“A problem shared is a problem halved,” our newest Board member Tadhg Kelliher says about the importance of belonging to CCF NSW.
“It’s better having a united voice,” he says, not just for individual members but for the entire industry.
Beyond the advocacy, the big benefit for members Tadhg sees is the access to services.
“There’s also all those other offerings that you get from being part of CCF NSW like legal, HR, IR, and all the support services,” he says.
About joining the Board, Tadhg says he is most looking forward to representing members and their interests.
“The Board is the custodian of the vision and the strategy for the organisation.
“So, that’s the thing that I’m looking most forward to, because that’s what the members want.
“They want us to represent their vision and their strategy,” he says.
To this end, Tadhg says his breadth of experience means he is confident he can readily identify with just about any member of CCF NSW.
“I grew up in the trenches.
“Literally, I’ve done every job from installing silt fence, right through to sitting in board meetings every month and putting my view forward on how the company could or should run.
“I can relate to most people within the civil construction industry and be able to represent them well,” he says.
Tadhg is confident the perspective he brings will be a good addition to the Board.
“I don’t know whether I can be cheeky enough to say this, because I look a lot older than I am but, in most of the boardrooms I walk into, I’m usually the youngest by a fair margin.
“So, I’m thinking I might bring some youth, some energy,” he says.
As our new Chair of the CCF NSW Regional Committee, Tadhg also brings savvy business acumen and knowledge about working outside cities like Sydney, Newcastle, and Wollongong.
“Our [Eire Construction] success has always been in the regions of Australia,” he says.
“We’re getting in and doing more and more contracts in the metro space.
“But I understand how the Local Government Act works.
“For a lot of the regional customers, governed by the Local Government Act, that’s a pretty hard game to play.
“So, I understand that.
“I also understand the top end of town and how their contracts roll.
“I’m pretty commercially savvy across those two spheres,” he says.
In the civil industry, Tadhg is not alone in being part of a family business.
That being the case, he says being part of a family business is his favourite part about this line of work.
“Given that we’re a second-generation family business, you get those invites to weddings of your employees and their other significant family events.
“And that’s really, really special.
“The thing I love most, is being part of a team and seeing people grow within those teams,” he says.
Also, “I get to work with my brother, Eamon, every day,” he says.
“And everyone always laughs when I say this, but me being the MD of the business, and him being the other director and more responsible for operations than myself, is that I make all the promises and he keeps them.
“So, it’s a great dynamic between us,” he says.