Caradh O’Donovan works as Head of Governance for Coimisiún na Meán, the regulator of broadcasting and online media in Ireland.

Prior to this Caradh held senior management roles with Boardmatch Ireland and the Irish Athletic Boxing Association.

Caradh completed her BSc in Sports Management UCD before continuing to a MA Sport & Exercise Psychology at Waterford Institute of Technology. She co-founded Global Athlete in 2019; an international athlete-led organisation that is leading positive change in world sport, and collectively addressing the imbalance of power between athletes and administrators. She is also a Non-Executive Director of the MS North West Therapy Centre in Sligo, a registered charity.  

Caradh is a former World and European Champion Kickboxer and was a member of the Irish Kickboxing Team for twenty years. She is a multiple National Karate Champion and represented Ireland at Senior World and European Karate Championships. 

Colm Hayes is Assistant Secretary General in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marne with responsibility for Forestry, Agri-Environment and EU market supports.

Colm has been in this role since 2017 prior to which he was Director in the Department with responsibility for Meat and Dairy policy and international market access. He has also previously worked in the Economics Division of the Department on agri-food strategy and was Marine Attaché at the Irish Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels. from 2003-2009. 

Colm holds a B.A. in European Studies from U.L. and an M.A in Public Management from the Institute of Public Administration.

Fergal Sarsfield, CFA, is an Equity Fund Manager with Setanta Asset Management since 2007 and has 25 years experience in the asset management industry.

He has sole responsibility for managing the Global Technology Sector Fund and co-manages the International Equity Fund. He has a BBS and is a CFA Charterholder since 2004.

At Setanta, he deploys a deep and rigorous approach to fundamental equity analysis, understanding the quantitative and most importantly the qualitative characteristics of each investment. This involves an assessment of the corporate strategy, values and culture of publicly listed investee companies with a view to determining the sustainability of the earnings base and the potential for the company to grow long into the future.

Keith Moynes is Assistant Secretary General in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science where he is the management board member responsible for higher education.  

He previously held roles in the Departments of the Taoiseach, Education and Foreign Affairs, where he served on a diplomatic posting in Japan.  He holds primary and Masters degrees from Trinity College Dublin and postgraduate qualifications from UCD Smurfit Business School.

Kevin Carolan is Head of Finance for Barclaycard International Payments Limited. 

Kevin is a PCF-11 role holder with the Central Bank of Ireland and is responsible for Financial Control, Financial Reporting, Commercial Finance, Regulatory Reporting, Treasury, Capital and Liquidity Management of his Company.

Kevin is a BComm graduate of UCD, MAcc graduate of the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of business and is also a Qualified Accountant who has 13 years' experience across practice and industry roles.

Kevin previously worked in Group Finance roles in Elavon Financial Services DAC and Gaelectric Holdings PLC. Kevin has 5 years audit practice experience working with Deloitte.

He has also completed the Diploma in Strategy Development and Innovation as part of the suite of programmes UCD Michael Smurfit Executive Development has to offer.

Kieran Nolan is a specialist in the Technology & Consumer sectors, with almost 20 years of experience gained in a range of roles in Ireland, the UK and France.

He recently returned to Ireland following eight years in Paris where he was VP for Technology and Consumer at IDA Ireland, the inward investment promotion agency of the Government of Ireland.

In this role, Kieran managed all aspects of market development for the Technology and Services sector across seven countries (France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland and Italy), working closely with world leading companies as they evaluated locations for growth, innovation and transformation.

Prior to this, Kieran was a management consultant at two major global consultancies, specialising in major change programmes across a range of industry sectors.

In addition to the Diploma in Corporate Governance at UCD Smurfit, Kieran is a graduate of UCC and INSEAD.

Michael Diviney has over 30 years’ working in print and digital publishing and media in Ireland and the UK.

His current role is Executive Head of Thought Leadership at Chartered Accountants Ireland, where he collaborates with industry, academia, and members of the profession to develop and deliver thought leadership to support the Institute's advocacy and voice agenda.

Previously, Michael worked with Reed Business Information as Publisher of the Irish Medical Times, with RTÉ Publishing as commercial manager of RTÉ.ie and RTÉ Aertel, and the UK and Ireland legal publishing business of Thomson Reuters.

Michael is a graduate of University College Dublin (literature and philosophy), Technical University Dublin (management and law), and the Institute of Project Management.

Paul McCarthy-Smith, Group Head of Finance and Board Secretary for Rocco Forte Hotels.

In his current role, Paul's expertise and responsibilities include corporate finance, financial reporting, treasury management, international tax compliance, risk management and strategic planning. He is a fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland, holds an MSc in Hospitality Business Management and an honours degree in Accounting & Finance. 

Previous experience includes management roles in KPMG, handling audits for listed and private clients in the hospitality, leisure and property sectors. During his time at KPMG, he advised on numerous international assignments involving complex group restructurings, IPO preparation and readiness, and acquisition accounting projects. Paul trained in Crowe Ireland, formerly Horwath Bastow Charleton, where he worked in Audit, Corporate Finance and HTL Advisory roles. 

Robert Guy is Director of Group Aftersales at Volkswagen Group Ireland a daughter company of Volkswagen AG, with responsibility for all Volkswagen’s 6 Brands distributed in Ireland.

He holds an MBA in Finance since 2012 and completed the Michael Smurfit MSC in Leadership in 2023. Robert’s final diploma at Smurfit was in Corporate Governance. His role increasingly revolves around product liability and compliance, Volkswagen’s Governance and Integrity Programme, and he is board member with responsibility for ESG. The CG Diploma catered exactly to the requirements  for his complex and demanding role’

Miriam Ryan has worked for daa (formerly Aer Rianta) for over 30 years. 

Following roles in the Marketing, Industry Affairs and Economic Regulation functions of the business, she was appointed daa’s Group Head of Strategy in 2010, leading and managing the strategic planning process across the business.

She joined daa’s Executive team in September 2019 and was appointed Chief Governance and Strategy Officer and Company Secretary in August 2021.

Her areas of responsibility include governance, communications, sustainability and safety.

Miriam is a member of the board of directors for both Aer Rianta International and daa International and is a former Chair of the Economics Committee for Airports Council International-Europe.

Dermot O’Kane has over 30 years’ experience working in the energy trading ad broking industry in Ireland, UK, Continental Europe and Asia.

His current role is CEO of Marex Spectron Europe Ltd, a company regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland, to provide transaction arranging and execution services to clients across the European energy, financial services, soft and hard commodity markets.

Previously Dermot was joint owner of a start-up energy broking company in Ireland, with roles also as a commercial negotiator and in trading & executive roles in oil, gas, and power industries in several European countries, working for BP, Shell, Statoil, and the Eastern group.

Dermot is a graduate of University of Manchester and has also attended the Graduate School of Industrial Administration at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

John Lennon spent 10 years with Coras Trachtala/Irish Export Board. His focus was on helping CEO’s grow their business and their teams through Strategy Development /Implementation and Leadership Coaching/Mentoring.

Facilitating Leader Groups, both established CEO’s and Emerging Leaders is a core element of his work.

John hold a Bachelor of Business from NIHE Limerick ( UL) and an MSc in Business & Executive Coaching from UCD/Smurfit Executive Development having successfully completed the Diploma in Business & Executive Coaching, Diploma in Advanced Business & Executive Coaching and the Diploma in Team Coaching.

John is Chairman and Non Executive Director for a number of private sector SME clients. He provides regular C Suite coaching for CEO's and their Teams and also for private clients across a range of sectors.

Georgina Kearney is the Chief Operating Officer of the Merrion Fertility Clinic.

Her areas of expertise include change management, strategy development and profitability improvement. She is Chartered Management Accountant and holds an MBA from UCD Smurfit School.

Her experience includes startup co-founder & business consultant, as well as years in senior finance and operation management positions across sectors including the multinational, Oracle and the public sector body, Dublin Bus.

Caroline Fox is a Director in Davy, currently working as Business Manager in the Office of the CEO.

