Earlier this month, on the occasion of international women’s day, we did a round-up of powerful women in the UK tech space, defining trends in the ecosystem. In the same piece, we also talked about Deirdre Mc Gettrick, CEO & Co-Founder of ufurnish — which is one of the leading search and comparison websites for home furniture and furnishing in the UK.
Now the new is in that Pat McCann will join ufurnish.com as Chairman — at a time when the company is working hard to disrupt the £25.5b home furniture market in the UK. McCann is one of Ireland’s most renowned international entrepreneurs, with an impeccable track record of success dating back to 1969 when he joined the Ryan Hotel Group plc.
He was appointed CEO of Jury’s Hotel Group plc in 2000, prior to setting up Dalata Hotel Group in 2007 which he grew to 44 hotels across Ireland and the UK. Dalata is listed on both the London Stock Market and Dublin Stock Market and has a market cap of c. €1b.
Pat McCann notes, “I have been involved with ufurnish.com as an investor and advisor since its inception. Deirdre and Ray have put together a really fantastic team and I am very excited about the prospects for this business.”
Alongside his Dalata plc responsibilities, McCann is also an immediate past president and current director of IBEC (Irish Business and Employers Confederation – Ireland’s largest lobby and business representative group) and a board member of housebuilder Glenveagh Properties PLC.
On March 2nd 2021, McCann announced his retirement from Dalata Hotel Group plc. His executive role will cease in December 2021 and his Board role will cease in April 2022.
Commenting on McCann’s appointment as ufurnish.com Chairman, Deirdre Mc Gettrick explained, “Pat McCann is a visionary business leader and his appointment as Chairman is a massive triumph for our business at a time of huge growth. His experience and passion for building businesses and brands will be critical to us as we scale. We are delighted to have a person of Pat’s calibre on the journey with us.”
Upon joining ufurnish Pat McCann said, “I am delighted to have been asked to join the new Board of Directors as Chairman. I am really looking forward to working with this great team and helping exploit the full potential of what ufurnish.com can achieve.”
Launched in 2019 by Deirdre Mc Gettrick and Ray Wright, ufurnish.com brings 125+ retailers across the market onto one website to simplify furniture search. The company recently raised £2.3M and is looking forward to its next investment raise in 2021. Further, the firm claims to be already rising fast, with month on month growth exceeding 90%.
The post Pat McCann joins as Chairman at Ufurnish after Dalata exit appeared first on UKTN (UK Tech News).
