Vicki O’Toole is managing director of JJ O’Toole, the leading supplier of packaging and design solutions in Ireland, with customers including Selfridges, Brown Thomas, Adare Manor, Dunnes Stores and Lloyds Pharmacy.
However, the mother of five never expected to take over the reins of the business until her husband Fergus became unwell in 2008 and sadly passed away two years later.
She talks about the influence of her parents, resilience, her one regret; and why we are all stronger than we will ever know.
1 My German-born mother instilled in me the importance of… working hard. She was a stay-at-home mum and I genuinely cannot remember her ever sitting still. I have inherited her love for gardening and now, years later, often think of the time she was so annoyed with me when I saw her out sweeping leaves and shouted out the window, “Why do you bother, there will be more leaves to sweep up tomorrow?” I am that person now, sweeping leaves! Mammy was way ahead of her time saving the planet. Forty years ago she was recycling envelopes, dropping her polythene shopping bags to the local sweet shop and recycling clothes. She hated waste and most definitely passed her passion for protecting the environment on to me. Ironically as a CEO of a packaging company, she comes into my mind a lot.
2 My father taught me… my business acumen. He passed away before I went into business, but I am sure the Sunday chats with my brother discussing business rubbed off on me at the time without even knowing it. He taught us that we- with hard work and perseverance- can do anything we put our mind to. He had a slightly wicked sense of humour, which I feel I may have also inherited!
3 My first job was… as an au pair in Versailles, France for a year. I had no French, had never babysat before and instead of looking after one child, which I was told I would be, I was met at the airport by a couple with three small children, including a tiny baby! It was good practice for what was to come later in life, five children of my own.
4 I spent my very first pay cheque on… a peach-coloured jacket and skirt suit from Gaywear (predecessor to A-Wear) and I thought I was the bee’s knees. I can still remember trying it on in the dressing room and being so proud that I was able to buy it with my own money. I often tell my children how liberating it feels when you can go into a shop and buy something with your own hard-earned money rather than a handout from your parents. Thankfully three out of five are now off the payroll and hopefully it won’t be long before the other two will get that “liberating” feeling!
5 My husband Fergus and I had a whirlwind romance… I walked into the infamous Limerick nightclub Ted’s in November 1984 and saw a handsome Richard Gere-lookalike, standing on a bar counter singing, New York, New York. At Christmas he bought me a gold watch, which my mother said in Germany was a gift you received before an engagement ring. I, of course, thought she was mad and had zero intentions at 20 to even consider marriage. We were married eight months later (on a date suggested by my father as his racing calendar was free!) and a year later Chloe, the first of our five children arrived. The rest is history!
6 I never expected to end up running the family business, but I found strength through… having no choice. And when you have no choice, it makes things a lot easier. When my husband died in 2010, I really didn’t think I would be able to continue to run a company and look after the five children. I look back now and wonder how I did juggle both and often it feels like it was someone else. But I did and I think it proves to me, and should to everyone, that we are all capable of a lot more than we think.
7 The biggest challenge facing our business right now is… the ongoing impact of COVID-19. When Ireland went into lockdown we witnessed most of our clients shut their doors. There have also been challenges with supply chain and of course the most difficult factor was furloughing so many colleagues. We have seen a pickup in business since the retailers have reopened their doors and as the weeks have gone by more of our colleagues are returning to work. However, the recovery is slow and as a result the future is still very uncertain for many retailers.
8 But the biggest opportunity is… the pause button we were given. It has given us precious time to reflect on, and review, the way we work and space to re-evaluate our business processes. In the last few months we have had a mini reawakening and are in the process of reinventing ourselves, once again. I am confident that the changes we have put in place will be positive for our team and clientele and in turn strengthen the company going forward. We have also gained new clients in new markets, which was an unexpected positive turn of events and a welcome one considering most of our clients in the retail sector had to shut during lockdown. I really hope that the amazing community spirit that we are all witnessing in Ireland will continue post the pandemic, as it has been a wonderfully positive outcome from an extremely difficult period in our history.
