A newly released case study charts how Leading with Strategic Intent—a co-created, custom programme from IMI and IDA Ireland—helps multinational subsidiaries in Ireland move from world-class execution to world-class strategic influence, unlocking investment, capability and jobs, and overall strengthening Ireland’s FDI sites for the next decade.
Custom by design, built around the site’s context
For decades, Ireland’s success in foreign direct investment (FDI) has been powered by a simple formula: attract global leaders to locate here, then help those leaders thrive. A newly released case study from IMI and IDA Ireland shows how that partnership has evolved through Leading with Strategic Intent (LSI), a programme designed to help Irish subsidiaries sharpen their value story, align local and global strategy, and influence enterprise-level decisions.
Built with senior leadership teams across sectors including life sciences, technology, engineering and financial services, LSI is a co-created pathway: IMI facilitators convene sponsor and partner discussions, translate insights into programme design, and hard-wire transfer through workshops, coaching and tools tailored to each site’s context.
Scale and outcomes
To date, LSI has engaged over 250 leaders across almost fifty companies, with outcomes ranging from stronger stakeholder engagement to securing significant new investments, including marquee announcements at individual sites.
The newly published case study documents a particular point in time in that partnership—when Irish sites are competing harder than ever for the next wave of investment—and how Leading with Strategic Intent is meeting that need.
Partners on the record
Breda O’Toole, Head of Client Talent Development & Digitalisation with IDA Ireland, on the IMI-IDA Ireland partnership: “IDA Ireland and IMI have a long, productive association. The combination of IDA’s understanding of our clients’ needs and IMI’s leadership expertise has proven to be a real strength. The Leading with Strategic Intent programme, developed as a result of that association, focuses on helping Irish subsidiaries grow, because strong leadership teams are critical to their success. With well over 250 leaders having gone through the programme, sites are developing future-focused value propositions that are presented to HQ, for translation into new investment.”
Jeff Caselden, Programme Director and former General Manager with Amazon, on the tangible programme impact: “I’ve had the privilege of working with multiple companies on LSI. Within a year of completing the programme, several had made major announcements—hundreds of new jobs, nine-figure investments, and other tangible outcomes. Looking back on my own Amazon experience when we first landed in Ireland, I wish we’d had something like Leading with Strategic Intent; we were often building the approach as we went.”
Shane O’Sullivan, Chief Executive of IMI, on the challenging macro conditions that make the programme so urgent: “This is a challenging moment for business, but also an opportunity-rich one. Leading with Strategic Intent, developed with IDA Ireland, was built for exactly this context: helping leadership teams identify and convert capability into compelling strategic cases with impact. Ireland’s multinationals are rich in leadership talent across the country, and LSI is about harnessing that talent so Irish sites win the next wave of investment and continue to grow.”
Why it matters
Captured at a moment of intensified global competition for reinvestment, the case study charts how LSI is helping Irish subsidiaries move from world-class execution to world-class strategic influence—unlocking investment, capability and jobs.
- FDI success is changing: operational execution is essential, but influence with HQ wins the next capex decision.
- LSI builds that influence: teams build communication performance—a sharper site value narrative and stakeholder map—so leaders can story-tell effectively at HQ and win those capex decisions.
- Strategic performance: LSI lifts strategic performance by surfacing the site’s true capabilities and showing how investing in Ireland grows the enterprise.
- Real-world impact: from protected mandates to expansion, and individual examples including a €50m site investment.
Read the full case study here.
It’s always worth a conversation see where a custom programme can take your organisation. Speak to our expert team at [email protected] today.