She has over 20 years’ investment experience and worked directly with a range of institutional and not-for-profit entities in developing investment frameworks.

Caroline holds a joint honours degree in Business & Economics from Trintiy College Dublin. She is a CFA Charter holder, a Qualified Financial Advisor and holds the CFA Certificate in ESG Investing.

Emma Taylor is an Independent Management Consultant with considerable experience driving global business transformation.

An expert in designing, building and leading large and complex global operations across blue-chip organisations including Google, Novartis and Ericsson.

Emma’s 20+ years working in change execution and risk mitigation prompted a keen interest in corporate governance which led her to UCD.

Emma holds a Bachelor of Business Degree from Trinity College Dublin and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business from NCI.

Gerard O’Leary is the Director of the Office of Communications and Corporate Services and has served as a Director since 2012.  Prior to his current role, he was the Director for the Office of Environmental Enforcement.

Gerard joined the EPA in 1994 and has also worked with Cork County Council, South Tipperary County Council and the National Roads Authority.  He holds MSc. degrees in Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry, MA degree in Public Management and a post graduate diploma in Business & Executive Coaching from UCD Michael Smurfit Business School.

Lorraine Carew is Chief Operating Officer and Head of Funding at Aergo Capital.

Lorraine Carew joined Aergo Capital in 2016 as Head of Commercial Operations. Lorraine brings over 30+ years’ industry experience having previously worked with Volito, Babcock & Brown, Pembroke and FPG Amentum. Lorraine started her aviation career at GPA (Guinness Peat Aviation) and was a founding member of Pembroke Capital (now Standard Chartered Bank Aviation Finance). She holds a BA (Hons) in Business Management from the Irish Management Institute.

John Hamilton is a Chartered Engineer and currently the Managing Director of the Polish subsidiary of PM Group. PM Group is Ireland’s largest engineering and construction services provider. John has over 30 years’ experience working in the engineering and construction industry focused on delivery of complex capital projects as well as having P&L responsibility for various units of PM Group’s business. He has lived and worked in the UK, Poland, Russia and Ukraine and is currently based in Ireland. He has worked on projects such as the Aviva stadium and Pier D at Dublin airport but his particular area of expertise is business delivery in Central and Eastern Europe.

John hold’s primary and Master’s degrees in engineering from Trinity College Dublin and an MBA from UCD Smurfit School.

Lisa is the Head of Operations in IAASA (Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority), responsible for the examination of the level of compliance of certain entities’ annual and half-yearly financial reporting with applicable financial  reporting standards, the quality assurance of public interest entity auditors and audit firms, and for the supervision of the regulatory activities of the six prescribed accountancy bodies in Ireland. 

Lisa also chairs the Audit and Risk Committee of the National Council for Special Education. Lisa is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland and  joined IAASA in 2015. Prior to this, Lisa spent 12 years with PwC providing audit services. Lisa also acted as examiner and moderator for Chartered Accountants Ireland for several years, in the Auditing Cap 2 exam, the Auditing FAE Elective and FAE Core examination.

Michael O’Mahony is a Governor in the Irish Prison Service, with over 20 years’ experience in operational settings.

Currently posted to the state’s biggest prison, the Midlands Prison, with responsibility for coordinating services to optimise offender outcomes. He was previously Governor of the Prison Service Escort Corps, with overall responsibility for prisoner escort security, planning & logistics, and coordination with prisons, courts, police and military.

He was instrumental in the design and innovative operational development of the videolink system across the Justice sector and pivoted the system to significantly increase utility at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic while maintaining compliance with relevant legislation and infection control measures, maximising strategic delivery alongside lean efficiencies.

He holds an honours degree in Management Practice from UL’s Kemmy Business School, a Postgraduate Diploma in Strategy, Development and Innovation from UCD’s Smurfit Business Graduate School and his key interests include managing and building efficiencies within the security envelope to provide greater effectiveness and value for money for the State. 

Lisa Cody specialises in marketing and strategic brand management in the FMCG sector having spent 14 years with Unilever and in independent consultancy.

Lisa works with start-ups and brands on an advisory basis, and has chaired and been a Board member, in a voluntary capacity, in not-for-profit organisations.

Lisa has an M.A (Economics and Management) from St. Andrews University Scotland and a post graduate certificate in Creative Thinking, Innovation and Entrepreneurship from the Innovation Academy, UCD (June 2020).

Liz Hoctor is a qualified pharmacist and former President of the Irish Pharmacy Union.

With over thirty years’ practical business experience and over twenty years’ experience in advocacy and negotiation at both political and administrative levels of Government on behalf of the pharmacy profession, Liz has developed in-depth understanding of the Irish, European and International Healthcare Systems.

Having previously owned and operated her own community pharmacy, Liz has expertise in the area of quality assurance and patient safety. Liz was appointed as an independent non-executive director to the board of Uniphar PLC in January 2021 and is a member of the Audit, Risk & Compliance Committee.

Louise Gibson has 20+ years experience in the investment management and financial services industry. 

Most recently she was partner at Mercer Global Investments Europe Ltd where she worked for 11 year and held a number of senior roles.  Prior to this Louise was head of Product at SEI Investments Europe Limited.

Louise holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Politics from University College Dublin and a MSc. in Investment and Treasury from Dublin City University.

Seán Reilly is Assistant Secretary, Head of Corporate Services in the National Shared Services Office which is an organisation of over 800 civil servants providing global business services to 55 public sector bodies, delivering HR and payroll services 145,000 serving and retired civil and public servants issuing payments to a value of €5.5 billion per annum. 

A member of management board with responsibility for Finance and Facilities, HR, Communications and OD, Governance, Strategy and Risk. 

A career civil servant with experience across six departments and offices he previously served in senior leadership roles in the Department of Social Protection as Head of PRSI Policy and Client Eligibility Services, Divisional Manager for the North East and Head of Finance accounting for an annual budget of €19 billion. 

He holds a Masters in Economics and Public Policy from TCD/ IPA and BSc in Management/Advanced Diploma in Marketing Techniques from Trinity College/ TUD. Alumni of Harvard Kennedy School Leaders for Tomorrow Programme.

Brian Fahey is the Chief Executive Officer of MyComplianceOffice, the largest Irish owned RegTech firm.

He has been delivering complex technology solutions for the capital markets industry across US, Europe and Asia for over 30 years. He combines his deep knowledge of GRC for the capital markets industry with his extensive technical experience to deliver industry leading Governance, Risk and Compliance IT solutions to the capital markets industry that can adapt to rapidly changing business and regulatory environments.

Prior to joining MyComplianceOffice, Brian ran a consulting practice for Access Data, a firm that specialized in technology solutions for the investment industry. He also managed investment systems at John Hancock Funds and was CTO for a smaller institutional asset manager.

Brian has a Bachelor of Commerce and Master of Management Science degrees from University College Dublin and has an MBA from Northeastern University. 

Cora Sutton-Smith is a Director of Cronin & Sutton Consulting, who are professional civil and structural engineering consultants operating in the construction industry. 

Cronin & Sutton Consulting provide engineering services for some of Ireland’s most high-profile developments and Cora oversees the operational and administrative aspects of the company. 

Cora has a BA in Microbiology, an MSc in Planning & Development, a CIPD award in Employment Law and is an experienced Project Manager.  

Cora has a special interest in encouraging more girls and women to consider careers in the engineering and construction industry, and the promotion of women to leadership and board-level roles. 

Stephen Woods is Managing Director of NEIL Overseas dac, a speciality insurer of nuclear power and energy risks, having previously held Risk and Engineering roles within the company.

He has over 26 years’ experience in the insurance industry, focused on power and utility and high protected risks.

Stephen holds a Batchelor Degree in Chemical Engineering from Queen’s University, a Masters in Process Safety and Loss Control from the University of Sheffield, and a Diploma in Business Finance from the IMI. 