9 If I had one regret, it would be… that I didn’t finish university. I studied law in UCC for one year and then decided it wasn’t for me. In hindsight, it was an immaturity thing and besides I wasn’t too keen on law (ironically, I have two children who are lawyers). I wish I had spent more time finding out what I wanted to study and stuck with it rather than giving up so easily.
10 But my proudest achievement is… personally, single parenting my five children for the last ten years and watching them grow into amazing adults, and in business, managing to get the company to its 100th birthday in 2014 safe and sound, and being able to take a huge sigh of relief that I had not let down the three male generations that previously held the reins.
11 The person who inspires me most is…I have taken inspirational nuggets along the way from many that are closest to me – my parents, husband, children, family and friends.
12 My favourite book is… I spend so much time reading and replying to hundreds of emails a day I don’t have any appetite for reading anymore. Any spare time I do get is spent in the garden or watching documentaries and the news on TV.
13 The TV series I am following at the moment is… I have just finished watching Normal People and I am currently watching When They See Us on Netflix.
14 If I could describe one song as my personal anthem, it would be… I Did It My Way by Frank Sinatra.
15 As an avid gardener, my favourite flowers are… peonies. They are real showstoppers in the garden and have the most amazing scents. They are also a great cut flower to pop in a vase to adorn any room in our house.
16 The five things you will always find in my handbag are… pen, lipstick, reading glasses, hairbrush and a mini red leather bond measuring tape (for measuring packaging) that I received from a friend when I started in the company as a good luck gift .
17 My favourite place to visit in Ireland is… anywhere along the coast when the skies are blue.
18 The best advice I could pass on to my children is… stay positive, be kind and generous and always try your best.
19 Resilience to me means…never giving up, no matter what obstacles come in your way and ignoring nay-sayers and negativity.
20 Most people don’t know this about me, but I... took up golf a few years after I got married and was on the Senior Cup panel when I retired from the game 10 years ago. I am hoping in the not too distant future to dust down my clubs and get back into the game. And I am a total sugar addict – particularly at night-time. I lost count during lockdown how many times I sent the kids to the local shop for Choc Ices.
For further information, visit
www.jjotoole.ie
Read more
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Vicki O’Toole is managing director of JJ O’Toole, the leading supplier of packaging and design solutions in Ireland, with customers including Selfridges, Brown Thomas, Adare Manor, Dunnes Stores and Lloyds Pharmacy.
However, the mother of five never expected to take over the reins of the business until her husband Fergus became unwell in 2008 and sadly passed away two years later.
She talks about the influence of her parents, resilience, her one regret; and why we are all stronger than we will ever know.
1 My German-born mother instilled in me the importance of… working hard. She was a stay-at-home mum and I genuinely cannot remember her ever sitting still. I have inherited her love for gardening and now, years later, often think of the time she was so annoyed with me when I saw her out sweeping leaves and shouted out the window, “Why do you bother, there will be more leaves to sweep up tomorrow?” I am that person now, sweeping leaves! Mammy was way ahead of her time saving the planet. Forty years ago she was recycling envelopes, dropping her polythene shopping bags to the local sweet shop and recycling clothes. She hated waste and most definitely passed her passion for protecting the environment on to me. Ironically as a CEO of a packaging company, she comes into my mind a lot.
2 My father taught me… my business acumen. He passed away before I went into business, but I am sure the Sunday chats with my brother discussing business rubbed off on me at the time without even knowing it. He taught us that we- with hard work and perseverance- can do anything we put our mind to. He had a slightly wicked sense of humour, which I feel I may have also inherited!
3 My first job was… as an au pair in Versailles, France for a year. I had no French, had never babysat before and instead of looking after one child, which I was told I would be, I was met at the airport by a couple with three small children, including a tiny baby! It was good practice for what was to come later in life, five children of my own.
4 I spent my very first pay cheque on… a peach-coloured jacket and skirt suit from Gaywear (predecessor to A-Wear) and I thought I was the bee’s knees. I can still remember trying it on in the dressing room and being so proud that I was able to buy it with my own money. I often tell my children how liberating it feels when you can go into a shop and buy something with your own hard-earned money rather than a handout from your parents. Thankfully three out of five are now off the payroll and hopefully it won’t be long before the other two will get that “liberating” feeling!
