Meet the team – Mark Donnelly
Mark has started for Noreside as a Procurement specialist based in our offices in Kilkenny. We wanted to ask him a few questions about his role and interests.
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You’ve settled into your new role as Procurement Specialist — what’s a typical day look like for you in your job?
“No two days are the same — one minute I’m tracking deliveries, the next I’m sourcing a critical part or negotiating with a supplier. It’s a mix of problem-solving and relationship-building, which keeps things interesting.”
2. Procurement is all about keeping projects moving and parts arriving on time — what’s your secret weapon for staying calm when deadlines are looming?
“Organisation is the secret. I keep a close eye on lead times and always have a Plan B supplier if something slips. A bit of calmness goes a long way when the pressure’s on.”
3 Last year you won a junior all Ireland club hurling championship in Croke Park— fair play! What makes you more nervous – Fabricators standing over your desk missing parts or a knockout fixture in Nowlan Park?
“Definitely fabricators missing parts! At least in Nowlan Park you know what to expect — in procurement, the curveballs can come from anywhere.”
4. A few of the old hands at Noreside hurled— any talk yet of getting a Noreside “All-Stars” team together?
“My mentor Davy wants to play full forward and take frees + penalties!”
5. When you’re not chasing down suppliers or sliotars, what do you do to switch off?
“I like to keep active — hurling obviously takes up a lot of time, I play soccer through the Winter and work at home on the family farm.”