Kirby Group Engineering has announced CEO Mark Flanagan will step down on January 1, 2025, after five years in the role. As part of a planned and structured transition process, Henry McCann will step into the role of CEO, having spent the last five years as group operations director at the Limerick-headquartered company.

Flanagan has successfully led the 60-year-old Kirby Group Engineering through an unprecedented period of profitable growth and international expansion. Kirby now employs more than 1,800 people and is on track to record turnover above €700m in 2024. Hek will continue supporting the company as executive director, supporting Kirby’s sustained growth. 

L-R: Jimmy Kirby, executive chairman at Kirby Group Engineering; Henry McCann, group operations director and chief executive officer (designate) and Mark Flanagan, chief executive officer. Photo: Philip Leonard/Leonard Photography.

Flanagan said: “Change is a constant, and it creates exciting opportunities, which have put Kirby Group Engineering in a strong position. We believe it is well placed for the future thanks to our consistent approach to client service through the ‘Kirby Way’ and in structured and proactive planning.

"Nowhere is this approach more evident than in how we focus on having the right leadership and people in place through our succession planning, which aims to ensure we can lead in meeting the needs of our valued customers into the future.”

Henry McCann has played a pivotal role in Kirby’s expansion and the development of its organisational capabilities, notably leading the Kirby Way initiative.

He is determined that helping people reach their full potential will be a key priority for his term as CEO: “I am passionate about focusing on people and the further development of Kirby as a learning and teaching organisation. I have also developed a strong instinct for understanding and pre-empting our valued clients’ needs which is key to building sustainable partnerships that can deliver real value into the future.”

Jimmy Kirby continues in his role as executive chair and is leading the development of the company's South African office.