Leading the way forward with Ger Ronayne

JJ Rhatigan & Company is one of Ireland’s most recognisable construction names, leading in the industry for 70 years.  Irish building magazine chats to Chief Executive Ger Ronayne, who took up the job in 2021

Taking the helm at a long-established and well-respected family firm is a huge undertaking, even when you have spent almost quarter of a century moving up the ranks of that organisation, as is the case for Ger, who joined the company back in 1998.  The company has experienced a period of substantial growth over the past five years, delivering in excess of 3,500 private and social homes, 12,000 school places, 9 new third-level campus facilities, 2,000 student accommodation bedrooms, close to 1,300 hotel bedrooms, 16 healthcare facilities, and over 40,000m2 of office and commercial space,  While the mission of the company and its commitment to building a better future holds true, as happens within every innovative and future-focused company, the vision is moving forward.

No Ordinary Project

Commenting on this evolution, Ger remarks: “We have certainly gone through a period of evolution over the past two and a half years, in terms of the management and culture and our approach to HR.  We have strengthened our team a lot.  There’s an enthusiasm and an excitement currently generated and being sustained within JJ Rhatigan about where we are now and where we are going.  500 social homes have been delivered over the past year by the JJ Rhatigan team as part of the PPP bundles, and the next year will be equally busy across al divisions of the company.  For the rest of this financial year, our pipeline is largely full, although we have the capacity to take on a project in the Greater Dublin area.”

Our People

Over the past year JJ Rhatigan has expanded its senior management team, readying the business to deliver on an ambitious €1.5bn pipeline of projects, which continues to grow.  “We want JJ Rhatigan to be the employer of choice for people so our focus is on developing the culture for our team.  Facilitating their success is our driving mission.  This is about so much more than remuneration and benefits; in such a competitive market, we know that people value opportunities, support, success, and the overall culture of the company.  This can be difficult to measure beyond staff turnover and longevity, but we are always engaging with our team and – through employee surveys – a benchmark is established.  Through this feedback, we have a clear understanding of the trends and themes that are common and, over time, we should be able to build a picture.”

One of the ongoing challenges being faced by the industry is attracting and retaining talent, and JJ Rhatigan is no exception to this challenge.  There is a fine balance that must be achieved when growing the team and bringing existing team members up through the ranks from graduate level.  Early-career entrants will have a different set of priorities when compared to more experienced industry staff joining the company mid-career; integrating new people into the organisation across every level in a seamless way is a huge key to success…

To continue reading this article follow this link and head to page 40-43 – Leading the way forward