Kerry Group’s pathway to success has been challenging and complex

The best is, almost certainly, yet to come

Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Stan McCarthy, chief executive, Kerry Group, unveiling the plaque at the opening ceremony of the Kerry Global Technology and Innovation Centre in Naas, Co KildareColm Mahady/Fennells

Success never comes easy in business unless you enjoy something close to a monopoly, have a huge inherited franchise, or a patented product for which there is a mass market and high barriers to entry for others.

Looking at the Irish plcs which have risen to the top in performance terms, Ryanair created its own success. But it was initially facilitated by the presence of what was then a state-owned, commercially deficient domestic ...