S&W Ireland partner Mary Blyth specialises in business advisory and compliance services for owner-managed businesses and medium-sized private companies across most sectors of the Irish economy.
S&W Ireland partner Mary Blyth specialises in business advisory and compliance services for owner-managed businesses and medium-sized private companies across most sectors of the Irish economy.
Tell us about your background, what journey did you take to arrive at where you are?
I currently partner for Business Outsourcing Services with S&W – my team and I provide business advisory and compliance services to a range of clients. My job is to manage risk for my clients, point them in the right direction for advice and support, give them choices, opportunities and a plan to support them, their businesses and their families. The core of everything we do is customer service and this has been the main tenet of my career from the very beginning with Parfrey Murphy Chartered Accountants.
“I see myself more of a finance professional and trusted business advisor rather just a ‘mere’ Chartered Accountant”
Post Leaving Cert I did the CAI foundation course in (now) Cork MTU. I was Parfrey Murphy Chartered Accountants’ first articled trainee and was there from 1988 to1994. My first manager left soon after I joined and I was thrown in at the deep end. It was sink or swim with a strong foundation of focus on client service from the very beginning.
I moved to Australia in 1994 where I worked as a shipping company accountant and also cost accountant for AMP subsidiary. That was followed by a trip as the sole woman on a BP oil tanker travelling from the Mexican gulf to Nigeria before we moved to Scotland. In Scotland my next job was Financial Reporting Manager for National Australia Group, a centralised IT services company for regional banks. I was working across the group meeting some larger-than-life characters.
I then joined British Energy in its Business Review division. I loved this job – being part of a mixed team with site visits to the nuclear stations. I then moved to a Corporate Finance role in British Energy with a strong strategic planning focus.
“Despite the hackneyed image of accountants as ‘bean counters’ we are fundamentally a people business”
In 2003, I met Seamus Parfrey and Noel Murphy on a Christmas night out in Cork and before I knew it was back in Parfrey Murphy. For a medium-sized practice, we were really forward thinking and progressive. I dealt with a mixed portfolio of clients, usually the ad hoc and consultancy matters. My job is to manage risk, explain financial matters to non-financial individuals clearly and concisely.
I see myself more of a finance professional and trusted business advisor rather just a ‘mere’ Chartered Accountant. I genuinely care about my clients. I don’t tend to lose any, and certainly not on the basis of service. Most of my team have been with me a long time. I mind them and they mind me. It’s as simple as that.
“AI will be everywhere and whatever will come after that. Treat it as a tool in your everyday work – learn it, use it, don’t get left behind. But always remember – people talk to people”
In 2022 Parfrey Murphy merged with MC2 Accountants, then later in October 2025 S&W acquired MC2.
I am genuinely excited about the opportunities and new energy that S&W brings. S&W is funded through APAX private equity and they are highly supportive of our ambition and growth plans. Their backing allows us to invest more in our people, and harness technology including AI, freeing our people to concentrate on what they do best – supporting clients in financial, taxation and advisory matters.
Why are you doing what you are doing? What need are you meeting? What’s your USP?
Despite the hackneyed image of accountants as ‘bean counters’ we are fundamentally a people business. When interviewing graduates, people skills are probably the most important trait I look for. Technical excellence is a given but I also need to see whether I can put you in front of a client.
“I think that any situation when your personal and professional values are not aligned, and you are not truly yourself in the workplace, it is destined for failure or a truly miserable time”
A lot of business owners while understanding their business operationally can have a block about financial matters, be it the relationship between profit and cashflow or despite working very hard in their business, struggling to put plans and structures in place to get the business to work for them and support them personally. We try to get business owners to try to align personal and business aspirations.
What are your key skills and qualities that set you apart?
I like helping people to achieve their financial goals that support theirs and their families’ lives. I am always in solution focused / problem solving mode. My team are used to me saying, ‘what if?’
