Some one in 10 company directors in Ireland are now under the age of 35. And, in what might be a sign of the economic times and trend towards emigration, there are more Irish company directors under the age of 35 in the UK than in Ireland.

One in seven Irish company directors in the UK are in the 18-35 age group.

Irish directors in UK
The number of Irish company directors in the UK has increased consistently from 2011, growing by almost 6,000 in two years, to stand at 47,482 this year.

The proportion of Irish directors as a percentage of foreign directors in the UK is just above 16 per cent.

The study, conducted by Eulogy, a PR firm, found that approximately one-third of directors in Ireland are female – close to the target quota outlined by the EU for 2020.

Eulogy chief executive Adrian Brady said the number of young Irish people becoming company directors in the UK was not surprising considering the high levels of emigration and unemployment in Ireland.

“There is a generational shift. Younger people coming to the UK now are setting up their own companies or taking more senior business roles.”

Company director Roy Horgan, who co-founded energy technology business Solar Print when he was 29, said it is easier for younger people to set up a company as they have less to fear.

“When you are younger, you can be a little more selfish as you have less responsibilities.”

“When I was leaving college, everyone wanted to become a lawyer. They thought law was where the money was. Now college graduates are all getting into business and start-ups.”

John Harty, director of global executive search firm Harty International, said the emergence of a new wave of high profile young entrepreneurs globally, such as Mark Zuckerberg, has enhanced the willingness of young people to “give it a go” early in their career, often straight out of college.