Sarah Kent

Independent

Ireland

About

A dynamic, positive thinker with a successful track record of establishing and leading global teams in the quest of creating strong, reputable businesses. A relationship leader that empowers and connects people from all avenues of life. An inquirer with a curious mind that like to contribute energy and time to making a difference to the people, organisations, and environments that I am part of.

Experience

  • Industrial Partner at Ara Partners
    Sep 2021 - Jul 2024 · 2 yrs 11 mos

  • Kentech Group (Full-time · 16 yrs 4 mos)
    • CEO
      Jan 2008 - Apr 2020 · 12 yrs 4 mos

      Doubling the revenue of the company and achieving repeatable EBITDA of 6-7%. Ensuring that a culture of caring and nurturing was embedded in the company which resulted in a world class safety performance and Kentech being a place where people feel part of a community. Evolving the business from being a small local operator in select markets to becoming a recognized global player to the energy clients. Leading the establishment of an independent board and building a team to create solid foundations and deliver sustainable growth. Expanding the service offering that works on both greenfield and brownfield facilities. Successfully moving the company from a family owned operation to having a private equity partner and creating a platform that is highly resilient and that can further grow and expand.

    • Director Sales and Marketing
      Jan 2004 - Dec 2007 · 4 yrs

      Responsible for all Marketing, Sales and Business Development across the Kentech Group. Part of the team that grew Kentech from a $11m revenue to $120m in 3 years across many international markets.

  • Director Corporate and Business Development at RSA, the Security Division of EMC
    Jan 2001 - Oct 2003 · 2 yrs 10 mos

    Leading the business development efforts across EMEA. Working on identifying technical solutions that could be taken to market. Completing licensing agreements with some of the worlds largest software companies.

  • American Express (Greater London, England, United Kingdom)
    • Internet Director
      Feb 1999 - Oct 2000 · 1 yr 9 mos

      Establishing online presence for American Express merchants across EMEA and part of the global team working on the global internet strategy.

    • Manager International Payment
      Oct 1997 - Feb 1999 · 1 yr 5 mos

      Part of a small team that worked across all of American Express’s international markets. My role was to understand how the merchant transactions were processed in each of these markets including the economic and technical aspects. Then building from this foundation and coming up with solutions to make this more efficient, effective and reduce costs.

  • Keycorp (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia)
    • Product Manager
      Jan 1996 - Jun 1997 · 1 yr 6 mos

      Responsible for the Product Management of a banking product line, Continuing to work with key clients and help address any major technical issues being experienced and working to identify the root cause and ensure that the problems are fixed.

    • Sales Engineer
      Jun 1995 - Jan 1996 · 8 mos

      Interfacing extensively with clients, sales team and engineering team to clearly articulate the customers technical requirements and addressing any technical issues that clients were experiencing.

    • Design Engineer
      Sep 1994 - Jun 1995 · 10 mos

      Part of a team that was building one off Point of Sale and banking products for clients as prototypes.