What (or whom) has helped you most along the way? Who was your greatest mentor/inspiration?
Seamus Parfrey and Noel Murphy of Parfrey Murphy. On my third day in the office Seamus lowered his glasses and said, ‘well that’s a fine mess you’ve made of that’. I was just 16 at the time and have probably spent a lot of time since then proving him wrong. Noel was also so super to work with.
“I love to see the younger generation of female founders such as Aimee Connolly and Ashley MacDonnell doing it on their own terms while retaining the human touch”
I was working from home 20 years ago when very few people were and this was at his suggestion. He was always keen to support the person to do the best work that they could.
What was the greatest piece of business advice you ever received?
My mum used to say, ‘the only race in life is with yourself’. I think this has stood me well. It allows you to stop comparing yourself to others and to set your own goals.
What circumstances/qualities/events can mark the difference between success or failure in life or business?
I think that any situation when your personal and professional values are not aligned, and you are not truly yourself in the workplace, it is destined for failure or a truly miserable time.
For business success – never run out of cash!
What was the most challenging aspect of either starting or growing the business?
Growth. While we are all on the same path we do not all move at the same speed. Bring your team and your clients with you. Listen to the disruptors and learn from them whilst ensuring quality doesn’t suffer. Keep talking and empathising while focusing on the end goal.
How did you navigate your business through the pandemic and what lessons did you learn?
We had moved everything to the cloud several years before Covid and were a largely paperless office – unusual for a firm of our size.
“Don’t assume that because you are working hard that everyone will see and reward this. They won’t. Be your own best friend and back yourself”
Our team left with new tech kit and worked from home for two years. We kept up good communication, educated ourselves on the myriad of Government Covid schemes, supported our clients and kept talking. We didn’t miss a single filing deadline or lose a single client.
How has digital transformation been a factor in your scaling journey and do you believe Irish firms are utilising digital technologies sufficiently?
Technology has been a constant part of our journey so far and will continue to be. It shouldn’t be scary. It allows us to spend more time with our clients speaking with them on the business matters that they care about.
If you were to do it all over again, what would you do differently?
Nothing. I ran my own race, and being a Chartered Accountant has allowed me the freedom to travel and work, the flexibility to bring up my family and maximise my time at home with them. I consider myself very lucky.
Who inspires you in business today?
I love to see the younger generation of female founders such as Aimee Connolly and Ashley MacDonnell doing it on their own terms while retaining the human touch.
What advice/guidance do you give new hires and how do you nurture talent in your organisation?
- Manners matter.
- Remember that when providing a client service, the client is paying for it. It is not an opportunity to show how clever you are. Your job is to make their life easier and give them correct information, options and solutions they can rely on.
- If you make a mistake, own it. We all make mistakes – that’s how we learn – but you never want to lose someone’s trust, so don’t hide it. Own it, learn from it, move on.
- Say yes. Take the opportunity, learn something new, and don’t let fear of change take over.
- I would also say to younger people today, especially women, to manage your own career. Don’t assume that because you are working hard that everyone will see and reward this. They won’t. Be your own best friend and back yourself.
What business books do you read or would recommend?
None! I love reading but almost strictly fiction. I would never want a business book in my Goodreads Challenge (my daughters and I are highly competitive on this). I do occasionally read psychology books, as I love learning how people think and why they act the way they do.
What technologies/tools do you use personally to keep you on track?
Microsoft Teams. All day long.
What social media platforms do you prefer and why?
For pleasure – Instragram. I love the pretty pictures and all the places in Italy I will go.
What are your thoughts on where technology overall is heading and how it will apply to business generally and your business particularly?
AI will be everywhere and whatever will come after that. Treat it as a tool in your everyday work – learn it, use it, don’t get left behind. But always remember – people talk to people.
Finally, if you had advice for your 21-year-old self – knowing what you know now – what would it be?
Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. You don’t yet know how good you are. Control the controllables and enjoy it all.
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