The Spaces That Shape Us: Paul Donegan
Paul Donegan - Country Manager Ireland, Fortinet
Before I joined Fortinet as the Country Manager of Ireland, I spent 20 years working in various technology companies. While I’ve always had an interest in technology, my love of it actually evolved alongside my career in sales, which began when I was just 14 years of age.
That summer, I took a job as a runner in a men’s clothing shop in Dublin. I delivered suits, trousers, and other items between alterations, stockrooms, and the shop floor. Spending so much time on the floor gave me the chance to observe senior businessmen and their interactions—how they spoke, how they built rapport and approached one another.
Throughout my career, I’ve gained insight by watching what people do well, where they can improve, more importantly what I shouldn’t do. That summer job was a great entry point for shaping my ability to observe and learn.
Observing and listening are critical components of working in any business environment. As my career advanced, I had to evolve my role not only educating myself on the technologies but spending my days listening to people, getting to know them, and helping them find the right technology solutions.
Firsthand lessons: The power of observation
I’ve always been interested in how things worked, and growing up, I loved programmes like How It’s Made and Megafactories. Working in sales for technology companies expanded this interest. I got to see products early in their development stages, gaining exposure to concepts like cloud computing long before digitalisation became mainstream. I also observed the rapid rise of cyber threats from the vantage point of someone already engaged with cybersecurity solutions—well before it was widely recognised as a critical business necessity.
This sales experience also deepened my appreciation for technology because it allowed me to witness firsthand how innovations impact people’s daily lives. I visited many companies and spoke with people at different levels, learning about their pain points, how they consumed technology, and the solutions they sought. Often, insights from one company could be adapted to another, and part of my role was to transfer these good ideas.
Interacting with so many companies gave me a long-term perspective on how organisations evolve alongside societal and technological changes. I witnessed first-hand the ways in which many different organisations operate, and because I continued working with many companies for years, I saw how they responded to different challenges and market shifts—periods of growth, restructuring, contraction (the “accordion effect”), and more. These experiences deepened my understanding of organisational dynamics and team management while reminding me of the human element behind every decision. I learned a lot by observing in these spaces, and I could later apply these lessons to my own management style and organisational practices.
Adapting to change: Evolving sales, evolving leadership
When I first entered the professional sales environment, the pace, energy, and pressure astonished me. It was a noisy, relentless scene: everyone was selling, chasing targets, and pushing to achieve. I’d have a manager stand over me, giving critical feedback (without much sugar coating) on what I needed to do to succeed.
That environment had a huge and positive impact on me. It taught me how to get a job done and pushed me to compete not only against my peers but also against myself.
However, since that time, sales methods and leadership styles have evolved. For both, approaches that worked decades ago are no longer effective today.
For instance, today, thanks to the internet, most people do research and already know the type of product or solution they want. It’s a bit like buying a car—customers go to a car lot with an idea of the size, price, features, and models they want to test drive. This knowledge shift means that selling styles have had to change. Now, much of selling is about ensuring that the customer fully understands the product and can choose between solutions that will truly work for them.
For the past two years, I’ve been leading and growing Fortinet’s business in Ireland. Fortinet global provider of cybersecurity and networking solutions— Securiung People, Devices and Data everywhere.
In technology, aggressive selling no longer works, so I encourage my teams to become thought leaders in our field so that they can support our customers with specialised knowledge. Instead of being an authoritarian figure like some sales leaders of the past, I believe in empowering my team to shape their own paths, regardless of their roles.
Their titles in the system are irrelevant: they can define their own career journey. However, to do so, they need to be thought leaders who stay ahead of the current trends and understand the customer’s technology environment and business challenges, both what they’re facing now and what they might face in the future. By letting people make mistakes and providing them with the tools to keep improving, I hope they’ll feel there’s no barrier as to where they can go within their career.
Beauty and community: Workspaces that energise
My leadership style is only one of many factors that influences the team’s success, and the physical workspace plays a huge role in how they feel and perform every day.
I’m a big fan of architecture—gothic, neoclassical, Georgian. It’s inspiring how a city’s history can be written in its architecture, with old cathedrals and modern offices side by side, reflecting both endurance and ongoing innovation. I like to explore cities and see how different building styles shape their character. For instance, in Seville, centuries of Moorish influence still affect the layout and design, while in New York City, the towering skyscrapers contribute to the urgent and fast-paced atmosphere on the ground below.
Light, structure, lines, materials—all these decisions have an influence on the people inhabiting the cities and their spaces.
When we set up our Irish office at Glandore’s Fitzwilliam Hall, our team gained access to a vibrant part of Dublin. The Georgian-style neighborhood feels busy yet relaxed. It’s full of amenities, and the canal—a lively, green area just around the corner where people walk, chat, and cycle—is a perfect spot for a quick break or informal catch-up with colleagues.
Fitzwilliam Hall is a beautiful space with a buzz of its own. When we moved in, we started in a small, fit-for-purpose room. Still, we had access to all the meeting rooms—each with its own unique charm, style, and aspect. One of the downstairs suites even features a stunning bay window.
These inviting spaces are great for hosting customers, and the variety allows you to choose a meeting room that suits the tone of the discussion. They also foster a sense of community among the businesses and individuals working in the building. Whether someone is taking a call in a meeting room or spending time in a club room, people often leave their offices, making it easy to strike up a conversation with someone from another organisation.
We recently moved into a new space within Fitzwilliam Hall. We wanted something with more light and a more open feel. The Glandore team showed me and several team members available and soon-to-be-available spaces in their various buildings. They helped us review choices based on our current needs and potential growth, and they keep us informed about spaces opening in six months’ time so we can think about options and plan accordingly.
It’s reassuring to know that your company matters to the people you’re doing business with. With Glandore’s team, support doesn’t end when the contract is signed. They don’t simply move on to the next customer and reappear when it’s time to renegotiate; instead, they consistently focus on supporting their members and the community they’ve created.
As a result, the atmosphere has a welcoming quality that’s hard to pin down until you experience it. It’s a bit like visiting someone’s home—you either feel comfortable and at ease or like a permanent guest kept at a distance. At Glandore, you feel welcome, like every member of their team is a member of yours.
Read more about Glandore’s Flexible Workspaces
