BY KATE HEANEY
A DUNGLOE man who studied to be a teacher and is now head of United Health Group in Letterkenny is the Letterkenny Chamber Business Person of the Year .
The award for Padraig Monaghan marked the proudest moment in a 20-year career working for multi-nationals because it came from his peers.
Speaking to the Donegal News this week Padraig stressed that the award was as much for his 350 staff at the medical insurance processing facility as for himself.
He joined the Enterprise Park based PacifiCare in 2003 as Director of Operations in Ireland. Prior to that he had worked with Intel for 12 years, two of which he spent in the US. The company became United Health Group in 2006.
That change meant that instead of processing claims for just one medical insurance group in the US, it now handles claims for 11 different organisations world-wide. It also develops claims systems.
"The skills our staff have developed to serve 11 different companies are much more diverse than they were in 2003. We are competing against our US counterparts for contracts and we are being selected. We don't let the time difference make a difference.
"United Health Group have 80,000 staff world-wide and our operation here in Letterkenny would be viewed as the experts in the field. Other facilities would defer to the expert staff here in Letterkenny.
"To those who would say that all we are doing here is paying claims I say we are many times larger than Quinn Healthcare, Vivas and VHI put together. We have become the leaders in our field," he said.
He cited the example of employee Davin Doherty who competed against the best in the company's US offices to help develop computer systems which will detect under payments.
Working under "Arnie"
United Health Group in Letterkenny handle hundreds of millions of dollars in health insurance every day, many times more than other similar offices within the group.
The facility here outsource work to India, San Antonio and Kentucky.
"We pay claims in California from here. Health care there is extremely expensive. If it goes wrong they look to us as to why it went wrong. When it goes right the credit comes to us as well. The vast majority of the knowledge is here.
"One of the biggest coups for me happened last June when myself and Sarah Mulhern sat down with the Californian Regulator on how our business is run. That is an enormous step. With that approval you are working for Arnold Schwarzenegger. We have now developed a very professional relationship with these regulators," he added.
The Letterkenny facility was now more important to the overall organisation than it was five years ago and it continued to make itself more essential.
"It is all about today and tomorrow. We are always looking for opportunities in the future, always chasing new leads to bring more diversity. Unless we focus and get the matrix right today we have no choice for the future. It is a daily competition on a world-wide basis," he explained.
Remote site
While Letterkenny might be perceived as a remote site for a business at the hub of a global medical insurance market, he is very proud of the fact that his team here excel at that business.
"We should not be shy about running a world class business from a remote site. We have the solution to any problem you have and that's what makes us the success we are. If we commit to doing anything, we will do it faster and cheaper than we have already committed to doing. We are a solutions driven organisation."
Crolly start
Padraig went to the University of Limerick in 1984, then known as Thomond College. He studied to become a teacher of engineering and metals.
A bit like the Celtic tiger cubs, he was one a a class who were guaranteed a job when they qualified in 1988.
"That was before Mac the Knife changed the pupil teacher ratio which meant there were no jobs for any of us that year. In the four years of study I figured I didn't want to teach but I finished my degree.
"I worked in Nuvotem Teo in Crolly for a year and then went to Stribel in Germany where I learned German and worked as a production engineer. A man I worked with went to Intel and got me in.
"I didn't really understand what business was about and how operations ran until I went to work for Intel. They were great people and it was a great challenge and learning curve for me.
Home again
While working for Intel Padraig and his Arranmore Island born wife Brid (nee McHugh) had built a house in Maghery. They lived in Dublin and used to spend as much time as possible in the county.
"When the opportunity at PacifiCare arose we decided it was the right time. When we moved back, our sons Michael and Mark were nine and six and our daughter Maeve was one.
"We have a dedicated broadband service here at United Health Group but occasionally I need to make conference calls from home and the residential broadband service in the county is embarrassing. We hear people from India and Asia talking about broadband speeds we can only dream of here. It is a pity it is not better."
Success gene
Padraig's parents Sean and Moya are both deceased and he would love if they had been around to have seen him pick up this much appreciated award from his Donegal peers.
His late mother was an aunt of Moya Doherty of Riverdance fame. He laughs at the idea of a gene in the family that drives them to high levels of achievement.
"When Brid and I were ready to leave the house on Friday night for the Chamber Ball, we had already told the children where we were going and that I was to get an award.
"Mark who is 12, when he saw us all dressed up said 'maybe they've changed their mind', But they hadn't and was a great night and a great honour and all credit is due to the very capable and flexible nature of our staff," he concluded.
