Staff loyalty is a core part of that success story. Engaging with remote and hybrid work options is a natural progression following decades of commitment to the career development opportunities for staff, along with innovative scholarships plus undergraduate and graduate programmes with partners including UCD and SETU.

Jack Murphy, founder and FDC Group general manager, said: “We are a services business, operating in a changed environment. We provide accounting, legal and other services, mostly to individuals, farmers and SMEs.

“We are an office-based organization. We have over 25,000 customers nationwide, whose fees are averaging at €1,000 to €2,000 annually. We have very few millionaires among our clients. Our clients want to see us, they want to deal face-to-face and on the phone with people.

“The personal relationships formed between our clients and our colleagues are very important to us. Those communications are central to our business. We have to be customer-sensitive in how we decide to operate.” 

 Nonetheless, while putting the client first, FDC has also managed to forge a deep loyalty among its staff over the past 50 years. Along with building a graduate talent pipeline, the company is deeply loyal to its staff; it has kept a dedicated, sustained commitment to creating opportunities for career development.

Not too surprisingly, that loyalty works both ways. Staff turnover is comparatively low. The staff see FDC as a quality employer and in many cases encourage family members to apply to join the team.

“When you look at the senior professionals in our team, they’ve generally been with us a long time,” said Jack Murphy. “Up to a third of our staff are relatives of the members of our senior management team.

“In terms of hybrid work, since Covid and for other personal reasons, some of our team members have been working one or two days remotely. But we are an office-based organisation. We are very different from the banks, we go out to serve people in their communities.

“We have significant numbers of people working in local offices in rural offices, taking a personalised approach to serving clients. Yes, since Covid, we are more flexible with our team, who are very important to us. Our staff are qualified, ambitious and driven by a desire to provide an excellent commercial service to our clients.

“FDC is committed to having a strong presence where our clients are located. FDC fosters an environment of endeavour and enterprise enabling the delivery of a quality service to our clients. Our services are customised to suit the particular needs of our clients. We aim to be the first point of contact for any business, personal or financial decision that our clients are intending to make.

“FDC will be with them, supporting them and advising them in their decision-making. FDC is proactive in partnering other service providers in the hinterland of our office network —  such as solicitors, accountants and other consultants.”  

Early on in its history, FDC embraced what it saw as the opportunities for rural communities when Ireland joined the EEC in 1973, elevating the agri sector and adapting to the ever-evolving market demands of the approximately 250,000 farms across the country at the time.

Jack Murphy says the company fostered a culture of creativity and forward-thinking. FDC takes immense pride in its role as a contributor to Ireland's growth and development. Over the years, the company has both bolstered the agricultural landscape and actively participated in various social initiatives, giving back to the communities that nurtured its growth.

FDC Group was initially based out of Reenascreena in West Cork and had the use of a public phone in the village, but no office or income. Despite these challenges, the business received full and total commitment from the farming community of West Cork.

“To this day, without their unwavering support, FDC Group would not be here,” said Mr Murphy. “FDC's commitment to corporate social responsibility remains at the heart of our operations. Over our five-decade journey, economic fluctuations, industry disruptions and global events have tested the company's resilience.

“However, FDC's ability to navigate through these obstacles with agility and fortitude have allowed the company to emerge stronger, cementing its position as an industry leader in Ireland. Marking 50 years in business, the company embraces the future with optimism and determination.

"We are as good as our last job and the quality of our last job is based on the effort and skill of the people that do it," said Jack Murphy. "Central to this is building people careers through the work we do and loyalty to FDC Group is repaid with loyalty to our people."