Lisa is the Head of Operations in IAASA (Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority), responsible for the examination of the level of compliance of certain entities’ annual and half-yearly financial reporting with applicable financial  reporting standards, the quality assurance of public interest entity auditors and audit firms, and for the supervision of the regulatory activities of the six prescribed accountancy bodies in Ireland. 

Lisa also chairs the Audit and Risk Committee of the National Council for Special Education. Lisa is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland and  joined IAASA in 2015. Prior to this, Lisa spent 12 years with PwC providing audit services. Lisa also acted as examiner and moderator for Chartered Accountants Ireland for several years, in the Auditing Cap 2 exam, the Auditing FAE Elective and FAE Core examination.

Anne Deegan has 30 years experience in the financial services industry. Her most recent position was as Managing Director and CEO at SEI Investments Depositary Company, which she established in 2000. Previously she held a similar position with Bankers Trust in Dublin. She worked as an Accountant in London at Touche Remnant & Co. and Kleinwort Benson Investment Management. Anne is a business graduate and an accountant in Business Studies from UCD.

John Dunleavy is Director of HR, Corporate Communications and OD, of the National Shared Services Office (NSSO) in the Irish Civil Service. He leads a cross functional team providing solutions to over 800 staff nationwide with an annual budget of €55m. He is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development and holds an MBA from DCU, and an undergraduate degree from UCG together with a Diploma in Industrial engineering. Previously he was a HR Director of two private healthcare companies, and was a senior HR manager in Intel Corporation for over 12 years, in Ireland, Europe and the USA. He has consulted and assisted global operations internationally by providing the full suite of HR services and solutions.

Simon Geelon is the principal and founder of Geelon & Co, an Investor Relations practice based in Dublin, Ireland.  Geelon & Co. works with public listed companies to assist their investor targeting and investor communications programs. Prior to founding Geelon & Co. in 2010, Simon was a Director of Davy Capital Markets where he advised Asset Managers in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Previously, Simon worked as a Financial Analyst with Citibank in New York and London. Simon holds Bachelor and Masters degrees from Trinity College Dublin where he read Business & Economics.

Mani Janakiraman is Director of an IT Consultancy that specialises in providing innovative solutions on Governance, Risk, Regulation and Compliance projects (GRC) in the Financial services sector. He has proven ability to think and act strategically, translating strategies into prioritised work plans working in complex and challenging environments, his specialism being Digital Transformation through Scrum (Agile) Framework, Product Management and Business Analysis.
Previous experience includes senior project roles with Swiss Investment Banks UBS and Credit Suisse, German Investment Bank Deutsche Bank, Investment firms State Street Global Advisors (ssga), Bank of New York Mellon (BNYM) along with Irish Retail entity Bank of Ireland. Mani holds an Engineering Degree in Electrical & Electronics, MBA (Systems and Finance) apart from several Industry certifications like Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) both from Scrum Alliance & Business Analyst Certification from British Computer Society (BCS). A friendly demeanour and genial nature complements his persona.

James Lidierth is a senior corporate banking professional with extensive credit, customer management and business experience. His most recent role was Head of Credit Risk for the Commercial Banking Division in Ulster Bank.  James was previously a Director in the Corporate Banking unit in Ulster Bank and also held various senior roles in Bank of Ireland. James is a graduate of UCD, Irish Management Institute and The Institute of Banking and currently serves on the Council of the Institute of Banking and as a non executive director / pension fund trustee of a major Irish pension fund.

Cathy Mannion is Commissioner at the Commission for Aviation Regulation. As Commissioner for Aviation Regulation, Cathy sets charges at Dublin airport and licenses airlines, groundhandlers and the travel trade. She looks after consumers if a travel company becomes insolvent and deals with complaints. Previously she worked in CRU, implementing energy policy including opening markets up to competition. She led the National Smart Metering Programme and set up the regulatory framework for water. Previously she worked in ESB and the UK energy industry and has an MBA.

Liz Roche holds the position of Deputy CFO and is a member of the Executive Committee in AXA Life Europe where she has worked for the past 12 years. Prior to this Liz worked in Deloitte as an Auditor. Liz is an experienced finance leader with over 12 years experience within financial services. Liz holds an Honours Degree in Finance and is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

Brian Ryan is a Senior Strategy Manager at ESB helping it transition to a clean energy future.  As part of this role Brian represents ESB on the boards of companies in which it invests.  Brian has over 30 years of wide-ranging experience in the energy sector. He led the Energy Services and Innovation business for ESB’s customer facing Electric Ireland brand and has held various senior roles in ESB ranging from the development of its extensive portfolio of wind generation projects to conventional power station operations. Brian’s initial career was as a lead engineer for GE on the installation of new power plants across the world.  Brian holds a Bachelor of Engineering from UCD and Diplomas in Accounting & Finance and Strategy & Innovation.

Sinéad Ryan advises on strategic projects at Trinity College Dublin and has a background in public policy, higher education and the diplomatic service. She was Secretary to the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland, which reported to Government in 2018. Prior to this, as Director of Internationalisation in Trinity, she was responsible for leading development and implementation of the University’s Global Relations Strategy. Her postings in the diplomatic service included Deputy Ambassador at the Irish Embassy in Madrid and Private Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. She holds a B.A. in International Marketing and Languages from DCU and an M.A. in German from Maynooth University. She is a Board Member and Member of the Audit and Risk Committee of the National  College of Art and Design. 

Alan Smith is Deputy Chief Medical Officer in the Department of Health. He is dual EU certified as a GP and Public Health Physician. He has extensive experience of senior managerial level positions in both the NHS and Irish Healthcare systems including the UK and Irish Departments of Health, the UK Health Protection Agency, the National Cancer Screening Service and St Vincent’s University Hospital Dublin. He has a particular interest in governance, clinical risk management, patient safety, leading and motivating high-performance teams

Matthew Williamson is a financial services consultant and an independent non-executive director to a number of international investment funds. Matthew has over 25 years’ experience within the area of asset management. He was Head of MontLake Management in Ireland and previously held executive positions in Man Group plc in Ireland and Dubai, UAE. Matthew is a member of the Institute of Directors in Ireland and the Irish Fund Directors Association.

Ronan Anderson is a senior communications strategist with over 20 years’  global expertise at blue-chip multinationals and intergovernmental organisations. Most recently, Ronan served as Senior Director, Global Brand Strategy, at US engineering firm AECOM and has led across corporate communications at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and J.P. Morgan. He has also directed external relations and public policy at the United Nations and Airports Council International. Ronan holds a BA Economics and a Diploma in Business Studies from UCD.

Anne Barrington spent 40+ years in the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Taoiseach and at the UN.  She retired as Ambassador to Japan in 2018.  Anne was Joint Secretary in the North-South Ministerial Council, Ambassador to Tanzania, Kenya and Burundi and in Ireland’s Embassy in Washington DC, Consulate General and Permanent Mission to the UN both in New York.  When in Dublin Anne’s positions included Director General Europe Division and Director of the National Forum on Europe.

Jens Bleiel started his career at a management consultant company in Germany. After 5 years, he joined Dutch company Numico holding management and executive functions in the baby food area including Global Marketing Director Infant Milks. 10 years later he joined Dutch multinational DSM as Senior Vice President Metabolic Health Products. From 2009 to 2018, Jens Bleiel was CEO of Food for Health Ireland which combines world-class science of 7 Public Research Organisations and the industry expertise of 5 leading dairy companies in Ireland. Jens is Executive Director of AnaBio Technologies Ltd. of which he co-founder and where he works as mentor and advisor for innovation driven food and food ingredient companies.

Shane Brennan joined EirGrid in 2008 and has held Senior Project Management roles in Grid Development and Interconnection.   He currently oversees the North South Interconnector project for SONI Ltd.   Previously he worked for Intel Ireland in Automation and Manufacturing. He holds an honours degree in Engineering from the University of Ulster, PGD in Environmental Engineering from Trinity College Dublin and is a member of Engineers Ireland.  In 2017, Shane was appointed as a non-executive board member to the board of EirGrid as a representative of the staff. 

