My Business Life: Amanda Roche Kelly

Amanda Roche Kelly, managing director of Just Eat Takeaway Ireland, shares her life and business lessons.

Roche Kelly has worked as managing director for Just Eat since 2013, driving the growth and expansion of the business in Ireland and working hand-in-glove with the company’s 3,600+ restaurant, takeaway, and grocery retail partners.

Prior to joining Just Eat Takeaway, she worked as a regional manager with Bewleys Coffee, and as a senior brand manager of Pernod Ricard wines.

She is highly passionate about the food delivery sector, and the has pioneered some of Just Eat’s latest sustainability efforts in Ireland, including their partnership with Notpla, which produces biodegradable seaweed packaging – a sustainable alternative to traditional plastic lined packaging.

Tell us about your background, what journey did you take to arrive at where you are?

I am managing director of Just Eat Takeaway Ireland, where I manage and oversee the entire Irish business, across Finance, Sales, Marketing, Logistics, Data and Operations.

I joined Just Eat in 2013 as managing director, and since then have driven the growth and expansion of the business in Ireland by building a robust and highly engaged team; by working hand-in-glove with our 3,700 restaurant, grocery retail and convenience partners; and by responding to the ever-changing consumer landscape in Ireland.

Prior to joining Just Eat Takeaway, I worked as a Regional Manager with Bewley’s Coffee, and as a Senior Brand Manager of Pernod Ricard wines.

First and foremost, however my journey to where I am today started from a young age when I first realised how much of a foodie I truly am, through travelling, and growing my passion for fantastic food from all over the globe.  

Why are you doing what you are doing? What need are you meeting? What’s your USP?

We are supporting local Irish restaurants, grocers, and convenience retailers by making them more accessible to people within an increasingly competitive and fast-paced retail environment. We are helping them reach and engage with more customers via our online marketplace, but conversely, we’re also opening more food options to Irish consumers including greater choice when it comes to vegan meals.

Our USP combines a few things. Namely the calibre of the incredible people that work in our team here in Ireland, as well as our mindset as a business, which is founded on innovation and resilience. We’re not afraid to embrace change, in fact we relish it. We don’t see challenges; we see opportunities and our partners value that ethos.

That’s why we’re incredibly proud to be celebrating our 3,700 partners this month, with the annual Just Eat Awards, having taken place on 12 March, which is now in its tenth year. This event is an absolute highlight of the year for me, and a real opportunity to give back and say thank you to all of our partners from across the country, recognising the fantastic work that they carry out, each day.

What are your growth plans?

Just Eat has very ambitious growth plans for the business in Ireland. At present, we have 3,700 restaurant, grocery and convenience partners, and we are looking to move into the non-food retail space, having recently brought onboard our first pharmacy partner.

The move into non-food retail has been a huge goal for the business for some time now, and I am really looking forward to continuing to expand our partner network to include florists, bakeries, and pet food delivery within the Just Eat offering over the coming months and years.

What are your key skills and qualities that set you apart?

As a leader you obviously need to have good business acumen, but I think there needs to be a greater acknowledgement and appreciation for softer skills that are critical when you’re dealing with people – all of whom are incredibly important stakeholders for our business. Whether we’re dealing with our employees, partners, industry associations or government representatives, it’s crucial that we as leaders demonstrate a high degree of emotional intelligence and empathy when needed.  

As a person I am extremely relationship driven and place great importance on creating a strong company culture that allows people to thrive.

This is evidenced through the incredible team I lead here in Ireland, and their tenure within the business.

What (or whom) has helped you most along the way? Who was your greatest mentor/inspiration?

My parents have unquestionably been my biggest mentors. My mother has consistently treated everyone in her life with love, dignity, and respect – something which I greatly admire and aim to emulate within my own life, whether that be professionally or personally.

What was the greatest piece of business advice you ever received?

A quote that has always stuck with me, both on a personal level and as a piece of business advice, comes from Maya Angelou.

