Here at Comline, we highly value our employees. Individually, they form a multi-disciplinary team, each playing a crucial role that contributes to the overall success of our business. We would like to introduce our valued team members and give you a little insight into the individuals who are behind the scenes, assisting you with your inquiries, preparing your orders, and managing your transactions on a daily basis.  

We are pleased to introduce Damien Larkin, our General Manager (GM) in Comline Ireland!

Damien has been working in Comline Ireland since its inception on the 27th March 2017, following five years of experience in Car Parts Distribution (CPD), a business that became our Irish subsidiary. His background in construction, coupled with a decade-long tenure as a timber frame draughtsman at Kingspan Century, brings a wealth of expertise to our team. 

What was your first ever job? 

• My first job was at the age of 13, assembling battery orders for another automotive distributor, Monbatt, located nearby. 

What do you enjoy about working for Comline Ireland? 

• As a GM, each day presents different challenges and opportunities. From negotiating deals with suppliers and logistics partners to providing support to our customers and overseeing our dedicated team of 37 staff members, the dynamic nature of my role keeps me busy. We are always seeking ways to be innovative and aspire to be the best we can be daily, that requires effective communication and collaboration across all departments. 

What sparked your interest in the automotive industry, and how did you find your way to our team? 

• DNA – My father Noel was a mechanic for nearly 40 years, my uncle Tom was auto electrician and older brother Adrian is a heavy-duty mechanic. But the catalyst was the founding of CPD in 2009. By the time I joined in late 2012, CPD was a €1m a year company, fast forward to 2024 and Comline Ireland is a €13.75m company with huge ambition and hunger to grow.  

If you could swap jobs with any team member for a day, who would it be and why? 

• I have huge admiration for all my team, but the one that stands out would be Mary who is our financial controller. Her ability to multitask and still get management accounts done on time every month, I could learn a lot from her.  

What is your greatest strength you bring to the role? 

• Tough question. I like to think I bring a sense of calmness to an ever-changing landscape that is the automotive industry in Ireland. We have lost big customers & gained bigger ones whilst navigating our way through COVID-19 and came out the other side. 

What is your greatest achievement since joining Comline Ireland?  

• Hitting sales targets and making margin is all part of the everyday business, but my greatest sense of accomplishment is seeing the team grow in confidence and knowledge over the last 12 years. When COVID-19 hit, the team rolled their sleeves up and did whatever needed to be done to keep the doors open. I will be eternally grateful to them. We have staff anniversaries here and out of 37 staff we have 11 here over 10 years, and an additional 12 over 5 years.  

What’s your ultimate comfort food for those hectic days at the office, and do you have a secret stash somewhere? 

• Cup of coffee and a chocolate digestive biscuit. There is no problem that combination cannot fix. 

What do you enjoy in your spare time? 

• I was a GAA (Gaelic football) fanatic and played for my local club, Sean Mc Dermotts, for the best part of 30 years from u8’s all the way to seniors. These days I spend my time running after a 4-year-old girl, called Caoimhe and a 2-year-old boy called Tadhg. They are my toughest clients!! And I am planning to run the Dublin marathon later this year.  

Where were you born? 

• Two miles away from Comline Ireland, at Co. Monaghan Hospital, on the 23rd May 1983. 

Where would you like to go if you had a month off and money was no object? 

• I have a bucket list! A safari to see the ‘Big Five’ (the lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard, and rhinoceros), Bali, South America… too hard to choose. 

What’s the best advice you have ever heard? 

• At about 10 years of age, I was getting a hard time on a football field from a defender, a GAA coach said to me; “Damien, it’s the day you don’t get a hard time is when you need to need to be worried”. I never forgot that, and I bring that concept into everyday business life.  

What was the best day of your life and why? 

• My wife will give out that I didn’t say our wedding day, but the world changed when we welcomed our daughter into the world, total game changer after a bit of a roller coaster to get there. 

If you invited a child to a take your children to work day/event, what would you show the child about what you do at work? What would you tell the child about your job? 

• I do take my kids into work the very odd time and I take them round to say hello to everyone that is working that day. Its important for me that they see the decent honest hard-working people I work with every day. 

What superpower would you like to have and why? 

• A magic wand to erase cancer! 

In short, our team at Comline works hard, knows their stuff, and never gives up, making sure everything runs smoothly for our customers. We’re excited to keep growing and trying new things together!