Bernadette Carr is Medical Director of VHI Group and executive director of VHI Health Services. She is responsible for purchasing health care for VHI’s 1.1 million members with consultants, hospitals, and nursing homes.  She was a founder director of VHI Health Services and is responsible for VHI’s Hospital in the Home service, VHI screening, VHI Nurseline and VHI’s occupational health service. She qualified in Medicine from UCC, has a doctorate in Medicine from TCD, a master’s in public health from UCD. She is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland.

Fionnuala Croke is an art historian and Director/Chief Executive of the Chester Beatty museum. Prior to this, she was Keeper & Head of Collections at the National Gallery of Ireland. Fionnuala holds an Honours BA (History of Art and Archaeology) from University College Dublin (UCD), a research MA (UCD) and an International Executive MBA from the Smurfit Business School. She is also a graduate of the Getty Museum Leadership Institute in Los Angeles.

Patricia Cronin is an Assistant Secretary and head of Governance and Operations in the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment.  She is responsible for Corporate Services including HR, Finance and Information Systems, managing broadcasting policy and shareholder functions.  Previously, she was head of HR and she managed regulation of the Communications sector.​  She has also worked in the Department of the Taoiseach and in the Revenue Commissioners. 

Patricia holds a masters’ in policy analysis from Trinity College Dublin and a primary degree from the Institute of Public Administration.

Ronnie Downes is Assistant Secretary at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) in charge of Central Expenditure Policy.  He has responsibility for preparing the annual budget, promoting budgetary reforms and public financial reporting and maintaining the Code of Practice for the Governance for State Bodies. Ronnie also manages relationships on matters of public expenditure control and related reforms with the Education and Justice sectors. He was previously Deputy Head of the Budgeting & Public Expenditures Division, Public Governance Directorate, OECD, with responsibility for introducing the OECD Principles of Budgetary Governance. He holds a M.Sc. (Econ.) in Policy Studies from Trinity College Dublin and graduate diplomas in Legal Studies and Accounting.  

Ian Drennan is the Director of Corporate Enforcement. Previously, he held the position of Chief Executive Officer of the Irish Auditing & Accounting Supervisory Authority (IAASA). He is a Fellow of both the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland. He also holds a B.Sc. in Police Leadership & Governance from the UCD and an Advanced Diploma in Corporate, White-Collar & Regulatory Crime from the King’s Inns.

Jane Feighery is Co-founder and Head of Strategy for Books at One. Previous roles included Director of Development at Social Entrepreneurs Ireland, Account Manager for LinkedIn’s Talent Solutions business, and Marketing Specialist in Bord Bia, Madrid. In her current role Jane’s focus is on designing, implementing and managing a model for a financially-sustainable, socially-driven network of bookshops across Ireland. She holds a BA in Modern Languages (French & Spanish) from The University of Manchester, and a Post-grad Diploma in International Business Develoment from DIT.

Georgina Gray is an Inspector in An Garda Síochána based in North Kildare.  She has previously been responsible for the GSOC Liaison Office and the Programme Management office within An Garda Síochána with a particular focus on the modernisation and renewal programme.  Her role involved the provision of technical expertise and knowledge to support and influence the governance framework and processes within An Garda Síochána.  She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Police Leadership and Governance from UCD and a diploma in policing studies.

Breda Horgan is a senior supervisor in the Registry of Credit Unions in the Central Bank, with 18 years’ experience in consumer, enforcement and credit union financial regulation. Breda was also seconded to the Insolvency Service of Ireland for two years from 2014 to 2015. Breda is a Chartered Accountant, LCOI and LIA as well as having completed a diploma In Forensic Accounting from the Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Eileen Jackson has worked in education for over 35 years, 23 of which were in management roles both in the state and private sector, nationally and internationally.  She has held numerous governance roles, including the National Museum of Ireland, CIBE, NCCA, and Children’s Books Ireland.  As well as being a member of various strategic planning groups within the Department of Education and Skills, Eileen has led local and national education-based initiatives.  She is a member of the Junior School Advisory Committee at Alexandra College.  She holds a BEd (Hons) and MSc in Education Management (TCD) and is an accredited mediator (Friary Law and Harvard). 

Miriam Kavanagh is a Chartered Management Accountant (CIMA) and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE). She trained in the Telecommunications Sector in Vodafone Ireland before moving to the public sector in 2008 where she worked as a forensic accountant in law enforcement working on investigations and providing evidence in court. Currently, she works as an Investigative Accountant in the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement.

Joe Kelly is Director of Organisation Support and Development with Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board.  He has significant experience in strategic HRM, organisational effectiveness, change management and business leadership.  He has proven ability to think and act strategically, translating strategies into prioritised work plans working in complex and challenging environments. Previous experience includes senior leadership positions in Microsoft and Coillte. Joe holds a BA, MSc in Organisational Behaviour, MBS in Management Consulting, MBA, Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Science, Higher Diploma in Education.

Aine Kenny is a Medical practitioner and qualified from RCSI Dublin in 1985.  She has been in general practice since 1991 and principal of own practice for the last 20 years.  The practice caters for 8,000 patients dealing daily with patients, hospitals, consultants and with the HSE. Aine is tutor, trainer and examiner in the undergraduate medical school at RCSI.  As part of the continued medical education (CME) programme I attend lectures and conferences both at home and abroad, convene and attend monthly meetings, and work in study groups on individual topics of interest.

Padraig Kenny is Country Director of the business of Royal Bank of Canada in Ireland. Previously, he held similar positions and was responsible for establishing operations in Ireland for a US bank, Bankers Trust; and for an Italian bank, Unicredit; having worked at Bank of Ireland with a focus on asset management and securities services.  A law graduate of UCD, he qualified as a solicitor and worked in private practice, and in legal positions in the IDA and GPA Group.

Kim Lavelle is Board Secretary & Chief Risk Officer at Science Foundation Ireland. She has a broad range of experience in the corporate sector having previously worked for ICON plc and the GSM Association (a Swiss-based trade association).  She has held senior legal advisory in-house roles, working directly with finance and operational teams in particular.  She is a qualified barrister with an LLM in Commercial Law and Post Grad Diploma in Employment Law.

John Loughran is owner/director of award winning 4* Sandymount Hotel, Dublin’s oldest (1955) and largest (190 bedrooms) independent family operated hotel. John is a Business Studies Graduate of Trinity College Dublin and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse. He spent a number of years as partner in Cunningham, Loughran, Marks & Co., and was a board member of Combat Poverty Agency until it’s dissolution in 2009. He is a life member of Wanderers Rugby Club and plays average golf in Milltown Golf Club.

Aoife MacEvilly is a Commissioner for the Regulation of Utilities, with lead responsibility for gas networks, energy consumers and smart metering. She is a member of the All-Island Single Electricity Market Committee and a member of the CRU Risk and Audit Committee. She previously worked in the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment in Energy Policy and Corporate Governance roles. She served as a Director on the Boards of NORA and INPC. She also has private sector experience in Germany, the US and Ireland.

Lucy Masterson is CEO of the Irish Youth Foundation. Previously she was CEO of Charities Institute Ireland. She was a member of the Consultative Panel on the Governance of Charities established by the Charities Regulator and was also a member of the panel advising on the new Charities Governance Code launched in 2018.  She is an award-winning social entrepreneur for the employment initiative Hireland which sparked the creation of thousands of jobs during the recession. She is non-executive director of Champlain College, Dublin. She has a BA & DBS from UCD. 

Fiona Naughton is Non-executive director of the Shareholder Supervisory Board of Glen Dimplex, a director of the Feis Ceoil and director of the Dublin International Piano Competition.  She holds a BA in Economics & Politics from University College Dublin.

Helen O’Neill is a senior policy specialist within the Financial Risks and Governance Policy Division of the Central Bank of Ireland. She has over 20 year’s financial services industry experience including roles in regulatory, business risk, financial reporting and external audit.  Prior to joining the CBI Helen managed a number of board effectiveness and governance reviews of regulated firms. Helen is a Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants (FCCA), holds an Accounting & Finance Degree (DCU) and Professional Diploma in Compliance (ACOI).