She said: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

The most important thing for me in business is to ensure that people feel good about the work they do, the culture and the environment they are working within and that I do everything in my power to create an environment where people feel good in so that they enjoy coming into work every day.

What circumstances/qualities/events can mark the difference between success or failure in life or business?

Richard Branson summed up the difference between success or failure in life or business well for me, when he said, the brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all!

I think it is important to be brave and innovative in both life and business, taking chances that make you stand out from the crowd.

What was the most challenging aspect of either starting or growing the business?

I like to view challenges as opportunities, which is why I embrace the constant change and fast-paced nature of the work we do here with Just Eat.

Given the nature of our business, it is also crucial that we keep up with technological developments to grow and evolve, otherwise we risk getting left behind our competitors.

How has digital transformation been a factor in your scaling journey and do you believe Irish firms are utilising digital technologies sufficiently?

Acting as an online marketplace that is also app-driven, digital transformation is critical to our business model, and is front of mind in every decision that we make at Just Eat.

We’re proud to have been one of the earliest digital adopters in Ireland due to the nature of our business, and we would have encouraged many of our partners to embrace digital transformation within their own businesses along the way.

I think that Irish firms are utilising digital technologies sufficiently, and I would encourage them not to shy away from exploring and adopting new digital advancements and emerging technologies such as generative AI to improve efficiencies and create competitive advantage.

If you were to do it all over again, what would you do differently?

I would definitely follow the same path in life as the one I have taken, but I would not be so disappointed when I wasn’t offered a place on the college course I ‘thought’ I wanted after school – a real learning experience for me at the time!

Who inspires you in business today?

A real inspiration of mine is David Buttress, former CEO of Just Eat and co-founder of Just Eat UK.  

David joined Just Eat in March 2006 to launch its UK business and was appointed CEO in January 2013. He had a truly inspirational journey, bringing the business from a startup to IPO, and building it into the fantastic business that it is today.  

Since David’s time with Just Eat, his career has continued to evolve, and he has gone on to become an angel investor to a number of start-ups and sit across various boards. He is a true champion of entrepreneurship and innovation.

What advice/guidance do you give new hires and how do you nurture talent in your organisation?

A piece of advice that I always give to our new hires is that communication is crucial. I really try to stress the importance of building strong relationships with your new colleagues during those early stages of a new role.

I think it is essential that new hires try to get into the office as much as possible and chat with their colleagues. We have a great development programme here at Just Eat and I think it really helps put new employees’ minds at ease while they get settled in.

What business books do you read or would recommend?

I thoroughly enjoyed the book Mindset by Carol Dweck. I found it made me truly re-evaluate my mindset, both in my personal and professional life, to ensure that I am applying a growth mindset to everything I do.

What technologies/tools do you use personally to keep you on track?

At Just Eat we use the Google Suite, which I find very intuitive and user friendly, and I have also adopted it across my personal life too. I’d truly be lost without my Google Calendar keeping me on track every day!

What social media platforms do you prefer and why?

For keeping up to date with my colleagues, former colleagues, business partners and new connections, nothing beats LinkedIn. However, the foodie in me will always be a huge fan of Instagram and TikTok as a way of staying up to date with all the latest foodie trends, new restaurant openings and general happenings around Ireland and beyond!

What are your thoughts on where technology overall is heading and how it will apply to business generally and your business particularly?

I think that the future is very exciting and technological developments are advancing so quickly that I don’t think we should be afraid of what’s in store.

Advancements in AI present a myriad of exciting prospects for a business such as ours, and I think it will bring fascinating new challenges and opportunities with it.

Finally, if you had advice for your 21-year-old self – knowing what you know now – what would it be?

I think the biggest piece of advice I would have for my 21-year-old self would be to have self-belief and to know my own worth. There are times where you don’t feel as though you are the right candidate for something, and it’s important to have confidence in your own strengths and abilities and not to be afraid to receive ‘no’ as an answer from time to time.

• Bank of Ireland is welcoming new customers every day – funding investments, working capital and expansions across multiple sectors. To learn more, click here