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The Lighter Side

10 minutes with . . . Margot Slattery, country president, Sodexo Ireland

Margot Slattery: Guilty pleasure is Diet Coke. Photograph: Kieran Harnett
Margot Slattery: Guilty pleasure is Diet Coke. Photograph: Kieran Harnett

What business person do you most admire?

Louise Phelan of PayPal

What is your guilty pleasure?

Diet Coke

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How do you unwind?

At our house in Leitrim – walks and time with friends and my partner

How much money is in your wallet?

€120

The last book you read?

Barkskins by Annie Proulx

What is the best business advice you’ve ever been given?

It’s all about people, everything comes back to that

Who is the most famous person in your contacts list?  

They are all famous in my eyes; my mum, partner and sister are definitely up there – total heroines in my book. The best known one would be Darina Allen

How do you manage your work/life balance?

I don’t! However, they do intermesh and I’m very flexible, so I make choices that work for me and the business

The last film you watched?

Viva, directed by Paddy Breathnach and written by Mark O'Halloran, and I loved it

What is your favourite possession?

A throw belonging to my mum

What’s your most memorable holiday ever? 

Difficult to choose one, but last year in the south of France was fabulous. One day, we were in a canoe on the Dordogne – it was a bit tricky in parts and an experience I won't forget in a hurry!

What social media do you use?

Facebook, LinkedIn, lots of news apps, WhatsApp, and Instagram

If money were no object, what would your fantasy purchase be?

A Belstaff leather jacket

What is the first website you look at every morning?

Journal.ie

Are you an early bird or a night owl?

Night owl

If you were Taoiseach for a day what would you do?

Work to bring more fairness into Irish society

What person do you most admire?

Mary Robinson

What’s your favourite place in Dublin and why?

Seapoint and the walk from there to Dún Laoghaire

Anything you would like to plug?

Norah Casey's Planet Woman Academy, Darina Allen's Ballymaloe LitFest in May and Ann O'Dea's Inspirefest in July – three super initiatives led by amazing women

Barry McCall

Barry McCall is a contributor to The Irish Times