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Tony Duddy: ‘Mercury’s Live Environment Division supports client visions through full suite of specialised services’
Tony Duddy is no stranger to change. For the last 23 years he’s been part of Mercury’s incredible growth trajectory. It’s a journey that’s seen Tony cut his teeth developing Mercury’s Technology Division, before moving to the role of Managing Director of Data Centre & Building Services, where he managed multiple complex projects across Ireland, UK and Europe.
As part of Mercury’s recent restructuring programme, Tony is now destined for new frontiers in the role of Managing Director of the Live Environment Division. This innovative new business unit is the first of its kind in the construction industry and the latest key addition to Mercury’s end-to-end delivery strategy. The new unit brings under its remit a wealth of specialist services including Fire Protection, Facilities Management, IT & Comms, Live Engineering and Specialist Healthcare and Pharma Services.
“It feels like a natural progression for me,” says Tony. “Mercury has always had a clearly defined pattern of growth – define our objectives, hone our skills, scale up, move on and repeat. This strategy has brought us to new locations and seen us grow on a massive scale.”
Throughout his career Tony has shared that vision, building divisions from the ground up, then moving to the next challenge. Having graduated from UCD with a degree in Electronic Engineering, Tony’s first professional role was with telecoms company Eircom (now Eir). Twelve years later he found himself at a crossroads in his career. He saw a job opportunity in Mercury and was so impressed with the vision of the company right from the start.
“There’s a genuine attitude that everything is possible. Challenges never faze us. Clients ask us to take on a project in a new territory and before you know it, we have a full team together on the ground. Nothing holds you back and the team is always fully behind you. Yes, we have a ‘can do’ culture, but it’s firmly anchored in robust risk assessment and consistent internal support.”
This ‘can do’ culture has seen the business grow from €400 million to €1.5 billion over the past few years.
The new Live Environment Division is a bold next step for the organisation. It will see Mercury consolidate a range of key specialist services under one business unit. The main benefit for the client is the seamless continuity of service. Mercury will have the ability to manage every single aspect of that building’s life-cycle, going beyond the traditional build phase.
Tony believes this continuity of service is an extremely attractive proposition for large scale construction projects. “Once our construction team completes the Build, we can then support the client in their live environment, managing every single element moving forward. At the beginning of the building’s life-cycle, our team is there to make sure all facilities and equipment are maintained and managed, solving any issues and faults that occur. The next key milestone is comprehensive updating of equipment and software. Our team can carry out all updates and modifications, removing the need to engage with third party suppliers.”
Mercury’s end-to-end service extends even further, flexing with the client as its business grows. “We can build extensions and add-ons to the facility. In fact, it makes total sense. We understand the unique requirements of their business, because we have already been involved in every single stage of the construction process for them.”
The new business unit will also offer industry-specific services for the Pharma sector which is particularly relevant as this sector has a huge growth trajectory in both Ireland and Europe. Mercury’s vast experience in this sector means it can provide specialist services that no other company can match.
So, what does the new business unit mean for Mercury’s future strategy? Tony is very clear on this. “It will give us the confidence to expand our reach, bringing our specialist services further into Europe and beyond. It will also allow us to fully wrap around the customer. We can get in deeper and develop even closer relationships with our clients. Effectively we will become an intrinsic part of their team – always there for them.”
