Occupation: Area Sales Manager, O’Neills
Age: 38
E-Mail address: sthompson@oneillsni.com
Place of Birth: Belfast
Where you live: Andersonstown
First Job: Summer milk run
What it taught me: There has to be an easier way to make a shilling. Dog taming springs to mind…
Family/Status: Recently engaged to Louise Monaghan
Best advice anyone ever gave you: Good preparation is everything – fail to prepare, prepare to fail
Best advice you could give someone starting out: Believe. Without this you will lack the necessary drive, passion, enthusiasm and determination to succeed in achieving your goal.
Stephen joined O’Neills in January 2003 with a brief to establish and make a success of their newly acquired Andersonstown Road store then roll this model out to all six northern counties. Today you will find an O’Neills store in Newry servicing counties Down and Armagh; Strabane, Co Tyrone; Enniskillen Co Fermanagh; and its most recent store in Magherafelt, Co Derry.
Stephen also oversaw the relocation of their Andersonstown Road operation to the redeveloped Kennedy Centre in 2010. This 18,000 sq ft purpose built unit is not only the home of O’Neills flagship retail store, it also houses state of the art office and conference facilities and is the distribution base for the company’s growing internet sales department.
Stephen has almost 20 years in-depth experience in a sports retail environment having worked previously with Lifestyle Sports.
When he is not in one of the sports stores you will find him on the sports field. A former captain of St John’s senior hurlers he now coaches the team. Whilst challenging, he also finds this role very rewarding.
“I have no doubt the work ethic and discipline instilled in me from a young age on Commedagh Hill and Corrigan Park has stood by me in my professional life so it is very important to me that I give something back,” he says.
Downtime for sport mad Stephen is a round of golf at Balmoral GC where he is a single handicap golfer.
Stephen still lives in Andersonstown where he was raised by his supportive parents Peter and Kathleen and where he attended De La Salle and Holy Child PS.