Audrey Marie O'Sullivan is General Counsel heading the legal function at SIRO. Audrey is a specialist in tech law, commercial contracting, corporate governance and data protection law. Audrey has skilfully navigated complex legal issues associated with a national infrastructure project and joint venture business.  She has closed out a number of substantial transactions recently with clients including Huawei and Axione and its Irish partner Obelisk.  Audrey holds a BA, Masters in Political Philosophy and Masters in Law from UCD.

Ian Quinn is Chief Operating Officer and Company Secretary with Skillnet Ireland a public body funded via the Department of Education and Skills.  This is the national agency dedicated to the promotion and facilitation of workforce learning in Ireland.  Ian project managed Skillnet Ireland’s compliance with the 2016 Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies.  He qualified as a Certified Public Accountant in 2000 and he has experience of public practice, commercial business and the not for profit sector where he was Head of Finance with a national disability service provider for over 8 years. 

John Smith is the Deputy National Director of Health Business Services (HBS) in The Health Service Executive (HSE). The division provides high quality business services and solutions globally across the health sector. Prior to the Health Service he worked with Aer Lingus where he held positions in Flight Operations Management, Human Resource Management, Industrial Engineering, Ground Operations and Finance.   John is a qualified Industrial Engineer and an Executive Coach and he holds a Bachelor of Business Studies Degree.

Samantha Taylor is Company Secretary and leads the National Information and Advice Services department in The Alzheimer Society of Ireland.  Samantha has over 13 years’ experience in the charity sector, with extensive service development, strategic planning, stakeholder engagement and operational management experience.  She holds a BA in Economics & History and a MA in European Studies from UCD and a Diploma in Public Relations.  She is a member of the Public Relations Institute of Ireland and the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators.

Ailish Tierney is the Governance Executive in Engineers Ireland, the professional body for engineers in Ireland. She is responsible for the management of Engineers Ireland’s governance processes including Council, Executive Board, Dispute Resolution Board, Accreditation Board and the management of the Ethics & Disciplinary complaints process.   Previously, Ailish worked as a Policy Researcher in a Brussels consultancy firm. Her role here entailed developing public policy and advocacy strategies for existing and anticipated legislative dossiers and liaising with MEPs.  Ailish has also spent time working with an MEP in the European Parliament, where she gained insight and expertise in the workings of the EU Institutions. She holds a BCL Hons (Law and Society) 2012.

Suzanne Tracy is Chief Technology Officer in SIRO and is a member of the SIRO leadership team.  Suzanne drives the selection, design and delivery of the SIRO infrastructure and rollout across network & IT including the in-home installation for customers and end users. Suzanne has 20 years’ experience in Technology & Engineering and delivered a number of complex infrastructure consolidation and off-shoring projects for Vodafone Group Technology across a number of markets in Europe. 

Rhian Williams is Corporate Services Director at HEAnet CLG, which provides internet connectivity and associated information & communication technology (ICT) services to education and research organisations in Ireland, including primary and post-primary schools.    She has responsibility for corporate governance, financial services, procurement, contract management, risk management and compliance.  She is company secretary for HEAnet and its subsidiary company, EduCampus Services.  As a graduate of Aberystwyth University, a chartered member of CIPD and a Fellow of IATI, Rhian has over 30 years’ experience of working in corporate services. 

Wil Byrne is an entrepreneur and professional non-executive director. He has a strong background in real estate, strategy, technology, economics and business management. He is the principal of Wilton Private, a private equity firm based in Dublin and Chicago focused on the real estate, telecommunications and gaming sectors.  He holds a BA (Hons) Economics & Anthropology and an MA (Hons) Economics & Finance from NUI Maynooth.

Sinéad Critchley

is Director of University Governance at University College Dublin (UCD), with over 16 years of experience in Higher Education leadership and management roles.  In her current role, she heads up the unit that provides company secretariat support to UCD Governing Authority, Academic Council, University Management Team and their sub committees. She has specific responsibility for the development and implementation of overarching governance and institutional policy frameworks.  She holds a BSc (Hons.) and a PhD in Science (Microbiology) from UCD.

Niamh Duddy

is Company Secretary and Head of Company Secretarial at Investec Ireland with responsibility for Corporate Governance and Company Law Compliance across the Irish group.  A key advisor to the Boards of Directors she has extensive experience in the development and management of corporate governance frameworks, monitoring and mitigating corporate governance risks, and the development and enhancement of board processes and controls.  Prior to joining Investec, she held senior positions with Prudential Plc and Wilton Group. Niamh holds an Honours Degree in Business & Law, is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Council Member for ICSA Ireland, and is a Licentiate member of the Association of Compliance Officers Ireland. 

Paul Duff

has spent 27 years working in the IT and Business Consulting business with a focus on the Health and Public Sector markets.  In recent years he led the Irish Government Advisory teams for both Accenture and EY where he was responsible for a mix of Sales and Delivery activities.  He supported the implementation of many complex IT-enabled change programmes for Government clients in Ireland.  He also has international experience from more than 2 years working with a variety of clients in Southern Africa.  Paul holds a B Comm and an MBS from NUIG.  

Colm Eustace,

B Ag Sc, MBA, has been CEO of Glanbia Agribusiness, a business unit of Glanbia plc and recently Glanbia Ireland DAC since 2005.   Prior to 2005 he held other senior management positions within Glanbia Agribusiness.  He is currently a non-executive director of The Malting Company of Ireland, South East Port Services Ltd., Grassland Fertilisers (Kilkenny) Ltd. and Co-operative Animal Health Society Ltd.

Fintan Fanning

is an Assistant Commissioner in An Garda Síochána.   Fintan completed Police management training with the Institute of Criminology in Cambridge; French Police at L’Ecole Nationale Superieure de la Police de Saint- Cyr, Au Mont D’OR, Strategic Command Course at Bramshill and TOPspoc in Police Leadership in the EU.  Fintan holds an MA in Irish History,  LLM – Masters Degree in Law, MSc Police Leadership, MBA, LLB - Bachelor of Laws.  He holds Post Graduate Diplomas in Employment Law, Executive Leadership, International Arbitration, Advanced Management, Conflict & Dispute Resolution Studies, Project Management and Management Information Systems.

Níall Fitzgerald

is a Chartered Accountant, Chartered Tax Consultant and holds an M.Acc from NUI Galway. Having previously worked in the US with McKinsey & Co he has over 14 years’ experience providing professional and management solutions through international and domestic roles held with PricewaterhouseCoopers and Chartered Accountants Ireland. He is currently Head of Ethics and Governance in Chartered Accountants Ireland, a professional membership body representing over 26,000 Chartered Accountants across the globe.

Jessica Fuller,

MA, BA, HDip., is a member of the senior executive team at the Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design & Technology. She is responsible for Enterprise & Innovation, Research, Internationalisation, Fundraising and Stakeholder Engagement. She has a track record at the forefront of the convergence of cultural, media and technological developments driving enterprise, cross-sectoral partnerships and research. She is experienced in private, public and charity sectors in company ownership, senior executive and management roles in the creative industries, digital media, technology and the education sectors. She is Founder-Director of Platform Ireland and is a qualified piano teacher.

Gillian Harford

is Head of Diversity & Inclusion with AIB.  She has been responsible for a range of progressive HR policies and career and reward systems with particular focus on Culture, Diversity and Agile Work.  Gillian also works with the 30% Club and has a particular interest in Women on Boards.  She holds a BA Economics and Psychology and an MBA from Michael Smurfitt Business School UCD.  She is a fellow of CIPD, a fellow of the Institute of Bankers and a member of the Board of Beaumont Hospital.

Joanna Holly

has a wealth of experience in the education management industry.  Since 2006, Joanna has been Deputy CEO of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland bringing with her a strong background in strategy development, organisational planning, change management, digital transformation and business development.  She worked at Boston University Medical School and Harvard Medical School, at MMC Commercials Ltd and Trinity College Dental School and Hospital. Joanna holds as a Master of Science in Organisational Behaviour from Trinity College Dublin.

