Olive For Education CEO Suspended Amidst Allegations of Confidential Information Leak and Business Diversion

Dublin, Ireland – February 27, 2026 – Olive For Education (OFE), an Irish technology company providing tablets and laptops to schools, has suspended its Chief Executive, Ian Gaughran, following allegations of leaking confidential information and attempting to redirect customers to a competing business. The case came before Judge Brian Cregan on Friday, revealing “inflammatory remarks” within an affidavit filed by Gaughran as reported by the Irish Times.

Concerns Over Financial Viability

Gaughran’s legal counsel expressed concerns regarding the “financial viability” of the Olive Group, the parent company of OFE, led by entrepreneur Brendan Kavanagh. The Olive Group as well includes Grinds 360, an online course provider for secondary students, which has attracted investment from Irish rugby stars Brian O’Driscoll and Caelan Doris.

Legal Action and Allegations

On January 16th, Upskill Online, trading as Olive Media, initiated legal proceedings with an ex parte injunction against Gaughran and Erik Jentetics, the CEO of Grafton Technology, who also serves as OFE’s Chief Operating Officer. The injunction aimed to prevent the utilize, disclosure, or destruction of OFE’s confidential information, including customer data, strategies and pricing. It also sought to restrict the two executives from contacting or soliciting OFE’s customers and preventing them from poaching employees or contractors.

Counterclaims and Disputes

Both Gaughran and Jentetics deny any wrongdoing and have provided undertakings to the court pending an interim hearing. Kavanagh alleges that Gaughran and Jentetics planned to acquire a rival business and divert OFE’s clientele to a new venture. He further claims they breached their duties to Olive by attempting to establish a competing business to Grinds 360, involving two Rockwell College students and their AI-powered app, Studytok.

Share Ownership and Unpaid Services

Gaughran asserts that he was recruited from Microsoft by Kavanagh with an agreement granting him 60% ownership of OFE’s shares, a deal he claims Kavanagh failed to honor. Jentetics, through his company Grafton Technology, alleges he was never compensated for services provided to OFE. He also claims that Grinds 360 owes outstanding debts to Grafton Digital.

Further Legal Actions

Grafton Digital filed a High Court debt claim against Upskill Online on February 19th. Vin McCaffrey, CEO of Tactix AI – another Olive Group company – filed a High Court action against Kavanagh and two of his companies, O.Labs Hub and Tactix XR.

Upcoming Hearing

Judge Cregan has scheduled a hearing for the injunction application on March 13th. Legal representatives for Olive Media requested time to respond to statements made in Gaughran’s defense affidavit. Concerns were also raised regarding potential pension implications for Gaughran and his wife, who also works within the Olive Group.