Platform55 was co-founded out of a shared conviction that the existing workplace wasn’t working for working parents—or for countless others. Drawing on their personal journeys, Tracy Gunn (with a background in leadership development) and Michelle O’Keefe (from digital media) experienced firsthand the disconnect between workplace policy and reality, as well as the challenges of balancing ambitious careers with family life. Their experiences navigating these gaps, leading teams, and building businesses revealed that these struggles weren’t isolated— they were widespread organisational issues. Motivated by a desire to create real change, they combined their expertise and passion to build Platform55: a platform designed to help people thrive both at work and at home, while empowering organisations to transform intention into meaningful action.
1. What inspired you to co-found Platform55, and how did your and Michelle’s personal experiences as a working parent shape the company’s mission?
We co-founded Platform55 because we felt the system wasn’t working – for us or for so many others. As working parents with backgrounds in leadership development (Tracy) and digital media (Michelle), we’d both navigated the challenges of growing careers while raising families. We’d seen the gaps firsthand, between policy and reality, support and stigma. With experience leading teams, building businesses, and supporting leaders across industries, we knew this wasn’t just a personal problem, it was an organisational one. So we combined our skills and passion to build something better: a platform that helps people thrive at work and at home, and helps organisations turn intent into action.
2. Platform55 focuses on supporting employees through life’s defining moments, such as parenthood and burnout. How do you identify and address the most critical friction points for employees?
We’re always conducting research to understand the real challenges people face. We gather insights from industry-wide research and combine them with data from our Platform55 Diagnostic, which we use with our members. This allows us to spot patterns and pinpoint the most pressing friction points – whether it’s the transition to parenthood, burnout, or navigating career progression while managing caregiving responsibilities. By listening closely and analysing what’s really happening on the ground, we’re able to create targeted support that’s timely, relevant, and impactful. Plus, we’re our own customers, so as we experience challenges – we usually find we’re not alone and others are dealing with similar issues.
3. The motherhood penalty is cited as a major contributor to the gender pay gap. What practical steps does Platform55 recommend to organisations to mitigate this penalty?
The motherhood penalty is real – and it’s a major contributor to the gender pay gap. At Platform55, we help organisations move beyond well-meaning policies and into meaningful action.
We upskill leaders to lead with empathy and confidence, equipping them to support employees through key transitions like maternity leave and return to work, ensuring the experience is structured, supportive, and inclusive. We provide tailored support for new parents before, during, and after leave, and we actively advocate for shared care. Right now, fewer than 10% of men take their full family leave entitlements – reinforcing outdated stereotypes that women care and men provide. That has to shift.
We’re also working to challenge perceptions around part-time and flexible working. People should be valued for what they deliver – not the number of hours they work or where they work from. Too often, flexibility comes with an unspoken consequence.
4. What are the most common challenges you see globally when it comes to supporting working parents? Are there cultural, religious or political issues you have to navigate to avoid these challenges?
No matter where you are in the world, the core challenges for working parents are surprisingly universal – stress, burnout, and juggling caring responsibilities. Avoiding making assumptions is crucial when working across different cultures and landscapes and asking individuals what they need from you, rather than assuming is key. At the heart of it, we all just want to be seen and supported as whole human beings.
5. Platform55 won The Pitch 2024. How has this recognition and the accompanying prize impacted your business strategy and future plans?
We didn’t set the business up to win awards, but it’s always fantastic when recognition like The Pitch 2024 comes our way – especially competing against such a diverse range of industries and businesses at different stages of growth. Winning has been a real boost, and we were delighted that the judges recognised our passion, purpose and potential.
The Samsung kit prize has been a game changer for us. As a bootstrapped startup, we’d been making do with older, repurposed equipment, so having upgraded tech has made our remote-first team far more efficient and productive.
The advertising package with Image Media is just kicking off this summer and will be key in helping us educate the market and connect with a broader audience. Plus, the mentoring from Bobby Kerr has been invaluable – giving us fresh perspectives and guidance as we scale.
Overall, The Pitch has given us the rare gift of helping us work on the business, not just in it – something every entrepreneur knows is vital for growth and long-term success.
6. What are the biggest misconceptions organisations have about creating family-friendly workplaces, and how do you help them overcome these?
The biggest misconceptions organisations have are that creating family-friendly workplaces isn’t a priority, that it’s too costly or time-consuming, and that there’s no clear ROI. We help them see that supporting families drives engagement, retention, and performance – making it a smart investment, not a burden. By sharing data and real stories, we show how prioritising people fuels business success.
7. How does Platform55 support HR teams in making inclusion real, scalable, and measurable, especially regarding gender equality and caring responsibilities?
Our approach is designed to be plug-and-play, making it easy to roll out across multiple locations and teams with consistency.
We support organisations in gathering meaningful data through our diagnostic tools, surfacing the real friction points employees face. From there, we offer practical live and on demand resources that people can access at a time that suits them.
Importantly, our work directly supports reporting requirements around gender pay gap, ESG, and B-Corp standards – giving HR teams not just the tools to act, but the narrative and evidence to show impact and progress.
8. Can you share an example of a particularly impactful success story from a company that partnered with Platform55?
One standout example is our partnership with AXA Ireland, which has the lowest gender pay gap in the insurance industry. While it’s not all down to us, AXA has been an incredible partner. Their senior leadership’s active support and strong attendance at our leadership masterclasses have driven real engagement and progress. They’ve also collaborated with us on other projects, showing a genuine commitment to change. AXA are true advocates – determined to make their policies living, breathing documents, not just pieces of paper. Their dedication to turning intent into action is inspiring.
9. Looking ahead, what are your top priorities for Platform55 in the next two years, and how do you see the landscape of workplace support for families evolving?
Looking ahead, our top priority at Platform55 is growth and scale. We have a bold but deeply human mission: to support 1 million individuals through life’s defining moments by 2030.
We know organisations are waking up to the fact that people want more from their employers – flexibility, empathy, and trust are no longer nice-to-haves; they’re essential. This shift is also being driven by evolving legislation, like ESG reporting requirements and CSRD, alongside ongoing scrutiny around the gender pay gap.
There’s a growing reputational risk for organisations that fail to genuinely support families and carers. The workplace support landscape is evolving fast, and we’re focused on helping companies not just keep pace, but lead with purpose, compassion, and real impact.
10. Are there any other people, companies or programmes in Ireland that you have partnered or worked with in the past that you are big fans of?
That’s like asking us to pick a favourite child! All our clients and partners are our favourites! What unites them is a shared understanding that supporting people isn’t just a ‘nice to do’, it’s the right thing to do, and it makes commercial sense. Because when people are supported they show up better. They lead better and businesses perform better.
They’ve doubled down on their efforts and show a genuine commitment to creating positive, lasting change. We’re proud to work alongside such forward-thinking organisations who truly get that when people thrive, businesses thrive too.