OLIVIA BUCKLEY

In honour of "National Women's Enterprise Day", Voltedge Management celebrated six Irish female executives, each of whom have achieved outstanding accomplishments in their area of expertise. They asked Olivia to share some insights on her experiences and how she draws inspiration from the environment around her, role models she has had during her career and what she sees as the biggest challenge facing leaders today.

OLIVIA BUCKLEY - FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR OF OLIVIA BUCKLEY INTERNATIONAL.

Irish Wedding Planner, Destination Wedding Planner and Luxury Event Specialist.

VOLTEDGE: WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT ROLE AND HOW LONG YOU HAVE HELD THIS POSITION?

Olivia: I am the Founder and Managing Director of Olivia Buckley International, a luxury event management company based in Ireland and have been operating since 2013.

VOLTEDGE: WHERE DO YOU DRAW INSPIRATION FROM?

Olivia: When people ask me what I was like as a child, I always remember one incident in particular where I decided to take it upon myself to clean out and “redecorate” the chicken coop. The joy that I took in taking something, be it an object or an area and transforming it into something else has obviously stayed with me to this day and explains a lot about my field of work! I find inspiration absolutely everywhere, art, nature, people, travel, books or films and am always open to new ideas and concepts, from the ridiculous to the sublime!

VOLTEDGE: DURING THE COURSE OF YOUR CAREER, WAS THERE A ROLE MODEL OR MENTOR THAT STANDS OUT FOR YOU?

Olivia: I have been lucky enough to cross paths with some wonderful Business People over the years but I have to give a special mention to Simon T. Bailey. I first met Simon at an Industry Networking Event. He had such wonderful charisma and was so friendly that we connected straight away. It was a wonderfully memorable encounter where we spoke about life and its’ endless possibilities and from that it was inevitable that Simon and I would stay in touch he would become a great source of inspiration to me. In January 2013, after relocating back home to Kerry and taking time out to reflect on my career path I arranged a call to connect with Simon. It was this call that would influence my entire future and the beginning of something life-changing. I would never have seen myself as someone who could run their own business but Simon has taught me to not only see my potential but to fulfill it. It was very much his support that nudged me out of my comfort zone to launch my own business. Simon has taught me to be comfortable with the uncomfortable. He reminds me to not be afraid to swim upstream and defer from the crowd. Having the belief in yourself to go in the opposite direction to everyone else and step out of the safety zone are all concepts that have completely changed me as a person and ultimately fueled the success of my business today.

VOLTEDGE: WHAT’S THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’VE BEEN GIVEN DURING YOUR CAREER?

Olivia: Again, I will come back to Simon T. Bailey who said to me, “I want you to .com your name today. You are going places and I am coming to Ireland to launch your business with you on February 1st and watch you brilliantly soar”. Simon saying this to me was honestly life-changing. Having someone I respected so much in business, believe in me to that level was all I needed to take a leap of faith, follow my dreams and launch my own company.

VOLTEDGE: WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FACING LEADERS TODAY?

Olivia: On a personal level, I feel that in Ireland, we can often have a very self-deprecating attitude that whilst charming, doesn’t always lend itself to promoting confidence and leadership, particularly in young women. It is essential that we nurture and promote confidence and self-belief in our young women so that they are motivated to fulfil their true potential. They need to believe that they can pursue their dream wholeheartedly and ferociously despite any hurdles, professional and personal that may try to get in their way so overall, I would like more leaders to acknowledge the importance of nurturing female talent and promoting female leadership.

VOLTEDGE: WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE QUOTE AND WHY?

Olivia: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an act but a habit.” – Aristotle. This is an important quote to me and I think it subconsciously permeated the tagline that we created for our company, “Visionaries in Creativity – Masters of Events”. Creativity informs all of our work and mastery comes from the practice and repetition of this. We live by it and strive to achieve it daily.