Generations of Irish people have historically upped sticks for a better life in the US. At Ardmore, a former New York broker and an ex-Wall Street player have done the opposite.

Former shipbroker Gernot Ruppelt has been at Ardmore Shipping for 11 years, having been brought in by founder Anthony Gurnee to build up the commercial operations side.

The German father of two swapped a position with New York broker Poten & Partners for the lure of Cork, south-east Ireland.