“If You Knew How Hard It Was, You Wouldn’t Do It” – Ambition, Risk & Real Wealth with Stephen Felle

CEO Corner by Sarah McGrath · Feb 23, 2026 · 1h 3m

“If people knew how hard it was to set up your own business, they wouldn’t do it.”

In this episode of CEO Corner, Stephen Felle—CEO at Fordel and former youngest director on the board of Davy—joins Sarah McGrath to talk ruthless ambition, the Celtic Tiger, and what “real wealth” looks like in Ireland today.

From starting in stockbroking as a teenager, to sitting at the centre of Ireland’s boom years, to walking away from a high-paying leadership role to launch a startup weeks before COVID, Stephen shares a rare, candid look inside wealth, risk, and reinvention.

Key takeaways include:

Ambition…