Meet the Irish innovators making their mark in Great Britain

From pioneering founders to inspiring CEOs, there is a wealth of Irish talent amongst the 50,000 businesses in Great Britain that have Irish-born directors. To celebrate the vision, ingenuity, and entrepreneurial spirit of these Irish business leaders making an impact in the United Kingdom (UK), we are spotlighting the stories of those shaping industries and driving innovation across a range of sectors.

Explore the journeys of these Irish trailblazers, their contributions to business, and the stories of how they continue to strengthen the bond between Ireland and the UK through creativity, leadership, and ambition.

Hertility was founded in 2019 by Cork-born twins Dr Helen O’Neill and Deirdre O’Neill along with Dr Natalie Getreu, an ovarian biologist.

Hertility has revolutionised access to personalised medicine across reproductive health all the way from menstruation through menopause. Helen and Deirdre are pioneers in this industry, leveraging machine learning and AI to ensure 98-99% diagnostic confidence across a whole host of women’s health conditions.

Where did the idea for Hertility come from? Even for Helen, a leading expert in her field of women’s health, it was difficult to find clarity in what was going on in her own body. Knowing that she’s not alone – 600,000 women in the UK and 37,000 women in Ireland are waiting for gynaecology appointment – motivated her to make a change. Helen, Deirdre and their almost entirely female led team have sought to democratise the fertility market by creating fast, affordable, at home care. Incredibly, they have reduced diagnosis times for some conditions from nine years to nine days!

Hertility have recently launched in Ireland and partnered with Irish Life Health to make it even more accessible, but their vision for the future lies much further beyond the UK and Ireland!

Lauren Duggan, Áine Kilkenny and Fiona Parfrey are the innovators behind Riley, an Irish period product start-up that is on a mission to disrupt the period care industry.

One evening, Áine's period caught her off guard, and an exhaustive search through the entire house left the trio empty-handed. They felt there should be a better way to ensure a seamless supply of essentials every month. Research into alternative options led them to questions over the chemicals used in mainstream period products. And so, Riley was born.

Riley is committed to providing 100% certified organic cotton period care that's better for your body and better for our planet. No harmful chemicals, no toxic ingredients - just pure, reliable care. Riley's focus is wide-ranging; from providing individual care to collaborating with corporates and facilities teams to create inclusive workplace environments, while contributing to sustainability agendas.

Period poverty is a serious injustice and a very real issue that affects an estimated 500 million people worldwide. The Riley team are proud to be part of the fight against it, and are working on the ground in Ireland and the UK, but also further afield in Kenya.  They have provided over 60,000 free period products and sponsor a doctor-led menstruation education programme to almost 3,500 students there, which helps to remove the taboo around periods.

In addition to fighting period poverty, creating period-positive workplaces is a cause close to the Riley team’s heart. They have partnered with over 200 companies to provide period products in workplace bathrooms, while also striving to spark conversations and break down stigmas, to create work environments where employees feel supported and understood.

Anyone for a chicken fillet roll? Look no further than Emerald Eats! Emerald Eats was born when founder Emma Moran overheard people at the London Irish Centre bemoaning that the one thing they still couldn't get in London was Ireland's most beloved sandwich: a chicken fillet roll.

When you live abroad, you always miss the tastes of home and for Emerald Eats that means the incomparable Irish deli counter.

Bringing Irish delicacies to London’s streets, Emerald Eats are supplying Irish expats and London locals alike with chicken fillet rolls, spice bags, curry chips and a range of Irish goods that bring a taste of home.

Emerald Eats are currently trading at Broadway Market (Hackney), city markets and private events during the week.

Who wouldn't want skincare products that take as good care of the environment as they do your skin? Ella & Jo Cosmetics is a multi-award winning skincare and cosmetic brand founded by Charlene Flanagan and Niamh Ryan in the west of Ireland that produces products that do exactly that.

The brand was born out of wanting to bring convenience and fun back into their customer's skincare routines. The result is a multi-functional range inspired by plants, and powered by science, delivering results-driven skincare that brings moments of luxury every day.

The cosmetics industry is a saturated one and can be a huge challenge to break into. However, Niamh and Charlene have found London to be an incredibly welcoming space for start-ups such as themselves. Niamh and Charlene have said that the Irish community here have given the support and confidence to help Ella & Jo Cosmetics grow from strength to strength.

Sinead Crowley one of four Co-founders of AwakenHub and AwakenAngels, the first and only all island of Ireland women-led investment community built with women in mind.

Originally from Cork, Sinead has been deeply embedded in Irish diaspora circles in the UK for the last 14 years where she met Denise McQuaid (originally from Louth) and UKBAA Angel of the Year 2023 Mary McKenna, MBE, (now a Tyrone/Donegal dweller). Clare McGee is an original Derry girl with a stellar track record of supporting innovative companies across Northern Ireland, completing the team.

AwakenHub was born during lockdown 2020 when women they knew were desperately looking for alternative solutions to keep their businesses alive, or were inspired to set up their own company.

They found the statistics around investment in women-founded start-ups startling. Just 2% of investment was being directed to companies with all-female founders/teams, while 13% was going to businesses with male co-founders, and 85% to those with all-male founding teams. It wasn’t just on the investment that was off balance – there was a similar lack of women sitting on the investor side of the table.Knowing this was the landscape, they were determined to find a way to make investment more accessible, affordable and inclusive.

AwakenHub was created as the first all-island community dedicated to removing barriers to investment, scale and success for women, and it quickly scaled to 3000+ women founder subscribers.Based on demand, they also launched a private online community, AwakenClub, offering a range of supports, events, programmes and investor readiness for circa 400 women founders.

All the while AwakenAngels was being developed in the background and was officially launched mid-2023 and they have made significant strides towards democratising investment for women connected to Ireland since. Want to be part of the change? They are eager to hear from founders and potential investors so don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Find out more at awakenangelshq.com.

Worm have truly tunnelled into a special part of the creative scene in London with their London flower studio.

Actress Terri Chandler and stylist Katie Smyth bonded over wanting more fulfilment from their creative jobs and came together to found Worm in 2016. Since then, Worm has bloomed from a bespoke flower delivery service to curating wedding flowers, floral sculptures and installations.

Their floristry style is inspired by the rugged landscape they both grew up in in Ireland, with a focus on native Irish wild blooms and grasses. A studio-based company, they aim to tell stories with their floral arrangements and installations. Their wild designs have been seen in some of London’s most fashionable stores; they have created a permanent floral installation for the Hilton Canopy in Aldgate, and have published a successful book called Wreaths – the seeds of their floral studio have long been successfully sown.

Terri and Katie are constantly meeting other Irish creatives through their work in London, which is a testament to the blossoming network of Irish creatives across Great Britain.