Navigating Leadership

In the latest of this Next Gen Leaders series, Deloitte Partner, John Kelly, speaks with David Walsh, VP of Finance at Keelvar. David talks about his leadership journey and reflects on how he applied lessons he learned during his time as an elite rower to become a better leader.

Problem solving was always something David enjoyed from a young age in secondary school where he gravitated towards subjects like maths and accounting. After leaving school it came as no surprise when David chose to undertake a BSc in Accounting in University College Cork, but it wasn’t in the confines of the classroom that the Ballintemple native honed his leadership skills.

David represented Ireland on a number of occasions participating in the rowing Junior World Championships and the Under-23 World Championships as well as winning a national championship with his own club in 2008. Rowing at an elite level was something that prepared him for the pressures of the working world, “You’re doing up to 12 sessions a week in training. You do learn discipline through that, how to manage your time effectively and how to prioritise. Training always feels like it has to be the number one priority but equally you have to manage everything else as well on top of that,” said David.

David continued his rowing career while completing his training contract upon graduating from college. On reflection he says this period in his life provided the foundations for leadership, influencing a variety of different stakeholders in his life, “When you’re on a training contract, you’re working for the client and that work has to be done. There is no let up there so it is about squeezing everything in around that. In your personal life compromise on both sides is important to facilitate that, so it’s important to be aware of how your actions impact on others.”

Harnessing Transferable Skills

Within a rowing squad a small number of leaders emerge, and he assumed this role naturally, “I would have been one of the people that would generally step forward in that regard. I wouldn’t always be the most vocal, but I would train hard and try to set an example that way but also keep people on track, help make decisions and discuss issues with coaches,” he said.

This experience proved invaluable and enabled him to lead with confidence as he moved through his career. Speaking about rowing David said “It gives you confidence, that is the key thing, maybe not so much the skills from it but having the confidence to speak up and to be willing to take the lead on things, to be the voice of a group and to be willing to give instruction in a constructive way”.

John completed his audit training alongside David and remembers him having a maturity and a composure especially when faced with pressure. This is something David says has been remarked upon before, and he believes this is due to his own mindset when approaching a problem, “I think it is important to keep a sense of perspective about what the worst outcome is in each situation. There is an element of what is the worst thing that can happen, and what can you control. It is about keeping perspective and also being confident and comfortable in the fact that you can see what the problem is, and the avenues you can go down to address this problem,” he said.

David continues that trust in his team has allowed him to become a resilient leader with the capacity to confront problems and prevent stressful situations emerging, “In a high stress situation that’s where mistakes happen and corners are cut, you’re the leader, you’re the one that should be carrying the stress, you are responsible for the outcomes so it is about trying not to pass that on to other team members. Trust they have the ability to help you, I think if you are holding too much stress there is a tendency to start micromanaging which I don’t think anyone enjoys, you as the leader are doing two jobs and it hits the confidence of the team”.

Embracing Leadership while Nurturing Talent

While his sporting career equipped him with empathy, an invaluable quality for a leader, he also understands the importance of developing a team and understanding aspirations, “You need an element of empathy and an understanding of people. Be willing to see things from their point of view. Understanding what someone wants out of their career, understanding what their medium or long-term goals are and trying to support them in that. Giving them the confidence and belief that they’re capable of what they’re doing, and if they want to upskill in a certain area to help them with that.”

Leading by example is a style of leadership that David practises, and that applies to work-life balance also, “For me it is critical not to get consumed by work, I have always had something else that I have had to focus on. Make sure your work gets done but give yourself an opportunity to try and switch off from it. It allows you to manage stressful situations better”.

For David running provides that outlet, “I try and go running a couple of times a week, generally at lunch time. I have two young kids so once the laptop closes in the evening you have to switch mode and put the kids to bed and do dinner, so if you can find a slot in the day to get a run in it is beneficial, it clears the head”.

David emphasises that maintaining a healthy work-life balance, where home life holds equal importance to work life, is crucial, “No one needs to be working late for the sake of being seen to work late, that makes no sense to me. A lot of the time if you can’t get work done in the regular hours it’s actually a problem that needs to be solved. Whether it is a delegation issue, an upskill issue, a support issue there is always a solution”.

Organisational Culture and Career Progression

David has always worked on identifying weakness or shortfalls in his CV, and recalls advice he received from Conor Hyland, Finance Director at Heineken during his time on a training audit there, “His key points were, try and get something broad but don’t get too hung up on your first role, that doesn’t define you.” David took this advice on board and secured a position as the Group Financial Accountant with Trinity Biotech plc based in Bray where he says he got good, rounded experience. A self-confessed homebird, David had his sights on a move back to Cork where he hoped to take on more of a people management role. He was appointed Finance Manager in CoreHR, where he played a substantial role in the successful acquisition of CoreHR by the Access Group in April 2020.

Now VP of Finance at Keelvar, David is responsible for all finance, accounting and tax matters, whilst also creating a strong foundation to allow for its continued growth. He was the first core finance hire in the company, and now there is three on the team with expansion on the horizon, “It is a really interesting time to be involved in the company, we are growing well.” The company specialises in sourcing optimisation and automation software for enterprise procurement teams and boasts a range of multinational clients such as Siemens, Microsoft, Coca-Cola and adidas. “A.I is kind of a buzz word at the moment, but we were doing it before it was cool,” jokes David. “It is constantly moving forward, a lot of innovation there. It is a great company with a good culture in there.”

In each position David has held, he has learned something new and brought something different but he says culture is one of the key aspects that draws him to an organisation, “You might be going for roles that tick the box for certain skills but outside of that a big thing for me is, do I get along with the interviewer as they should reflect the culture of the organisation. I have been lucky so far in working for really great companies and having very good relationships with the people I have worked for, which is great longer term as well because these are people far more experienced than I am, if ever there is a time that I need to bounce ideas off people I know that opportunity is there.”

The Road Ahead

The road ahead is a long winding learning curve, and this holds true for his development as a leader. He says that mistakes are inevitable companions, but ones that have paved the way for him to become a better leader, “There is always mistakes along the way, it is how you react to them and how you learn from them”.

David’s unique journey as an elite rower enriches his leadership style of resilience, teamwork and perseverance; values that resonate in both his athletic pursuits and his role as an effective leader. His story serves as an inspiring testament to the synergy of dedication, balance, and leadership excellence.