“I’ve learned that it’s nearly impossible to get all facets of your life on track at the same time” – 60 Seconds with Matthew Gleeson of Blackberry Hearing – Business & Finance
Kelly Choos
3 min read
Pictured: Matthew Gleeson, Managing Director, Blackberry Hearing
Matthew Gleeson is Managing Director of Blackberry Hearing. Blackberry Hearing is an Irish hearing care provider with over 40 clinics across Ireland.
What was your first job?
As a child I worked in hospitality, bars, restaurants and hotels and really enjoyed the hustle and bustle of it all. My first real job after college was a marketing internship in the Caribbean with Digicel St. Lucia. A truly defining experience for me where I met great people and learned the tricks of telecommunications.
What prompted you to pursue a career in this field?
Telecommunications was and is such a dynamic field. When I was at Digicel and Vodafone, I worked on the launch of fiber broadband, TV and TV streaming applications. I’ve always been a techie, so that’s probably what drew me to it. Hearing health is a very different field, but the connection you have with clients and their families is real and the impact you can have provides real-life equity. I was brought to Blackberry Hearing three years ago to lead the company by co-founders John Ryan and Dave Gleeson (my dad). I took on this role to broaden my overall skills to include full responsibility for P&L as well as the opportunity to return to Ireland with my family and friends and my partner Ev (the real business tycoon).
What do you consider your greatest achievement to date?
I was part of a great team that deployed FTTH (Fiber to the home) broadband and television services in the Caribbean. We had 100,000 homes installed in less than a year.
Career-wise, would you do anything differently?
After 10 years of work, probably not. I’ve been incredibly lucky in my career so far, with opportunities to see the world, learn from amazing people, and work on world-class projects and brands that actually help people.
In one sentence, how would you define success?
Success for me is being surrounded by good people who have your interests at heart and not having to worry about the price of diesel, dessert or setting the alarm clock.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” – Wayne Gretzky – Michael Scott.
How do you motivate yourself and your staff?
I try to be honest and direct with my team. There will be days or weeks when things don’t go as planned, but we need to focus our time and energies on working on what we can control. Be very clear about what success looks like for us as a group and how we achieve it. You also need to recognize good results.
How do you handle adversity?
I try to understand a problem from all sides, adversity is a part of life and it will happen to you all the time. Don’t be too hard on yourself or others. I’ve learned that it’s almost impossible to have all facets of your life on track at the same time.
How do you relax?
Spending time outdoors, a yoga class, physio, or deep tissue massage. Having dinner with my better half and working on my Defender 130.
What are your aspirations for the future of the company?
To become Ireland’s largest and most trusted hearing aid supplier. Double or triple the size of the company while maintaining our efficiency and above all our reputation, with a team of motivated and fulfilled people.
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