Maurice Keane

is an experienced CEO / Programme Director with Glanbia plc. He has held senior executive level roles in EMEA and USA. Maurice has significant experience managing and leading a variety of companies, including both large greenfield start- up and rapid growth businesses and in business turnaround and transformation. He held director roles in both commercial and in not for profit companies. He holds a B Agr. Sc and MBA from UCD and has completed the IMI Senior Management Programme and the MII Marketing programme.

Yvonne Keaveney

is Head of Operations and Outsourcing for Prudential International Assurance. She has over 25 years’ experience in sales, operational and executive management roles in Ireland and The Netherlands for FTSE 100 financial services, communications and business process outsourcing companies. Yvonne is a graduate IMI and DIT and holds diplomas in executive business management, financial services and international life insurance. She was a board member and vice chairperson of the Contact Centre Managers Association (CCMA) and was made a fellow in 2012. She is chairperson of the Irish Contact Centre and International Shared Services Awards judging panel.

Caron McCaffrey

is Director of Corporate Services in the Irish Prison Service with responsibility for Governance, Legal and Professional Standards, Compliance and ICT.  Caron is an experienced Director with strong managerial and organisational ability operating in a complex and challenging environment.   Previous responsibilities include management of the Human Resources function for over 3,000 staff across 12 institutions in the Irish prison system.  Caron’s holds an Advanced Diploma in Applied Employment Law, MA in International Relations & a BA in English and History.

Colin McMahon

is a board certified paediatric cardiologist. He graduated from UCD in 1994. He completed membership training in general paediatrics in Ireland before moving to London, Houston and Boston for paediatric cardiology training. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians Ireland and the U.K, Fellow American Academy of Paediatrics, Fellow American College of Cardiology and Fellow American Heart Association. He was made Associate Professor in UCD in 2016. Colin completed Executive MBA at UCD prior to undertaking the Diploma in Corporate Governance. 

David McMahon

is CEO of the Irish Skin Foundation (ISF), a non-governmental organisation supporting people with skin disorders in Ireland.  Previously he was COO with the ISF, after working in healthcare advisory with marketing and communications group Publicis, in government relations and public affairs with Diabetes Ireland, the Department of Health and in Oireachtas Éireann. David holds an MA in history and a diploma in law from Kings Inns. 

Emer Mullen

is COO and co-owner of Sabeo Group.  She is a Fellow of Certified Accountants who has worked with Guinness, IBM Ireland and Cap Gemini Ireland in various senior financial and operational roles.  Emer, along with her partners, established Sabeo in September 2000.

Hilary Murphy-Fagan

is the CEO of the National Shared Services Office (NSSO) in the Irish Civil Services. She created the NSSO, and transformed the delivery of shared service in the Irish Public Service. She leads a team of around 800 staff with an annual budget of €55m. She holds an MScOB from Trinity College, and an undergraduate degree from UCD. Previously she was a Director at Oracle Corporation for EMEA, and has consulted and assisted global corporations around the world to transform their service delivery models through innovation and technology. 

Paddy Naughton

is CEO of EduCampus Services, a provider of IT shared services to the Higher Education sector.  Previously he held Senior IT Management positions with CRH Computer Services.  He has experience in the leadership of large scale business transformation programmes and with the provision of shared information services.  His focus is on the delivery of quality shared business solutions through the adoption of cloud technologies, incorporating software as a service best practice. He focuses on information security, regulatory compliance and strategic risk management.

John V. Nolan

is the IDA (Ireland) Solicitor.  He has practised as a solicitor since 1988. He was previously in-house solicitor to Enterprise Ireland and, before that in private practice he served as solicitor to the Lindsay Tribunal and the Barr Tribunal respectively.  He has tutored on State Aid law at the European Institute of Public Administration in Maastricht. He holds BCL and LLM (Commercial law) degrees from UCD.

James Nugent

is executive chairman and former MD of Lisney, Ireland’s largest independently owned commercial and residential estate agent.  He has personally represented numerous corporate clients including Central Bank of Ireland, Wells Fargo, Mercer, Mediolanum, MasterCard and Citi.  He has a BSc from Oxford Brookes University and a Diploma in Auctioneering, Estate Agency & Valuations from Bolton Street DIT.  He is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Society of Chartered Surveyors in Ireland.  He has previously been a non-executive director of Dublin City Business Improvements District (t/a ‘Dublin Town’).

Marion O’Brien

is the Chief Governance and Strategy Officer and Group Company Secretary at DAA, the owner and operator of Dublin and Cork airports and retail and airport management businesses in a range of international locations.  Marion holds BA and MBS Degrees, is a Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants (FCCA) and has held a number of senior financial, HR, commercial, regulatory and governance roles.  Marion is a Director of DAA subsidiary company boards and a member of the Dublin City University Audit Committee.

Eimer O’Rourke

has spent more than 15 years in the representational sector, liaising with senior banking executives and senior policy makers. As Director – Retail with the Irish Banking Federation, she developed significant expertise in analysis, influence and implementation of regulatory, legal and strategic change arising at both domestic and EU level.  She was a non-executive Director of Investor Compensation Co Ltd, a member of the Dormant Accounts Board, and a member of Executive Committee of European Mortgage Federation. She holds a BA in psychology and MBS in financial services from UCD. She joins the Board of St John of God Community Services clg in March 2018.

Maureen O’Sullivan

is a civil servant currently serving as Registrar of Companies. She previously held a number of senior roles in the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation in the Industrial Relations, Labour Market Policy, Human Resources and Workplace Relations areas.

She holds a Bachelor of Business Studies degree and Certificates in Public Management and Public Sector Human Resources from the Institute of Public Administration.

Sheenagh Rooney

is a Director with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities and a member of the CRU Senior Management Team. She is responsible for the CRU's Water Division which oversees and regulates the activities of Irish Water and in advising the Minister for the Environment.  As Director of the CRU Operations division Sheenagh is responsible for CRU Finance and Procurement, Human Resources, IT, CRU communications and Corporate Affairs. Previously Sheenagh was Director of Energy Safety. Sheenagh also worked as a Consultant Economist. She has a degree in Economics and Law from NUIG with a Masters’ in Economics.

Pat Sheahan

is CEO and Secretary of North Cork Co-operative Creameries Ltd  having previously worked for Kerry Group Plc. He is responsible for formulating and implementing Business Strategy with focus on business development, product quality, operational excellence, innovation, mergers and acquisitions, people and culture. He sits on The Board of Ornua, The National Dairy Council and Moorepark Technology Ltd; (Audit Committee Chair). Pat holds a B.Sc in Dairy Science from U.C.C. and has completed Executive Leadership Development Programmes at Ashridge Business School London, IMD Lausanne Switzerland and the IMI.

Patrick Spain

is Managing Director of Grenke Finance plc the treasury division of Grenke AG, a German publicly listed leasing, banking and invoice financing company.  He was CFO of private equity group, Allen McGuire.  He has worked as finance director of Broadlake Capital and as a director of Beltrae partners. He worked as a tax consultant in Arthur Andersen and in finance for Unilever.  He is a Chartered Accountant who qualified with KPMG, holds a Bachelor of Business Studies from Trinity College Dublin and is a Chartered Tax Advisor. 

Maura Toles

is Finance Director and Company Secretary for John Sisk & Son, Ireland’s premier Construction company. Her role incorporates the company’s interest in Ireland, UK and Europe.  She serves on various boards within the group. Maura has had a varied financial career spanning several key sectors – namely Retail, Entertainment, Technology and most recently Construction. Maura holds a BA, BBS and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

Claire Byrne

is CEO of St Raphael’s Garda Credit Union, Ireland’s largest credit union.  Previously she worked in financial services and held many senior positions including Head of Mortgages with Permanent TSB and Country Leader for a business division within GE.  She has extensive experience in change management, driving business growth and strategic planning.  Claire holds an honours BBS and an MBA from DCU.  She is a member of the Personal Financial Planning Advisory Board with the National College of Ireland.

