Paddy Hayes - Professional Profile & Bio at Ziggs

Biography

"Take The Hill" aka "Carpe Diem"

The 19th May 2009 will mark the 37th anniversary of me starting in business, that's how long I've been signing my own paycheque. So I suppose I meet the definition (in some respects at least) of being an entrepeneur.

I am now also a writer. In March of this year (2009) my first book was published. It is called "the First Secret" and is available online through Amazon/Amazon UK. Log on and search for Paddy Hayes. To read more about it log onto www.thevirtualspy.com.

No 1 business was a newsletter publishing company -modelled (in a very modest way) on the US Dodge Report, as operated by McGraw Hill. My prior background had been in construction. I ran that business (we had a stable of three publications focused on construction, oil exploration and industrial relations) for a decade or so before deciding that a lifetime of newsletter publishing wasn't for me. I wanted a more creative challenge and decided to start what would be Ireland's first dedicated sales promotion agency

We called it Corporate Image. This neccessitated selling off the publishing business to raise the cash for the new enterprise (as it does). Corporate Image specialised in sponsorship, event management and sales promotion. It was a fun business, tremendously creative, challenging, tough to make money in but we eventually did. I ran that too for a decade or so before deciding (just before my 50th birthday) that there was one more challenge left in me. I wanted to see if I could get an international business off the ground, based in Dublin.

The international hospitality industry caught my attention. In 1994, when I started CST International, hotel chains were just waking up to the concept of a structured approach towards guest satisfaction and how critical their reputation would be for their future growth and profitability. CST International offered to provide this service by monitoring their guest satisfaction. Our initial area of operations was Europe, Middle East and Asia-Pacific. Getting CST off the ground was tough but we made it. One of the highlights was opening (in 2007) of our office in Dallas, Texas from where we look after our North and South American clients and of course those in the Caribbean. CST International is now a super business, one I enjoy tremendously. Over the years we've worked with the greats; Radisson SAS, Movenpick, Intercontinental Hotels, Holiday Inn spring to mind. And I have the joy of working with a great bunch of people who I like and admire.

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