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L-R: Ken Legros and Karen McAvoy, Ireland’s Electrical Magazine.
A 15-year role with the Irish Electrical Buying Group (IEBG) and 10-year stint with the Association of Electrical Wholesalers (AEW) have allowed Lifetime Achievement recipient Ken Legros to give back to an industry in which he has thrived. Born in 1957 in Glasnevin, Dublin, Ken was educated at Beneavin and Belvedere colleges and was sports mad from a young age including rugby, tennis, golf and athletics. Soccer was his favourite, playing for Home Farm, Bohemians, Shamrock Rovers and Cherry Orchard. Studying business at Trinity College, he pursued a career in sales, lured by a flashy company car and the open road to join Ashtown Trading. Initially working for its hardware business, he switched to the electrical side in 1980; the beginning of a 46-year association with the electrical industry. Ken met his wife Nuala in 1985, with marriage following the next year. Sport had taught him to keep showing up, always give it your best shot and never give up but realising he needed to devote more time to his career, Ken joined Thorn Lighting in 1987. He spent three wonderful years there, looking after big customers such as Eastern Electrical in Ballymount, Kellihers in Tralee and CT Electric in Galway. His “big break” was becoming Ireland sales manager when GE Lighting bought the lamp division of Thorn Lighting in 1990, with Nuala raising their two kids as Ken worked long hours. In 1991, he became MD of the firm, with responsibility for sales and logistics in the 26 counties and NI soon following. In Lifetime Achievement Award KEN LEGROS, IEBG/AEW KINDLY SPONSORED BY: SNICKERS
parallel, Ken also managed the Scotland and then UK Edmundson sales team. Perks of the job included annual trips to Wimbledon and GE’s Christmas ball on London’s Park Lane, but the position was scrapped in 2010 after the economic crash. A chance conversation between Peter Moriarty and Niall Dunne then resulted in Ken joining IEBG in 2012 as group manager. In his 15 years with IEBG, Ken has overseen the expansion of the group into a leading player in the electrical wholesale market. With his role also including AEW, Ken has worked closely with WEEE Ireland on recycling initiatives, EDA UK to make its staff training modules available to electrical wholesalers in Ireland and introduced an AEW awards lunch in 2022. “These last 15 years have been the most enjoyable of my working life,” says Ken. “I owe the members of the IEBG group a huge debt of gratitude for their friendship, support and trust in me. I’m planning to retire from both the IEBG and AEW at the end of this year, but I will leave with fantastic memories of an industry with good, old- fashioned values and wonderful people.”
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30 | IRELAND’S ELECTRICAL MAGAZINE
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