Sean O'Sullivan
Director of Sales
North America

Growth is a guiding principle for Sean O’Sullivan - personally and professionally. “At one level, you have to be happy with being the best version of yourself,” he explains. “However, there’s also a need to be deliberate about learning new things so you can be better tomorrow than you are today. If I can help other people achieve their potential while I’m also growing myself, that’s a win-win outcome.”

Sean joined Kingspan, Inokor’s parent company, towards the end of 2023. It was the company’s commitment to growth, alongside our global sustainability program Planet Passionate, which proved important in attracting him. The reality has lived up to his expectations. “Seeing how sustainability is factored into daily business decisions makes me proud to be part of such a team,” he adds.

Collaboration is at the heart of great solutions

Sean started on his career path after developing an interest in the unique sound profiles of submarines during his work in the US Navy. He studied ceramic engineering and has worked across manufacturing, R&D, sales and management roles in the insulation and gypsum industries, picking up an MBA along the way. Now, he is responsible for both technical insulation sales across North America, and the activities within the Inokor brand. Linking up with Inokor teams across Europe, he has seen opportunities arise from sharing knowledge and expertise globally while ensuring customers are aware of our capabilities. He has already been approached by customers who are keen to explore partnerships in North America that replicate their existing arrangements in Europe.

Sean enjoys the wide variety of products and applications serviced by our Inokor experts. It’s this, he believes, which gives his team an advantage when customers need help to improve the performance and capabilities of their products. The other essential ingredients in such partnerships are trust and communication: “If we fully understand the needs of our customers, we can create solutions together identifying the best technologies for their specific requirements. By collaborating from the start of the product development process, we are in a good position to help customers achieve new levels of performance, differential value and sustainable results that would not have been possible without combining our expertise.”

Making good decisions for a better world

Outside work, Sean and his wife can regularly be found providing cheers and encouragement for their children’s baseball and volleyball games. Their middle son is learning to drive so Sean is also putting in the hours in the passenger seat - something he describes as liberating and nerve-wracking at the same time!
Planet Passionate was important to Sean in his choice to join Kingspan as it resonates with his own personal desire to leave the world in a better place. He thinks it is significant for recruitment more widely. “For many companies, finding and retaining top talent is becoming more and more challenging. My view is that Planet Passionate is an initiative that will appeal to the best talent - as it was influential in my own choice,” he says. “To engage people for the long term, they need to feel connected to your purpose. The better you can do that, the more value your team will create.”

As Sean embarks on meeting his ambitions for the growth of the business, are there particular customers he would like to attract? “The most important customers are our existing customers so I’m keen to strengthen these relationships to ensure we are meeting their needs at every level,” he says. “I’m also looking to expand our base. One area that is interesting is connected to technologies such as our Vacuum Insulation Panels VIPs. Our VIPs offer incredible performance advantages over other insulation options in the market, including reuse in cold chain packaging applications, especially in combination with our other technologies, and potential for recycling the core material. It’s exciting to win customers who recognize and embrace these kinds of solutions as it confirms we are making a difference and creating value in the marketplace.”