On November 19 International Men’s Day celebrates worldwide the positive value men bring to the world, their families and communities. To highlight this year’s theme of ‘men leading by example’ we asked some of our employees from across the Cpl Group – who the biggest male role model is in their lives, and what it is about them that inspires them.
Barry Winkless, Cpl Innovation Director, & his son
“I’d nominate my son Jack. Jack has overcome some serious anxiety challenges over the years and has become a very caring, open and trusting 13-year-old boy who is great at school and playing football with Baldoyle FC in the elite North Dublin leagues. He constantly inspires me with how he overcomes his daily challenges and is a great friend and son.”
Bruno Ribeiro, Cpl Language Jobs, & his grandfather
“It would be my grandfather, Nilo dos Santos. He was a musician, more specifically a 7-string guitar player, and besides being recognised by musical critics of his time as one of the most brilliant guitar players in the whole country, he only managed to make his living from music after retiring from his day job.
Whenever anyone would ask him if it was worthwhile being a musician, even if it didn’t really put the bread and butter on his table, he would always answer that he was not a musician because of money. “If you need people to pay you to play, you probably shouldn’t be performing at all. The main reason why I’m a musician is to go to your Grandmas on a Sunday morning, play my guitar and see her smiling back at me. No money in the world can make up for that”.
When he was still able to hold his guitar my entire family would wake up on Sunday morning once or twice a month with him and his group performing at our window, as he would not only play for my Grandma but also his 3 daughters, one of them my mom.
This sort of passion needs to be present in whatever you do if you want to excel. Money can be a great motivation, but if it is the only one, it won’t be enough after a while.”
Clare Buckley, Cpl Cork, & her dad
“The biggest male role model in my life is my father. My father has provided for his entire family his whole life and I have huge respect for him. I’m so grateful for all the lovely memories he has helped create for me and all of my brothers and sisters.
He has thought me some very harsh but very worthwhile lessons. One that stands out is – “never think you are irreplaceable because believe me everyone is so you have to work very hard and do your very best every day”. I don’t know why, but this has always stood out to me and has helped me give 100% in every role I have ever worked.”
Megan Warr, Cpl Galway, & her cousin
“My biggest male role model is my cousin Wayne. He is a brilliant family man and businessman. Even though Wayne works extremely hard, his family comes first.
He is a husband, father and a big part of his local community. Wayne is a kind, generous man who always makes time for others. His participation and love of both hurling and football within his community can be seen by his time giving and leadership skills.
He is a strong, positive role model for the local youth, inspiring great confidence in them and teaching young boys about hard work and dedication.
Wayne is the CEO of Perfuze and has years of experience in the medical technology sector, building new generation technology to treat acute ischemic stroke which will help millions of people worldwide by delivering better clinical outcomes with shorter procedures.
Wayne is a great male role model in my life, but he is a huge role model for the younger generation.”
Alison Trueick, Group Marketing, & her grandfather
“One of my biggest role models, male or otherwise, is my granddad Tom – or Tom as I’ve always called him as he thought granddad made him sound too old. He is going into his 93rd year and has one of the sharpest minds I know. He analyses the stock market on a daily basis and helped me make my first investment last year (I sadly haven’t been able to build up a portfolio quite like his.)
He started his own company, Golden Discs, alongside his brother-in-law in the 1960s and hasn’t ever lost his business savvy. Every time I see him, he has some article for me about either Cpl or Anne and is always trying to scope out what the ‘craic’ is in Cpl – I tell him very little.
His confidence and humour have never faded, and he is an inspiration to me to never lose interest in the things that define you. He has always encouraged my brother and sister and me to be ambitious, self-assured and assume we can be whatever we want to be.
I might also mention he regularly calls himself a ‘great looking boy’ so self-confidence has never been a struggle for him. Thank you, Tom, for always inspiring me to be the best Alison I can be.”
Ben McShane, Cpl Finance, & his friend Luke
“My biggest role model is one of my best friends Luke Roe. Luke is captain of our football team and is the ultimate professional. He sets incredibly high standards in everything he does and is a gentleman with a kind heart. All qualities I admire, and which make him the biggest male role model in my life.”
Sarah Fetherstonhaugh, Cpl Northern Ireland, & her dad
“My Dad, Peter, was an RAF child, and moved around quite a bit throughout his life, spending his formative years and most of his life, in Limavady, Northern Ireland.
His father, despite being in the Forces at a time where the climate in Northern Ireland would not have been the friendliest, always insisted on living outside the barracks, disapproving of the artificial and insular environment that prevailed there.
Despite a fairly unconventional upbringing, Dad has been our rock, providing steadiness and stability through all our lives, right up to this day. Even if, by virtue of only having had brothers growing up, he sometimes admits he had no clue how to handle the feminine sensibilities of my mother, sister, and I!
He has always wanted the best for his family, and my mum and they moved to Scotland in 2005 to pursue a better quality of life and afford me the opportunity to go through University with minimal debt. I may not have initially appreciated the move at 14 years old, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. He established his own successful architectural business which he has now retired from, and spends his days annoying mum or pushing over the odd tree to build up their timber store for winter fires. One of the best things I’ve learnt from him is:
Live life on your terms – having the courage to change the things you can, accept with grace those you cannot, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Dad continues to be an integral and valuable part of my sister, brother and I’s lives, even going so far as to learn how to send text messages to us just this year (wonders will never cease!)”