Business Plus magazine, part of DMG Media, kicked off its inaugural Lunch of Legends series last week by honouring four people from the worlds of Irish business and sport at a special event which was held in Lansdowne Rugby Club last week.
Cathal Friel, Vicki O’Toole, Devin Toner and Katie Walsh were inducted into the Business Plus Hall of Fame at the lunchtime event which was hosted by Matt Cooper and attended by over 200 guests from across the Irish business community. Topical business commentary for the diners’ amusement was provided by Oliver Callan.
Cathal Friel is chairman and co-founder of hVIVO plc, and is a serial entrepreneur. He was responsible for transforming Fastnet Oil & Gas into Amryt Pharma, which was acquired for €1.4bn in January 2023. The Donegal man established boutique corporate finance house Raglan Capital and he has effected three reverse takeovers on the London Stock Exchange’s Alternative Investment Market.
Last year Vicki O’Toole sold the family packaging business to Zeus Packaging. JJ O’Toole is Ireland’s oldest packaging company and Vicki took over management of the business when her husband Fergus died in 2010. In 2018 Vicki was nominated for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Since exiting the packaging sector, Vicki now operates a consultancy.
Devin Toner, meanwhile, is an Irish rugby legend and has made 280 appearances for Leinster and played 70 times for Ireland. He retired from professional rugby in 2022. In September 2022 he joined financial adviser Pax Financial, now owned by UK wealth manager Fairstone. He is now head of partnerships at Fairstone Asset Management.
Katie Wash, meanwhile, retired as a jumps jockey in 2018, after riding just on 200 winners, including the winner of the Irish Grand National in 2015. Katie is now involved in the Walsh family business, Greenhills Farm. This involves buying yearling horses and bringing them on to sell at breeze-up sales.
According to Pau Henderson, CEO of DMG Media: “Business Plus is an incredible addition to DMG Media. As we continue to develop the brand in new areas we were delighted to honour Cathal, Vicki, Devin and Katie at the first ever Business Plus Lunch of Legends at the historic Lansdowne Football Club.”
According to editor Nick Mulcahy, Business Plus is celebrating 25 years in business in 2023. “We appreciate that longevity in business and sport isn’t easy, which is why we are celebrating with this Lunch of Legends,” he says.