Sean Casey

is an experienced financial services Director who has been CEO and CFO of one of Ireland's largest financial institutions, New Ireland Assurance Company, over many years. He has acted as President and Board member of Insurance Ireland, the representative body of the insurance sector. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries in Ireland and a Chartered Director of the Institute of Directors.

Fergus Clancy

is Principal of FC Advisory Limited, a small firm that advises on governance and/or strategic direction.  He is also Non-exec director and shareholder of Mater Private Group and of shareholder of CareChoice, Non-exec director of Pieta House,  Non-executive chairman of Gaelic Players Association and Member (non-exec director) of the Irish Medical Council.   He was previouslyDirector of Marsh Ireland, Managing Partner of Circa Consulting, CEO and Exec Chairman of Mater Private Group, Non-exec director RSA Insurance, Non-exec chairman of i360 Medical and of  Clatterbridge Private Clinic and the Private Hospitals Association.

Karen Cohalan

is a Chartered accountant and holds an MBA from Henley Business School. She spent 7 years with PwC managing the outsourced accounting functions of multinationals such as DuPont, PepsiCo and United Distillers. Later she managed the tax and legal financial services industry practice in Poland and set up a new service line, Global HR solutions.  She currently heads up the Direct Equity, Commercial Evaluation and Legal teams in Enterprise Ireland. 
The team invests in approximately 300 companies annually and manages an equity portfolio of approximately €300m. 

Ray Doyle

is the Livestock and Environmental Policy Executive for ICOS, the Umbrella body for Agricultural Co-operatives in Ireland. He holds both a bachelor and master’s degree in agricultural science from UCD. He has wide experience in the Agribusiness and Agrifood sectors with extensive experience in sales and global trading of animal feed commodities, edible oils and fertilisers. He represents ICOS on several European commission working groups for beef, lamb and livestock. He advises member Co Ops on environmental issues such as the use of veterinary medicines, climate change, carbon trading and GM feed products/issues.

Angela Dunne

is National Director of Midwifery – Women and Infant Health Programme at the HSE. Her previous role was Director of Midwifery and Nursing Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise from March 2014 – April 2017. Prior to this she was Assistant Director of Midwifery Coombe Women and Infant University 2006-2014. She holds a Master in Health Service Management and BA in Business Studies and Healthcare Management.

Niall Fenton

is Managing Director, Europe at Lotus Capital. Previously he ran Private Equity Investments structuring financings in technology and real estate in US, UK and Ireland. He is Chairman of the Irish International Business Network, a  member of the Global Irish Economic Forum and serves on the Advisory Board of Next-Gen Ventures, a US venture capital firm. Niall holds a B.Comm. and an M.B.A. from UCD.

Siobhan Gormley

is the CEO of JP Morgan’s Fund Administration Companies  in Ireland.  Previously she was a director of J.P. Morgan Bank (Ireland) plc.  She has worked in the Financial services industry for over 25 years, with experience in Fund Administration and Global Custody.  Siobhan has a BA in Financial Services from UCD.  She is also a member of the 30% Club, which promotes women in senior management and boardroom positions.

Nicola Hayes

is Assistant Principal Officer in the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport with responsibility for road traffic legislation and policy development for road safety including intoxicated driving, driver licensing and testing, traffic and parking and for the corporate governance oversight of the RSA and the Medical Bureau of Road Safety.  She previously worked in the aviation, public transport and energy sectors.  She served as the Department’s Transport Attaché to the Irish Permanent Representation in Brussels.  She is a member of the board of the Medical Bureau for Road Safety.  She holds a Bachelor Degree in Business Studies.

Séamus Hughes

is General Manager of a US subsidiary, Zeus Industrial Products (Ireland), Limited. This family owned company is a precision fluoropolymer extrusion company supplying the EU market in the areas of medical, automotive and aerospace applications. He joined the company in 1999. He holds a Bachelor of Science, Diploma in Business Studies and a Masters in Business Administration all from University College Galway.

Mark Keating

is a qualified accountant with over twenty years’ experience in senior finance positions within international property, wealth management and consultancy sectors. As a CFO to entrepreneurs and family offices he has led the corporate set up, financial restructuring, operations and risk management of new businesses. Previously, Mark was Director of Finance within Accenture Plc and Group Finance Controller for the ILP Group Plc.  He is an independent director with a number of domestic and international property and financial services organisations . Mark is a Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants (FCCA).

Senan Largey

is an independent Information Security Specialist. His background is thirty years in IT sales. A strong interest in leading edge technologies lead to Angel Investing in start-ups, primarily in the UK as well as co-founding a start-up. He migrated to information security via an investment in a DDOS mitigation start up and complemented that with CISSP, CSSP and Ethical Hacking accreditation. His interest today is in translating the technical pieces behind information security into risk management, audit committees and board level business conversations.

Brendan Lenihan

is Managing Director of Navigo Consulting, specialising in strategy and business planning, corporate governance and navigating significant change. His previous professional roles include Group Finance Director of a multinational property company, principal of a boutique consultancy practice and Partner with Andersen. He holds a Batchelor of Commerce degree from UCC, a Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Accounting from UCD, is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland and is a former President of the same Institute.

Katherine Licken

is Secretary General at the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. Prior to her appointment to this role in January 2017, Katherine was Assistant Secretary in the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment with responsibility for telecommunications market interventions, including the National Broadband Plan, EU and national telecommunications and internet policy, cyber security, the National Digital Strategy, and the Emergency Call Answering Service. Previously she worked in the Energy area of the Department and as Departmental Press Officer, Private Secretary and Policy Advisor.

Declan Lynch

is CEO, Elavon, since 2006. Elavon is a fully chartered Irish bank which is a wholly owned subsidiary of U.S. Bank.  He has over 25 years of experience in international financial services with corporations in Europe and the United States. Prior to joining Elavon in 2006, Declan was Executive Vice President of Demica, CEO and founder of Vtreasurer, European Treasurer for Novell Inc., and held similar senior treasury roles at GE Capital and IBM. Declan is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland and a graduate of University College Dublin.

Nicholas MacShane

is Head of DB Portfolio Management, Irish Life Investment Managers (ILIM). Nicholas joined ILIM in 2001 as a Senior Portfolio Manager with responsibility for the Irish Life Assurance relationship. In 2005, Nicholas was appointed to the Institutional Portfolio Management team and in 2012 was appointed Head of DB Portfolio Management.  He has over 21 years’ experience in the financial services industry working with Progressive Life Assurance and Irish Life Assurance.  He holds a BA in Economics and Computer Science from UCC, a MSc. in Investment and Treasury from DCU and a MBA from the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business.

Cormac McConnell

has a background in public policy making, advocacy, occupational psychology, personnel management, industrial relations, conflict resolution, and leadership.   He has an MSc (Econ), and a Postgraduate Diploma in Statistics from TCD,  a B.A. in English & Psychology from UCD, and a B.A. in HRM from NCI. He has a Professional Diploma in Counselling from MU, and an Advanced Management Diploma from UCD.  He recently set up Common Good International having previously worked in the Rehab Group, Aer Lingus, Ibec, the Irish ProShare Association, the Department of An Taoiseach, and the Irish Jesuits.   He is a former board member of the Eurofound, and is a fellow of the CIPD, and the Royal Statistical Society.

Deirdre McKenna

is the Manager of the Secretariat and Governance function at the Central Bank of Ireland. In her current role, she heads the unit that provides company secretariat support to the Central Bank Commission and its sub committees. Her role also involves the provision of technical expertise and knowledge to support and influence the Governance framework and processes in the Bank to ensure they operate to proper standards and that the Bank operates in accordance with best practice.  Deirdre’s background includes roles in procurement compliance, audit and IT.

