Building on Strong Foundations – IF&CR talks to Certa’s recently appointed Commercial Director Diarmuid O’Leary

IF&CR talks to Certa’s recently appointed Commercial Director Diarmuid O’Leary on the new role – and how to make a difference when it comes to Certa Ireland’s priorities.

Q: Congratulations on your new role as Commercial Director at Certa Ireland, part of DCC plc. What does this new position involve?

“Thanks! I’m enjoying the new challenge. The new role is at the heart of driving the continued success of Certa as a leading energy brand in Ireland and a pioneering business in terms of energy transition for our customers” said Diarmuid.

“On the day-to-day, I’m busy working across the various departments in the business, collaborating with them to achieve the businesses objectives from a commercial perspective and endeavouring to grow our reach, footprint and impact on the energy landscape.

Q: What are your priorities as Commercial Director for Certa Ireland?

“My priorities are all based around the idea of building upon the great work that that has been done within Certa to date.

“One key objective as we continue our energy transition journey is supporting our expert teams in championing our renewable energy products. We have established ourselves as the leading supplier of HVO in Ireland to both businesses and consumers, giving our customers a viable low-carbon fuel alternative when it comes to fuelling their business fleets & machinery or indeed for fuelling their cars, and even heating their homes, through the launch of our HVO/kerosene blend heating fuel – EcoMax which we launched in 2024.

“Additionally, we are now a leading supplier of solar energy to Irish business & homes through our acquisition of Alternative Energy Ireland (AEI). Both of these products allow us give more power to our customers to choose greener energy solutions for their home and business.

“Next, with our ever-growing commercial team operating across various sectors – home heating, commercial fuels, solar energy, lubricants, retail, and more, I want to support all of our colleagues and teams to innovate and work together to develop and improve our offering to our customers. We have a culture of being bold & courageous, but also being One Team. We understand the importance of pulling in the same direction and I want to push that vision forward!”

Q: What key messages would you want to give IFCR readers regarding Certa Ireland?

“Only that we are a progressive business that has bold plans for the future! We want to make sure we give our customers the power to choose more sustainable solutions, and we will be continuing to deliver on this strategy in 2025 and beyond.”

Q: Will we see new forecourts in Ireland?

“Yes, absolutely. Our retail strategy is being actively led by Yvonne Hargroves, who heads up our retail team and brings extensive experience and energy to the role. Yvonne and her team are continually exploring new opportunities to grow the Emo dealer network across Ireland.

“Emo is a brand with deep roots in local communities, and we’re focused on partnering with dealers who share our values and commitment to quality. We’re always open to conversations with operators who are interested in joining the Emo family and benefiting from the strong support we provide. If you’re considering your options, we’d love to hear from you to discuss how Emo could support your business.”

Q: Are you overseeing the Emo Brand too as Commercial Director?

“Yes, I am—and it’s a key part of my remit as Commercial Director. The Emo retail business sits within the commercial team, which allows us to take a more integrated and strategic approach to supporting our dealers. With Yvonne leading the retail team, we’re combining deep sector expertise with a forward-thinking commercial strategy. This structure enables us to bring greater value to our Emo partners—whether through introducing renewable fuel options like HVO, supporting energy transition with solar solutions, or offering premium products like our Castrol lubricants.

“Our goal is to ensure dealers have the tools they need to future-proof their business and deliver best-in-class service to their customers. If you’re interested in learning more about what partnering with Emo looks like, we’d be delighted to start that conversation.

Q: The past few years have seen a flurry of great commercial developments for Certa Ireland, as part of DCC plc. The company structure can be a little confusing – could you give readers a whistlestop tour of the company structure?

“Absolutely! It’s not as complex as you might think.

“Certa is the coming together of multiple fuel and oil brands that were all under the DCC plc banner, and we wanted to give customers a more simple process of dealing with us. We merged all these businesses into Certa in 2022, however we maintained the Emo brand for our retail network as these were integral parts of local communities across Ireland. In 2023 we acquired Alternative Energy Ireland and that business operates under that name for the same reasons – it is one of Irelands longest serving solar brands and is well respected in the industry.

“Most of our business operations are through the Certa brand, but we still operate both the Emo and AEI names for their respective industries.”

Q: Horizon scanning – what’s coming up for Certa – anything new and exciting you can tell us about?

“We’ve got plenty of exciting news on the horizon. I can’t reveal all but we’ll certainly be continuing to grow the renewables side of our business and we’ll be continuing to grow our nationwide team who are the backbone of our expanding business.

Q: Tell me about your career to date?

“I’m originally from Dublin, living in Cork now for over a decade.  I have spent time in Galway and New Jersey earlier in my career. I studied Hotel Management in Galway RTC followed by a Masters in Marketing in the UCD Smurfit School of Business.

“Following my studies I began my career in media sales.  I enjoyed some challenging senior commercial roles in UTV, The Star Newspaper, Today FM and more recently as CEO of Cork’s RedFM for over 10 years.

Q: What business ethos inspires you – how does this carry through to your day-to-day work?

“One of Certa’s core values is One Team.  I’m a big advocate for collaboration with colleagues, customers and all stakeholders to ensure we arrive at the best possible solutions in all situations.  One of the key inspirations for me is working with motivated and talented people, we have an abundance of such people here in Certa.”

Q:Tell me a bit about Diarmuid O’Leary the person – any interests/hobbies etc you’d like to share.

“I’m married to Elaine Shields and we have three daughters Cara, Erica and Kate. It’s a busy house with many commitments almost every night of the week.  Outside of work, I’m a big sports enthusiast – I enjoy following all Irish rugby teams and coaching with the under 10’s girls team in Nemo Rangers, Cork.  I’m also a keen cyclist.  I find getting out on the bike is a great way to clear the head and stay active. I also love to cook at home and, whenever possible, enjoy eating out with family.

Q: Closing comments – is there anything you’d like included in the interview not covered above. You will of course get to see the editorial and page layouts for sign-off before the magazine goes out.

“This a very exciting time to be involved in the energy industry in Ireland and around the world.  There are many opportunities to explore and Certa continue to work hard to ensure we are the forefront of this innovative sector.”