Magnified with Matt Cooper

Louis Walsh is one of the most prolific music moguls of the last 20 years, having managed pop groups such as Westlife, Boyzone and Girls Aloud. Louis joined Matt to talk about growing up in Kiltimagh in Co. Mayo, his time as an X Factor judge, his relationship with Simon Cowell and his experience of living in the Big Brother House. He also addressed the criticism he received after the release of the recent Boyzone documentary on Sky. This series is brought to you by Close Brothers Motor Finance.

On this week’s Magnified, Matt spoke to Yvonne Brewer, Country Manager for Ireland at Auticon. Auticon is an IT solutions company that prides itself on its inclusivity and which is now the largest majority-autistic company in the world. In this week’s episode, Yvonne speaks candidly about the passion she has for her work, the importance of implementing inclusivity and diversity practices in the workplace, and her decision to change her career path after being diagnosed with breast cancer. This series is brought to you by Close Brothers Motor Finance.

Pat Farrell is Chief Executive of Irish Institutional Property, but has a CV that covers an extensive range of roles and industries. Among them include General Manager at Sligo General Hospital at just 24 years of age, Chief Executive at the Irish Banking Federation and General Secretary of Fianna Fáil between 1991 and 1997. In this week’s Magnified, Matt speaks to Pat about his career and his influence on some pivotal moments in Ireland’s economic history, the country’s housing shortage and his decision to leave politics after working under Charles Haughey, Albert Reynolds and Bertie Ahern. This series is brought to you by Close Brothers Motor Finance.

Therese Coveney is the co-founder and CEO of the Together Academy, an organization dedicated to creating employment opportunities for young adults with Down syndrome. Inspired by her daughter April, who has Down syndrome, Therese founded the Together Academy to challenge stereotypes and support individuals with intellectual disabilities in achieving their goals and living independent lives. In this week's episode Therese chats to Matt about the genesis and philosphy of the academy and the real world impact it's having on its members and their parents. This series is brought to you by Close Brothers Motor Finance.

Richard Shakespeare is the Chief Executive of Dublin City Council (DCC). He took over the role from Owen Keegan, who retired in September 2023. Richard has over 30 years of experience in local government, including roles as Assistant Chief Executive at DCC and Director of Municipal Services at Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council. In this week's Magnified, Matt gives Richard the opportunity to discuss some of the major issues facing Dublin as a city such as litter, vacant buildings and transport and what his plans are to tackle them. This series is brought to you by Close Brothers Motor Finance.