​I opted not to go to University when I finished school and started working life at 18. It was a decision that brought about experiences with companies that were not particularly stimulating: bureaucratic, autocratic, and many lacking a clear and coherent vision. This led to working in very un-inspiring environments where not only the people who worked there suffered, but the customers often did too. So, I had that entrepreneurial ‘a-ha’ moment where I realised that I could do it better and from that, Mason Alexander was born. My vision was and still is, to build a dynamic team culture, where people’s voices are heard and are unapologetic about delivering a brilliant customer experience.

As we enter in to our 6th year in business, there are lots of things we can be proud of and importantly, lots of things we can learn from – myself in particular! Being an entrepreneur, I am always looking for problems to solve. Looking for new ideas and driving creativity. While I don’t think (or hope) I will ever change, it’s important to realise when you have something really good that you can potentially make great. I think that’s a lesson anyone can take with them, be it in their professional career or personal life.

So that’s what 2019 is all about for Mason Alexander: trying to become great! With the excellent work done by Barry (COO) and James (Director), we have identified three fundamental principles and a clear understanding of how they are measured and executed:

1. Quality
2. Delivery
3. Experience

Most of my days are spent speaking to employers, job seekers and friends about recruitment and it’s startling how many of them view the recruitment industry so negatively. It shouldn’t be this way; but ultimately, it comes down to a bad experience. That is why Mason Alexander is passionate about changing that perception, changing the experience.

Making up Mason Alexander’s core business and driving growth through 2019 are Accounting & Finance, Banking & Financial Services, Legal and Technology. Our talented team of highly disciplined, hardworking and creative individuals, are fanatically consistent about delivering our fundamental principles. Hiring the right people is something we work hard on and we are fortunate to have the right people on our team. The adage “people are your most important asset” is wrong. People are not your most important asset; the right people are.

Our sports division continues to provide fantastic support and guidance to athletes who are transitioning in to business. James Cluskey has done brilliant work setting up and managing this business. Alongside Dave McHugh, MA Sports, is the first dedicated sports recruitment business in Ireland and continues to serve the athlete and sporting communities with unrivaled passion.

2019 is also going to see us launch a construction and engineering business, called COEN. This is being headed up by Ciaran Carr who has joined us from one of the top construction firms in London where he spent the last seven years. There is a massive demand and a lack of supply of construction workers in Ireland currently and this problem is only going to get worse. Ciaran has an incredibly ambitious plan for how we are going to address this by offering something the market hasn’t seen before. I am really looking forward to seeing this play out over the coming months.

As I mentioned, we are constantly looking to hire and attract the right people for our organisation. People who share the same beliefs and ambitions as we do. We are also incredibly passionate about matching the right people with the right companies. The pursuit of excellence in this has led us to thinkHRX, an innovative software platform (SaaS) that matches EQ alongside IQ, at the very start of the hiring process. Entirely new and unique to the market, the goal is to improve how people apply for jobs and how companies review applications, making the process significantly more efficient and accurate. John Clark, an experienced software and recruitment professional, is spearheading this venture and having someone of his calibre working on a truly game-changing product, makes it an exciting time for all of us.



I’m incredibly excited and focused on the year ahead. I often hear people say the life of an entrepreneur can be lonely, but when you surround yourself with people who are so talented, supportive and whom I genuinely enjoy working and having fun with, I don’t buy into that. Working hard, enjoying what you do and being passionate about something is a privilege. I look forward to everything 2019 throws our way and to face the challenges head-on with the continued belief that Mason Alexander will continue its journey to be a great company.