Daire O’Rourke, Finance Director, Gym+Coffee

What does a typical day look like for you as Financial Director for Gym+Coffee? 

It sounds like a cliché, but no day is ever the same and that is what I love about my role. There are always new challenges and new projects to work on as well as the day-to-day operations. 

A recent work day for me entailed reviewing management accounts, managing working capital, buy meetings for the next season's purchases, foreign exchange and treasury management, finance automation projects, tax compliance and strategy meetings. 

Do you draw more on your operational or strategic experience from PwC? Why? 

PwC was a fantastic foundation for many key skills I brought to Gym+Coffee. One piece of advice I gave to many Senior Associates on my teams in PwC was to stay the course and to try and reach the Manager grade. I believe it gives you an excellent grounding in learning how to multi-task, to manage teams and stakeholders, and to deliver projects on time. 

It’s a huge learning curve in that first year as Manager but, looking back, I see it gave me the basis on which I now operate in Gym+Coffee and how I approach finance strategy in terms of setting objectives, timelines and paths to achievement.

What do you think resonates with Irish audiences about Gym+Coffee?

Community – it’s at the core of the brand and is one of the reasons the brand was established. We offer world-class athleisure gear,  but the company was built around a community ethos where getting together for a run, a hike or a yoga class with like-minded people was equally important. 

Our mission statement is ‘Make Life Richer’ and at its core this is about doing things you love, together with your community. For that reason, we organise multiple events every year from yoga classes in our stores to the annual Make Life Richer awards, a celebration of all the very best community clubs and initiatives across Ireland. 

Who has been the greatest influence on you during your career?

I’ve been very lucky to work with some great people, in particular in PwC. But my greatest influences are my parents. My Dad has been running what is now a fourth generation family retail business, FashionHSE, for over 30 years and I’ve no doubt this is where I’ve got my love for all things retail as well as the aptitude for numbers – he’s a fellow accountant.  He is a role model in how he has led the family business with his work ethic and boundless optimism.

I was one of five children so our house had to run like a well-oiled machine. My Mum is an unbelievable influence when it comes to being well organised and has been a big influence in instilling in us the value of hard work & perseverance.

What is your fondest memory of your time at PwC? 

Undoubtedly the people. I was lucky enough to travel during my time in Assurance, as audits took me to Amsterdam, the UK and across Ireland. These were great experiences, but it was always the people that made the place. 

I worked with teams from a lot of the PwC offices including Dublin, Cork and Galway. The resounding trait across PwC was how friendly, collaborative, hardworking and, most importantly, up for the craic people were. That was what made the place such an enjoyable place to work.

What do you value most about the alumni network? 

The connections and reconnections of colleagues you’ve worked with or people that you meet for the first time at the events. I’m not too long out of PwC, but have attended a few alumni events already. They are fantastic for catching up with old colleagues and meeting connections from industry who I didn’t even know were PwC alumni! 

I also have to mention the family day at Emerald Park was a huge hit with my two little ones last year too.

And lastly, what’s your go-to coffee order?

Plain and simple - Americano. Twice a day, every day.