25 Years of Experience. Focused on the Future

At the age of 16, I had summer jobs that have shaped the way I think about work ever since. On the pizza production line and later in a high-bay warehouse, I was surrounded by people who were reliable—but who had mentally checked out long before. You could see it in their faces during the breaks. Yet in the evenings, I met some of the very same people again at our local sports club. Suddenly they were full of energy, creative, taking responsibility, and making things happen. That contrast stayed with me. It sparked a desire to one day help create workplaces where people genuinely enjoy taking ownership and shaping outcomes.

At the same time, I was always fascinated by service—and by the countless details that either frustrate or delight customers. During my time at Deutsche Bahn (1996–1999), I had the opportunity to work on a major transformation program and experienced firsthand how closely service quality, organizational structures, and technology are connected. The learning curve was steep, but so too were the limitations of a large corporation. I wanted more freedom—the freedom to build something of my own.

That opportunity came in 1999. O’Donovan Consulting was founded first as a civil-law partnership and became a public limited company in 2000. Since then, our mission has remained unchanged: to place customers—and truly outstanding service—at the center of everything we do. In the early years, our work focused primarily on structures, processes, organizational design, and technologies such as CRM and ACD systems. Over time, however, we realized that structure alone is never enough. Sustainable change requires people to come along on the journey. Through systemic organizational development, we found the missing piece of the puzzle and made change management a core pillar of our approach.

Today, we help organizations embed customer centricity in measurable and lasting ways—creating environments where people are genuinely motivated to deliver outstanding customer experiences. Along the way, we have built a culture within our own team where achieving exceptional results is both rewarding and enjoyable—whether we’re working together in the office or collaborating virtually, week after week.