5 My husband Fergus and I had a whirlwind romance… I walked into the infamous Limerick nightclub Ted’s in November 1984 and saw a handsome Richard Gere-lookalike, standing on a bar counter singing, New York, New York. At Christmas he bought me a gold watch, which my mother said in Germany was a gift you received before an engagement ring. I, of course, thought she was mad and had zero intentions at 20 to even consider marriage. We were married eight months later (on a date suggested by my father as his racing calendar was free!) and a year later Chloe, the first of our five children arrived. The rest is history!
6 I never expected to end up running the family business, but I found strength through… having no choice. And when you have no choice, it makes things a lot easier. When my husband died in 2010, I really didn’t think I would be able to continue to run a company and look after the five children. I look back now and wonder how I did juggle both and often it feels like it was someone else. But I did and I think it proves to me, and should to everyone, that we are all capable of a lot more than we think.
7 The biggest challenge facing our business right now is… the ongoing impact of COVID-19. When Ireland went into lockdown we witnessed most of our clients shut their doors. There have also been challenges with supply chain and of course the most difficult factor was furloughing so many colleagues. We have seen a pickup in business since the retailers have reopened their doors and as the weeks have gone by more of our colleagues are returning to work. However, the recovery is slow and as a result the future is still very uncertain for many retailers.
8 But the biggest opportunity is… the pause button we were given. It has given us precious time to reflect on, and review, the way we work and space to re-evaluate our business processes. In the last few months we have had a mini reawakening and are in the process of reinventing ourselves, once again. I am confident that the changes we have put in place will be positive for our team and clientele and in turn strengthen the company going forward. We have also gained new clients in new markets, which was an unexpected positive turn of events and a welcome one considering most of our clients in the retail sector had to shut during lockdown. I really hope that the amazing community spirit that we are all witnessing in Ireland will continue post the pandemic, as it has been a wonderfully positive outcome from an extremely difficult period in our history.
9 If I had one regret, it would be… that I didn’t finish university. I studied law in UCC for one year and then decided it wasn’t for me. In hindsight, it was an immaturity thing and besides I wasn’t too keen on law (ironically, I have two children who are lawyers). I wish I had spent more time finding out what I wanted to study and stuck with it rather than giving up so easily.
10 But my proudest achievement is… personally, single parenting my five children for the last ten years and watching them grow into amazing adults, and in business, managing to get the company to its 100th birthday in 2014 safe and sound, and being able to take a huge sigh of relief that I had not let down the three male generations that previously held the reins.
11 The person who inspires me most is…I have taken inspirational nuggets along the way from many that are closest to me – my parents, husband, children, family and friends.
12 My favourite book is… I spend so much time reading and replying to hundreds of emails a day I don’t have any appetite for reading anymore. Any spare time I do get is spent in the garden or watching documentaries and the news on TV.
13 The TV series I am following at the moment is… I have just finished watching Normal People and I am currently watching When They See Us on Netflix.
14 If I could describe one song as my personal anthem, it would be… I Did It My Way by Frank Sinatra.
15 As an avid gardener, my favourite flowers are… peonies. They are real showstoppers in the garden and have the most amazing scents. They are also a great cut flower to pop in a vase to adorn any room in our house.
16 The five things you will always find in my handbag are… pen, lipstick, reading glasses, hairbrush and a mini red leather bond measuring tape (for measuring packaging) that I received from a friend when I started in the company as a good luck gift .
17 My favourite place to visit in Ireland is… anywhere along the coast when the skies are blue.
18 The best advice I could pass on to my children is… stay positive, be kind and generous and always try your best.
19 Resilience to me means…never giving up, no matter what obstacles come in your way and ignoring nay-sayers and negativity.
20 Most people don’t know this about me, but I... took up golf a few years after I got married and was on the Senior Cup panel when I retired from the game 10 years ago. I am hoping in the not too distant future to dust down my clubs and get back into the game. And I am a total sugar addict – particularly at night-time. I lost count during lockdown how many times I sent the kids to the local shop for Choc Ices.
For further information, visit
www.jjotoole.ie
Read more
'Working on the farm during lockdown is great experience for my Green Cert'
20 questions with vet Hazell Mullins
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