Jul22493 41. Deborah ‘Debbie’ Grey is the CEO of the Irish Equine Centre (IEC), an independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to protecting the wellbeing of Ireland’s horses. The IEC does this primarily by preserving the low-disease status of the country’s equine population, a feat it achieves through the provision of innovative laboratory services spanning the prevention, diagnosis, and management of horse diseases. On the back of her recognition in this programme, we caught up with Debbie for more on her role. Having owned and bred horses for almost her entire life, it was clear that Debbie Grey was destined for a career in the equine industry. However, prior to her work in the field, Debbie established a track record of transforming strategy for businesses through initiatives such as increasing profitability, diversifying income streams, and reducing operational costs – all without compromising on a business’ quality or its people. This was seen during her tenure at Enterprise Consulting Ltd, during which she scaled a start-up into a global partner. Regardless of the field she is in, Debbie’s guiding belief has always revolved around empowering people. This ethos even underpins her leadership style, which is one grounded in strategy designed for the future and practical delivery. Debbie told us: “My focus is on delivering results, whether that’s reducing costs, improving efficiency, or building high-performing teams that consistently meet ambitious goals for themselves and the company. I’m applying this same mindset to increase the Irish Equine Centre’s reach and impact.” As mentioned above, the IEC’s overarching ambitious goal is to safeguard the health and wellbeing of the Irish horse population. The company operates with the highest standards of integrity, confidentiality, and scientific expertise as it pursues this noble aim, blending rigorous, quality-assured testing and a commitment to exceptional service to ensure the best clinical outcomes time and again. None of this would be possible without the organisation’s team, which comprises the likes of veterinary surgeons and laboratory technicians. “My team are incredible – their passion and dedication to their roles is inspirational. They work tirelessly to serve the equine industry and I couldn’t be more proud of them. I wish I could bottle this up and sell it, or at least let our stakeholders really get a sense of how awesome they are and how robust their scientific rigour is.” This all feeds into what is one of the IEC’s key differentiators in this space – its INAB accreditation. The IEC competes with many labs that do not have this ISO certification, which stands to underpin the rigour, discipline, and public confidence this company embodies at every turn. Although this can make the IEC more expensive, its results are simply incomparable with that of other labs. Getting this across is sometimes difficult, but once a customer experiences the IEC, it is clear that the difference is night and day. With this distinction in tow, Debbie beamed as she told us about the company commencing the building of a new publicgood laboratory, which is one of its biggest projects to date. Having been in the pipeline since 2017, it is great for Debbie and her team to finally be able to begin the development of a space that will offer considerable expansion opportunities. The project has been made possible thanks to the IEC’s complex stakeholder engagement with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, as well as its incredible donors. Finally, on a more personal note, Debbie has just completed her first year working towards a doctorate in business administration. Commenting on this, Debbie explained: “This is anchored in action research, which, by nature, looks at applying theoretical frameworks to work based issues to ensure impactful, meaningful change. I am learning so much and am able to apply this learning practically to both our organisation and our people.” It is clear then that the Irish Equine Centre has an incredibly exciting future ahead of it, a future in which CEO Debbie Grey will continue to offer leadership that delivers impact, all whilst nurturing staff engagement and belonging at work. For her clients, she remains dedicated to their success and providing them with diverse insights and solutions catered to the unique needs of their horses. Combined, the result is a consistent, honest, and forward-looking leader who genuinely cares – and one befitting of these awards. More information about the great work that the Irish Equine Centre does can be found using the web address listed below. Contact Details Contact: Debbie Grey Company: Irish Equine Centre Web Address: https://irishequinecentre.ie/ Equine Health CEO of the Year 2025: Deborah Grey & Award for Innovation in Equine Diagnostics 2025 Irish Equine Centre
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