All routes led to leadership role

In the latest in this Next Gen Leadership series, Deloitte Partner, John Kelly, speaks with Shane McDermott, Financial Controller at Fota Wildlife Park. They discuss Shane’s unique career journey, work ethic and motivation, mentors, and leadership style. Shane and John also reflect on the varied role of a Financial Controller at a wildlife park and look forward to exciting developments ongoing at Fota Wildlife Park.

Early career in logistics the right route to leadership

John began by asking Shane to speak a little about his early career and how that prepared him for his current leadership role within Fota Wildlife Park. Shane said by working in his father’s logistics company on weekends as a teenager provided him with a strong work ethic from an early age. At 21-years old Shane joined his father’s company in an operations role and after just two years moved into the Transport Operations Manager’s role. This role eventually gave him oversight of routing, servicing, and the general day-to-day operating of circa thirty-five vehicles and trailers. It was in this role, while in meetings with senior management, Shane realised that understanding how only one side of the business worked, left him at a disadvantage to progress beyond transport operations and wanted to understand the financial aspect of the business. Shane made the decision to study at CIT (now MTU) and gain a degree in accounting, which set Shane on the route to become the leader he is today.

Balancing study and work

John asked Shane how he found the transition from working in warehouses, to driving artic trucks, to managing the transport operations and to end up in the finance side of the business. Shane explained that during the degree he worked 2am to 10am and attended CIT from 6pm to 10pm. In this time, he was also shadowing the accountant on site to gain further knowledge to supplement his college work. Shane said it was a challenging number of years, but he enjoyed the course and the work, so it was ultimately rewarding.

Following completion of the degree Shane started preparing the accounts for the company and began his CPA qualifications. It was Shane’s desire to understand the business as a whole, that drove him to undertake the degree with the support of the company.

Re-routing

Following his time working in finance for a logistic company in 2017 Shane saw an opportunity to work with the Cork University Foundation which was the fundraising arm of University College Cork. Here Shane received some key advice that would be the cornerstone of his leadership style today. Dr. Jean van Sinderen-Law, a mentor of Shane’s in UCC, provided him with some advice while he was dealing with an operational problem. Shane explained he had gone straight from a family business to UCC so may not have been as well rounded as some of his more experienced colleagues. He sought advice from Jean and, with a smile, Jean said that ‘I was worrying about things that I had no control over and that I did not have a decision to make at the time, so just to focus on the things that you can control and work on them’.

Shane says that he still uses this advice today and in turn now provides the same advice to those that confide in him when they are struggling with a challenge.

Following the birth of his son in 2017 and to be closer to home, Shane applied for a role in the National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI) in Ringaskiddy and after a short period became Finance Manager for a joint venture company based in the NMCI, half owned by CIT (MTU), and at the time was the main commercial arm of the NMCI.

Diversity of experience the right road to Fota

John noted at this point that Shane had a gained a broad skillset from his roles to date and asked how Shane thought this would help him with his current role. Shane acknowledged that it was his diverse career history that made him the right fit for his current role in Fota. He notes that moving from a relatively informal family business to a not-forprofit charity in UCC and onto the commercial side of a national college, provided him with great learning experiences in governance, in particular.

He explains that while interviewing for the role he had guessed that he may be one of the only candidates that had taken such an alternative route, and this provided him with a broad range of experience that is required to succeed in his current role.

Leadership in Fota

Shane says that no two days are the same at Fota Wildlife Park. His role goes beyond just the financial side of the business, and one aspect of the role is the duty management of the wildlife park.

John said he had noticed this when he was at Fota recently on a family day out, that he met Shane out on the park grounds with a walkie-talkie and he Shane elaborates by explaining that on the general duty manager weekend role, thousands of visitors go through the park gates and responsibility for their enjoyment, safety and experience falls to him and the wider team in Fota Wildlife Park.

Shane attributes the success of Fota down to the calibre of the people working there. He says it is a very varied role, not for him only but for many onsite. When dealing with the public across a vast area, staff must be ready to provide the right service when the customer needs it, and he must act as support to colleagues across the Park. Shane makes a point to note that he does not have any dealings with any of the animals onsite and that there is a highly trained group of professionals in the animal care team.

Leadership Style

John then asks Shane about his leadership style and how he approaches leadership. As a leader, Shane says he is very lucky to have a great team in Fota Wildlife Park and whatever the situation he has the relevant trained personnel on hand. Much of his leadership is oversight and to make sure his direct reports, and many others, have the resources they need to fulfil their roles successfully.

“My style of leadership can be very situational but for the majority of the time I believe in a coaching style. I believe I set an appropriate pace or tempo and do not micromanage time, all while making it clear that each one of us has a duty to fulfil our qualitative and quantitative responsibilities in full. I try to lead by example as I am not the most vocal and do not have the most profound use of vocabulary. My work ethic is one thing that I try to ensure can never be questioned and I am not afraid of making decisions as and when I need to.”

He says that the Finance Team is a small team of four people and he is very lucky to have such great people to work with.

Motivation

John said he noted Shane was clearly a motivated person from working with his father from an early age, working straight after school, and then going on to college to go after the career he wanted, so he asks what Shane’s motivation is. Shane says he has never had an issue in finding motivation, he said it might be a boring accountant’s answer but what motivates him most would be security, stability, having a purpose and a challenge.

Shane also said his parents have always instilled a good work ethic in him and that has stayed with him always.

The future and exiting time ahead in Fota

As the discussion draws to a close, John looks to the future and asks Shane what is coming up for him and Fota Wildlife Park. Shane explains that Fota have recently completed the sustainably built Education, Conservation & Research Centre (ECRC), featuring a 260-seat lecture theatre, and which was part-funded by the Government via the Office of Public Works (OPW). In line with Fota’s 10 year strategic development plan to become one of the top 10 zoological parks in Europe, the CapEx for 2024 is focussed on animal welfare and utilisation of greener energy, including recently started projects such as the Giraffe House refurbishment and rollout of Photovoltaic Panels around the park.

Shane says “Based on B&A research, we estimate that spending by holidaymakers to Fota Wildlife is estimated to be worth €90 million annually to the local economy” he adds “The Government have been a great support in providing grants to help complete essential infrastructural projects, such as the South Sea Wall repair.”

Shane closes by saying that it is a very exciting time for him, and the scale of the developments provides him with great learning opportunities. He says that experience is the most important thing on his own career path and he has taken the journey less travelled. He then jokes “there are not many accountants that have an artic licence”.

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