Read the Conversation
Meeting highlights:
- Company Legacy & Presence: B. Braun is celebrating 45 years in Ireland, with a diversified footprint spanning medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and renal dialysis clinics.
- Strategic Priorities & Business Units: The company’s focus is on aligning stakeholders, fostering collaboration, and ensuring patients remain at the center of innovation and care delivery.
- Personal Journey & Leadership Philosophy: With nearly 30 years at B. Braun, Liam values the lives positively impacted and emphasizes setting healthcare standards, partnering effectively, and driving smart innovation.
- The ultimate guiding principle: To protect and improve the health of people living in Ireland.
EF: What is your current footprint in Ireland, and what priorities are you focusing on?
LF: B. Braun has a long history in Ireland, marking this October 45 years of its presence here. Our business has grown across different areas, including medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare services. In Ireland, they focus on distributing, selling, and servicing medical technology and pharmaceuticals. They also run renal dialysis clinics, providing life-sustaining hemodialysis treatment for patients in partnership with the Health Service Executive.
EF: Could you elaborate on the contribution and importance of each business unit, and what trends you are identifying in Ireland?
LF: The healthcare landscape in Ireland is shifting, with a stronger focus on services and the need for innovative, reliable models to support the country’s health goals. Our work in providing renal replacement therapy closer to patients’ homes is a good example of Ireland’s "Sláintecare" strategy in action. We see services as a core part of our partnership with the health system, helping to move care out of hospitals and closer to where patients live. This includes safe discharge management and ongoing support in the community, backed by high-quality products and world-class service solutions.
EF: How do you plan to use the digital part of the new healthcare plan in Ireland?
LF: I believe digital healthcare will play a major role in shaping the future of healthcare in Ireland. In fact, we are already leading several digital health projects. For example, we are developing smart therapy ecosystems, especially in renal care and infusion therapy. Right now, we are working with the National Children’s Hospital to connect and integrate our infusion management systems with Ireland’s Epic electronic health record system. This will create the country’s first fully digital hospital, which is scheduled to go live next year.
This flagship project is a big milestone for B. Braun, not only in Ireland but across Europe and even globally. The integration of infusion management with electronic health records will improve patient care, staff experience, and hospital efficiency. It will also serve as a ‘best in class’ model that could be expanded to other parts of the country and indeed internationally in the future.
EF: Which initiatives in Ireland are you most proud of that could serve as examples for other European countries?
LF: We have been involved in several groundbreaking initiatives that I am very proud of, especially because of the work our team in Ireland has done over the years. One that really stands out is the creation of Ireland’s first purpose-built, state-of-the-art renal dialysis centers in the independent sector. These clinics were designed from the ground up after a patient mapping study and a careful planning process. The focus was on improving the patient and staff experience, treatment outcomes, and overall efficiency. These are standalone dialysis clinics located within communities, which have been life-changing for patients. For example, in Wexford, we built a new clinic, which means patients no longer need to travel an hour round trip, three times a week, to receive their treatment. That long commute was a heavy burden, not just on the patients but also on their families. By placing these facilities closer to where people live, we have improved the quality of life and had a positive impact on families, too. On top of that, there has been a major sustainability benefit. Over the lifetime of this clinic, we have saved around two million kilometers of patient travel, which has a huge carbon reduction impact. Considering Ireland’s focus on being a green island, this is especially important.
Another moment that really stands out for me is how our company responded during the COVID-19 public health emergency in Ireland. It was incredible, and in my time with B. Braun, it is what has made me most proud of our organization. The company really donned the green jersey in the national interest and played a vital role in supporting the nation's response by quickly scaling up ICU capacity, delivering the promised medical equipment, and helping to roll out the vaccination program with our intravenous fluids, syringes, and needles. We also boosted renal dialysis capacity in the community since COVID-19 often affected kidney function. On top of that, we developed a local production model for PPE. Like many other Western countries, Ireland felt very vulnerable during the crisis, especially relying on supplies flown in from abroad that often did not meet requirements. We asked ourselves what we could do as a responsible company and corporate citizen in Ireland and decided to create a manufacturing facility for face masks from scratch. This ensured healthcare workers on the frontlines had reliable personal protection equipment made locally. This response showed real commitment to the country at a critical time and left a lasting positive impact on how B. Braun is seen in Ireland. Our global vision is to protect and improve lives, and during COVID-19 in Ireland, that vision truly came to life. We feel we played our part in safeguarding people when it mattered most.
EF: How do people in Ireland see investment in innovation, and is there an opportunity to value it more?
LF: Ireland sees itself as an “innovation island.” Since Brexit, it is the only English-speaking country in the Eurozone, which gives it a unique position. What makes Ireland stand out is its highly collaborative ecosystem, where industry, hospitals, universities, and government agencies work closely together to bring new ideas to life. There’s also strong state support through organizations like the IDA and Enterprise Ireland, which helps foster a vibrant startup culture and drive innovation from all directions.
Life sciences are at the core of Ireland’s economic success. The government actively supports pro-business policies, backed by a highly skilled workforce. Fourteen of the top fifteen global MedTech companies have operations here, and Ireland is the third largest exporter of pharmaceuticals worldwide. For example, one-third of all contact lenses and a significant number of artificial knees used globally are produced in Ireland. This has created a rich life sciences cluster and a dynamic ecosystem for growth. Ireland’s open-minded approach, growth mindset, and location between Boston and Berlin allow it to build strong connections both within Europe and across the Atlantic, leveraging the best of both sides.
EF: What leadership approaches work best to keep employees engaged and healthy in Ireland?
LF: For us, culture is at the heart of everything. As the saying goes, culture eats strategy for breakfast, and we truly believe that. At B. Braun, we foster a culture built on participation and performance. We measure it through the Great Place to Work program, where our trust index is consistently above 80 percent. That places us among the top-ranked mid-sized companies in Ireland. What drives this is transparency, recognition, and innovation. Culture is our number one focus when it comes to employee engagement, attracting new talent, retaining people, and supporting their development. We believe culture is a choice. You can either let it shape you, or you can actively shape it. We choose the latter and work hard to promote a positive culture because we are only as strong as our people. As we continue to evolve into more of a service organization, the importance of people and talent becomes even greater. The standards we set internally directly affect the customer experience and, ultimately, patient outcomes.
EF: What is something worth celebrating to you?
LF: What matters most to me is the number of lives we have been able to touch in Ireland and the difference we have made for people and their families. Nothing is more important than health, and helping people live longer, healthier lives lays the foundation for everything else that is good in life.
At B. Braun, together with my colleagues, we are active across 15 different therapy areas, which gives us great potential to set new standards in healthcare. Through strong partnerships and innovative solutions, we aim to strengthen Ireland’s health system. Our guiding principles are true partnership, innovation, and setting standards. Our ultimate goal is to protect and improve the health of people in Ireland.
As a company, we are one of the leading medical technology providers, and I strongly believe in the value of collaboration. To truly work together, we need open communication and a willingness to advocate for change and improvement. None of us is as effective alone as we are collectively. By building partnerships with like-minded people, we can strengthen the healthcare system and improve both patient outcomes and experiences. The key is to share the same goal, stay aligned on the vision, and move forward together. The more we agree on the direction, the faster we can achieve it.
