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Irish Post
18-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Post
Business leaders conquer 26 Irish peaks in just nine days to raise €1.5m for children facing cancer
BUSINESS leaders from across Ireland and Britain have scaled the highest mountain in each of 26 counties across Ireland in just nine days to raise €1.5m in support of children facing cancer. The 26 Mountains 2 Mayo challenge saw 25 participants endure rain, winds, low visibility and gruelling terrain, as well as sleep deprivation from early morning starts and late nights. The physical and mental challenge saw them climb a total of 11,000m — the equivalent of ascending Mount Everest 1.25 times — in aid of the charity, Cancer Fund for Children. "This was more than a test of strength, it was a show of solidarity with children who climb their own mountains every day," said Roger Johnston, CEO of Axial3D and organiser of the challenge. The team at the base of Mweelrea Mountain, the highest peak in Connacht, after completing their challenge, which was supported by campaign sponsor, Arachas Corporate Brokers (Image: Trish Forde) Beginning with Errigal in Co. Donegal on June 7, the team covered the hills and mountains across Ulster, before moving into Connacht, across to Leinster — where they were joined by some Irish rugby legends — and then down to Munster. Finally, having tested every ounce of physical and mental endurance, they made their way back to Connacht for the last leg — Mweelrea in Co. Mayo on June 15. "Every step we took, no matter how steep, was inspired by the families who face cancer with courage and resilience," added Mr Johnston. "The pain in our legs is nothing compared to what young people have to endure, and we're proud to have walked for them." Joey Wynne, CEO of Arachas Corporate Brokers, Phil Alexander, CEO of Cancer Fund for Children, Roger Johnston, CEO of Axial3D and 26 Mountains 2 Mayo challenge organiser, and Maria Small, Partnership and Philanthropy Advisor at Cancer Fund for Children (Image: Trish Forde) The funds raised will go directly to Cancer Fund for Children, which offers vital emotional and therapeutic support to children across Ireland. The charity's services are delivered in hospitals, family homes and at its own therapeutic short break centre, Daisy Lodge, in Newcastle, Co. Down. With demand far exceeding capacity, the charity is now preparing to build a second Daisy Lodge in Cong, Co. Mayo, with construction set to begin in July 2025. Pictured at Ashford Lodge following the final climb are CEO of Cancer Fund for Children, Phil Alexander, and Young Ambassador for the charity, Vanessa Matczak (Image: Trish Forde) "Every week, approximately 10 children and young people in Ireland are diagnosed with cancer," said Phil Alexander, CEO of Cancer Fund for Children. "The 26 Mountains 2 Mayo team has not only raised vital funds but awareness, spirit and hope. "Their passion and perseverance are an inspiration to us all and a lifeline to the families we support." CEO of Axial3D and challenge organiser, Roger Johnston, CEO of campaign sponsor Arachas Corporate Brokers, Joey Wynne and CEO of Cancer Fund for Children, Phil Alexander (Image: Trish Forde) The fundraiser was sponsored by Arachas Corporate Brokers, who have previously supported the charity. Joey Wynne, Arachas CEO said: "This challenge reminds us what we can achieve when we unite for a cause greater than ourselves. "The strength and humanity shown by this team is nothing short of incredible and Arachas is proud to stand behind such life-changing work. "Together, we've climbed for courage, for care, and for every child who needs to know they're not alone." To support Cancer Fund for Children, please click here, or to learn more about the 26 Mountains 2 Mayo challenge, please click here.
Business Post
16-05-2025
- Business
- Business Post
Managing risk in an uncertain world
These are uncertain times for business, amid global political and economic volatility, so finding partners that are reliable and that can take away some of that uncertainty is vital. These partners must be innovative, flexible, agile and passionate about finding the right solution for their clients. 'The world is getting increasingly complex, and our clients' needs are getting more complicated,' said Jonathan Brown, Chief Commercial Officer at Arachas Corporate Brokers. 'We're dealing with uncertainty in areas such as tariffs, and geopolitical instability to list a couple. These issues affect every part of business, for example, global supply chains, whereby the cost of rebuilding structures or repairing a motor vehicle could very well increase on the back of tariffs.' Arachas is Ireland's largest nationwide insurance broker and part of The Ardonagh Group, one of the world's largest brokers with $18 billion premium under management and more than 12,000 people, spanning 250+ locations in more than 30 different territories. This puts Arachas into the best place to provide insurance and risk services to Irish companies and people across a broad range of sectors. 'Our growth was driven by M&A activity in recent years, underpinned by the purchase of Arachas by The Ardonagh Group,' said Brown. 'We have the strength of our global parent, bringing countless advantages to our customers, while being close to where our customers are transacting business, allowing us to understand their needs. 'At Arachas we provide top quality insurance and risk transfer advice to our large corporate clients but throughout our business, we maintain our original ethos of knowing our customers deeply and providing personalised service. We currently are a €600 million premium business, with over 700 staff across 14 different locations in Ireland.' With such global expertise and a commitment to customer-centric service, Arachas is uniquely positioned to deal with complex insurance customers and their needs through a well-established corporate practice. 'In our corporate practice, we would be particularly well known for our expertise in the construction space,' said Brown. 'We have also a significant presence in several other sectors such as real estate, manufacturing, leisure and hospitality, professional services and food and beverage. 'A corporate buyer's needs are going to be substantially more complex. With our sectoral expertise, our job is to understand the challenges our clients face and being able to advise them around effective transfer of risk. We currently are a €600 million premium business, with over 700 staff across 14 different locations in Ireland These clients, says Brown, need a tailored approach designed around innovative thought.'Can we do something for them? Can we create a scheme? Can we solve the problem on their behalf? Some of our work that I'd be most proud of would be the schemes that we've created for pinch-point sectors (areas that, due to their nature, are challenging to insure) in the Irish insurance market over the last number of years, for groups such as the Irish Association for Adventure Tourism and the Irish Inflatable Hirers Federation, resolving real needs for customers that otherwise weren't able to access insurance products. 'Because Arachas is a broker, we can work with groups of companies and other bodies on initiatives, as we have the capacity to find and put together a solution no matter how complex the need is.' Arachas has grown its employee base exponentially over the past few years across its 14 locations, continually acting on feedback from our staff, to make Arachas a great place to work. 'We have invested in learning and development programmes to ensure our people can continually grow and upskill, allowing us to stay innovative which is a vital part of Arachas' approach. This keeps us knowledgeable, relevant and positions us to provide added value and benefits to our clients. 'An example that comes to mind is around ever more common cyber-attacks. Our cyber experts work with our customers continuously to advise what product is best suited to address their needs; this requires expertise that we have in-house and that we are proud of.' Arachas believes that giving back through community involvement and charitable giving are also important aspects to their human approach to corporate insurance. 'We support charities which are close to the hearts of our employees and clients, including Laura Lynn, Down Syndrome Ireland and Cancer Fund for Children. Over the past few years, Arachas has supported Cancer Fund for Children, in conjunction with Ardonagh, raising €2 million to support vital resources for families and children battling cancer. From June 7-15, Arachas is proud to sponsor the 26 Mountains 2 Mayo Challenge, where 20 business leaders with an Arachas relay team will scale the highest peak in every county across Ireland, for this worthy cause.
