a number of new products into the International market. 

Being responsible for almost 3,000 Galway employees and supporting as many again indirectly in the local community, Mike is acutely aware of the importance of Boston Scientific's success for the whole region. Despite the significant weight of responsibility on his shoulders, anyone who knows Mike will be quick to tell you that he is extremely down-to-earth and very approachable. This makes him an excellent listener and his ear is keenly tuned in to the beat of the plant, ensuring that his decisions are always backed up by a real understanding of what's happening on the ground. 

Mike continually communicates his belief that people are the key to success and is a big fan of employee-driven initiatives. Boston Scientific's ‘Charity of the Year' programme is a good example. Supported by Mike and his senior team, employees have raised over €250,000 in the past 5 years for charities in the local community. 

Today, Mike (48) lives in Galway with his wife, Paula and their three children, Aoife, John and Laura. Outside of business, Mike puts his considerable coaching skills to good use and can be seen pacing the side-line during many a wet winter weekend training session with the U-16 Gaelic Football squad at his local club, Salthill-Knocknacarra. In 2010, he managed the team to a Galway County Championship and County League double. 

With all eyes focused on the export-led sectors like Medical Devices to kick start the Irish economy and redeem our international business reputation, it's good to have leaders like Mike to help navigate the way. 

The above text is an extract from the 2011 UL Alumni Awards Souvenir Booklet.