Helena Mitchell

is the Head of Consumer Protection: Supervision Division in the Central Bank, with over 20 years’ experience in Central Banking/ Financial Regulation.  Helena also worked in the European Central Bank in Frankfurt for a number of years, while seconded to its Internal Finance Directorate. Helena is a Chartered Banker, LCOI and also holds a number of other qualifications from the Institute of Banking.

Simon Moores

is Director of Finance  at St James’s Hospital Dublin, with responsibility for over €430m gross expenditure.  He has expertise in the leadership of complex strategic organisational change and financial management, securing patient outcomes. Prior to his current role, he was Director of Finance at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin, where he presided over all financial aspects within the hospital. Simon holds an MBA from Michael Smurfit Business School, UCD and is a Chartered Management Accountant (GCMA).

Gerard M Morrissey

is Non-Executive Director of Lagan Hibernian Ltd and its subsidiaries and Trustee of Construction Executive Retirement Savings.  He has been Finance Director for Mercury Holdings, Ireland's largest building services company and its subsidiaries over a period of 25 years, involving extensive international work in UK, Poland, Russia and Gulf States.  He is a Fellow of Chartered Certified Accountants.

Alan Mulligan

is a career civil servant.  He worked in a wide variety of sections in the Department of Social Protection before moving to the Department of Justice in 1998.  There he was the Press Officer for the Minister and the Department and later became programme Manager for the Minister.  In 2006 Alan joined An Garda Síochána as its first Director of Civilian Human Resources. Alan has an MA in Public Management from the Institute of Public Administration.

Brian Murphy

is a Commerce graduate of UCD , has completed the CIMA professional exams and has spent most of his career in international Banking. This included spells as a VP with Citibank in Corporate Finance (Middle East) and Treasury/Capital Markets/Banking in Ireland followed by spells as CEO of ABN Amro Bank in Scandinavia and Ireland. Currently he runs the NDFA, part of the NTMA, responsible for PPP Procurement and Project Finance advice. He was founder Chairman of the Netherlands/Ireland Business Association and former Chairman of the Ark, a culture and arts centre for children in Temple Bar. He is currently member of the Council of the British-Irish Chamber of Commerce.

Patricia Murphy

is an Assistant Secretary in the Department of Social Protection and a member of the Management Board.  She has responsibility for Human Resources, Industrial Relations and Facilities Management,  covering 7,000 employees and 300 locations.  She also has responsibility for Business Information Security and Corporate Services.  Previous  roles in the Department included pensions policy development and development of the Public Service Card.  She is a former member of the Pensions Board.  She has a B.A in Public Administration and an M. Sc. (Economics ) in Policy Studies from Trinity College. 

Mary O'Connell

is a director of the Prize Bond Company. She holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from UCD and an MBA from Erasmus University, Rotterdam. She has worked with all divisions in FEXCO on developing their strategic plans, led the New Ventures Group and also worked on a number of strategic acquisitions. Prior posts included post in Sales and Marketing with Client Solutions Ltd., and a Database Marketing Consultant with Ogilvy & Mather Dataconsult in the Netherlands. She was Chairperson of the Irish Orienteering Association from 2012 – 2015 and Treasurer from 2007 – 2010.

Emer O'Flaherty

is a Credit and Risk professional and former senior manager with Bank of Ireland. She has a wide range of skills in the financial sector acquired over 40 years’ experience in retail banking, business banking and in risk analytics.  Her main areas of interest are impairment and credit risk modelling as well as policy and process documentation.  Emer is a Chartered Banker and qualified from UCD and the Institute of Bankers with the Bachelor in Financial Services degree. She has previous board experience with International Services Ireland.

Noreen O’Hare

joined Microsoft in November 2013 as Services Director and member of the Microsoft Ireland Leadership team.  She has 30+ years' experience in the ICT sector in sales, operational and executive management roles in Ireland, The Netherlands and Belgium for both blue chip IT and Telecoms companies and technology start-ups. Noreen holds a degree in Computer Science from Trinity College Dublin and an MBA.  She is a member of the Apprenticeship Council since 2014.

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

in a member of Seanad Éireann. He served as a Dublin City Councillor from 2004 to 2011 and a Teachta Dála for Dublin North Central from 2011 to 2016. He was appointed Minister of State for Equality, New Communities and Culture in July 2014 and as Minister with responsibility for the National Drugs Strategy in 2015.  A primary teacher by profession, he taught in St Laurence O'Toole's GNS, Sheriff Street, Dublin 1. He was appointed principal in January 2008.

Ciara O’Sullivan

is a director at Duff & Phelps and provides a range of regulatory and compliance advisory services to regulated firms and investment funds. Prior to joining Duff & Phelps, she worked with a large US global custodian in a number of roles, including Head of Trustee, European Head of Compliance and Head of Global Market Initiative Regulatory Group. Ciara has a Bachelor of Civil Law,is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland, and isa former chair and current member of the Association of Compliance Officers of Ireland’s Funds Working Group.

Teresa Kelly Oroz

is a Head of Regulation and Compliance in Irish Life Health and Company Secretary to GloHealth.    Teresa has been involved in a number of financial services start-ups being on the founding management team of Vivas Health, Insurance Regulatory Capital and GloHealth.   Teresa qualified as a barrister and has a Masters of European Law from the Universidad Carlos III Madrid.

Colin Potts

is Director of Finance & Operations at the Bar of Ireland. A chartered accountant with over 20 years’ experience in senior finance positions across a number of private sector organisations, Colin is currently responsible for finance & operational matters at the Bar, directing all financial planning, management, reporting and legal & regulatory compliance. Colin is also responsible for membership of the Law Library and members business support services. Colin is a Director of the organisation's property and finance subsidiary companies with full responsibility for commercial performance. Colin is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland.

is an Assistant Principal Officer in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform with responsibility for Government Accounting.  She develops and advises on policy for accounting, financial management, internal audit and risk management for central Government Departments and Offices.  Prior to this she held a number of positions in the Department of Finance.  She holds a Bachelor of Business Studies Degree, is a Chartered Management Accountant and has an MA in Public Management.

Kenneth Ruane

is Head of Legal Affairs at An Garda Siochana.  His primary function is to advise the Garda Commissioner and Garda management issues including civil litigation, corporate, employment and European and human rights law.  He was previously a solicitor in the Chief State Solicitor’s Office and a member of the Law Society of Ireland's Litigation Committee from 2007 to 2012. He holds a BA Hons (Law and Economics) NUIG 1993, LLB (Hons) NUIG 1995, Qualified Solicitor, Law Society of Ireland 1998.

Thomas Ryan

is a senior executive with the Irish Farmers’ Association, Director and Company Secretary of recycling company IFFPG and a resource efficiency programme manager. He has considerable experience in public policy and government relations.  Thomas is a graduate of UCD, DIT and the IMI. He holds degrees in agri-food business and property economics and a diploma in business management. He previously worked with Kerry Group plc. He is an associate member of the Society of Chartered Surveyors of Ireland and a member of the Agricultural Science Association and the Irish Environmental Law Association.

John Webb

leads the Risk Optimisation and Insights team in AIB’s Enterprise Risk Management Department.  A Chartered Accountant, he has worked in financial services for over 28 years in Ireland and abroad.  Previous roles in AIB include;  Head of Global Treasury Risk, Head of Treasury in BZWBK (AIB’s subsidiary in Poland), Head of Business Banking Propositions, Head of Lending Products, and Head of Portfolio Management, Corporate & Institutional Banking.  He holds a B. Commerce degree from UCG and has completed post graduate programmes of the Marketing Institute of Ireland and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.  

Gerry Prendergast

is Strategic Development Director for Millennium Park, Naas and is involved in the delivery of a number of residential dwelling schemes in Naas and the greater Dublin region in response to the current residential availability crisis. He has vast experience in the Construction Industry having worked for the Ascon Group for 22  years.  He was part of the senior management team that delivered most of Ireland’s large infrastructural projects over the years of re-developing Ireland assisted by EU funding. Gerry holds a BA in management and an MSc from UCD, and is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Logistics and Transport.