Aedhmar Hynes admits the courses she selected at University College Galway (now known as University of Galway) in the mid-1980s have been immensely beneficial to her. English, economics, and, eventually, international marketing, all provided a strong base for her international career in corporate communications. She has a deep love for storytelling, a sentiment she shares with her co-founding sibling, Garry, of Druid theatre company.
Hynes’ aptitude for storytelling has bolstered a thirty-year-long career in which she worked for, and eventually spearheaded a prominent global public relations agency. She has since stepped down from this role but still holds positions on various business, and not-for-profit boards from her stateside residence.
After graduation, Hynes moved to London to join a budding PR firm, Text 100, led by two keen leaders, Mark Adams and Tom Lewis. The firm, she says, was “small but had immense aspirations.”
Text 100 catered primarily to the technology sector, which was experiencing substantial growth at that time. US companies were progressively aiming for a global reach, and Europe caught their attention.
“Bill Gates and Microsoft became one of our early clients,” she recalls. “It was an era when the biggest trailblazers of the technology world were rising. I got to work with tech firms trying to navigate the intricacies of various European cultures, and we expanded as a result, including the foundation of a Dublin office.”
Tech was regarded as the contemporary equivalent of “rock’n’roll” complete with multi-million dollar launches, business flourished, and Text 100 was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1997.
When the company decided to expand into the US, by creating a Silicon Valley office, Hynes eagerly took up the task. “I was a young Irish woman launching a business in the US, something I hadn’t done before, but the support I received was extraordinary. The potential was large, enabling me to develop a business at a much faster rate than I might elsewhere.
When the dot-com bubble bust, we were in a position to acquire competitors who had overcommitted on equity instead of cash.
Hynes found the US’ acceptance of risk appealing. “There isn’t the same stigma that failure hinders reinvention here. You absolutely can. This mindset has been hugely beneficial for me.”
The marketplace was fiercely contesting and substantially developed as compared to the UK, which triggered her realization that the company required a distinguishing feature.
She grasped that the key to success would be a strategic approach to communications. During that period, knowing the right people was more significant than knowing the right skills and she did not have that network. The firm’s proposition to CEOs was to distinguish them from their rivals and introduce them into diverse markets. This resonated well and they secured significant clients.
One project that thrilled her was her stint with the Xerox-sponsored Palo Alto Research Centre (Parc)— well-known as the exploration ground for Steve Jobs and Bill Gates to delve into the graphical user interface. She found the experience of working with such an innovative research centre an extraordinary opportunity.
Hynes proceeded to set up five US branches, however, the necessity of surviving the bubble era ensured that she stayed grounded. At that time, startups were often tempted to accept stock instead of fees, a luxury that she, aiming to facilitate salaries and recruitment, could ill afford. This resulted in a silver lining when the dot-com bubble burst, allowing them to buy out rivals who were heavily relying on equity rather than cash.
Hynes assumed a global role in guiding the company. She fostered a unified global agency using a common technology platform, training and methodologies. Whether clients hired them in New York or Delhi, a consistent approach was guaranteed.
Havind led the company till 2018, under her leadership, the firm grew to employ 800 staff and opened 28 offices worldwide.
Even after stepping down, she remained active and held board member positions in firms like Rosetta Stone, IP Group plc, Technoserve and she’s also an advisory council member of MIT Media Labs, to name a few. She also devoted her long-term service as a board member of the National University of Ireland in Galway.
Living in the US for over 25 years, she raised her family of four children. She consciously chose to stay in the US during her child-raising years, as she believed that there would be ample education and social opportunities for her children. Nevertheless, she also desired her children to feel connected to their Irish roots, thus frequently travelled between the US and Ireland.
A major contrast between the US and Ireland lies in the humour – with Ireland being more prone to sarcasm, discovered Hynes during her initial years as she often found herself apologising for her wit. Also, the Irish culture tends to be casual and familiar, possibly because of the common pub culture. In America, on the other hand, activities are more scheduled and planned out.
Hynes’ family indeed relishes the kind of life Connecticut provides. With a free-flowing schedule in recent years, she’s upgraded her golf skills significantly. The crux of her professional life rests in technology and its innovative disruptions. She cherishes her newfound flexibility that, for the first time in three decades, allows her to manage time outside of simultaneously running a business and bringing up four kids.
Hynes has bought another property located in the Long Walk, Claddagh, in Galway. With a house there now, she observes a noticeable interest in her children wanting to bring along friends, indulging in golf, sampling incredible food, experiencing local culture and exploring an unprecedented freedom, starkly different from what they have here.