CMO 100

CMO 100 Index Announced – Part 4

By Business & Finance

26 February 2020

Business & Finance release the annual CMO 100 Index recognising the top marketing professionals operating in Ireland.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

The full list is available to download here

Sean O’Connor, Marketing Director

Microsoft

Montana man Sean O’Connor has been with Microsoft since joining in 2007 as a Search Media Analyst, moving through a number of Strategy and Sales roles before being appointed Director of Marketing, leading the Bing Ads Marketing Team for the EMEA region in Dublin. His side hustle, Tavosa Wines, produces about 200 cases of wine annually in Sonoma Valley, California.

Conor O’Donovan, Head of Global Marketing and Corporate Communications

Enterprise Ireland

Conor leads Global Marketing and Corporate Communications at Enterprise Ireland, the Irish Government’s trade and innovation agency. In 2019, EI reported record client employment of 220,000, exports of almost €24bn and was ranked No. 1 in Europe for VC investment by Pitchbook. Since joining in 2015, Conor has led the strategic transformation of EI’s marketing and communications across 33+ markets to support the international diversification of Irish exporters. Conor has developed Enterprise Ireland’s brand which was ranked in the Top 30 of Ireland’s most trusted and reputable brands by Reptrak and EI’s digital footprint which was recognised by the European Commission as an exemplar for supporting SMEs. Conor also manages national communications and marketing for the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) network.

Siobhan O’Dwyer, Global Head of Marketing

Kingspan

An experienced senior executive with an entrepreneurial background, Siobhan O’Dwyer has been with Kingspan since 2015 as Head of Strategic Marketing, and was appointed Global Marketing Director in January 2018. Previously she was VP of Marketing at Nualight, an innovative LED lighting company, and Brand Director with Threesixty, a B2B agency with a focus on food, cleantech and science.

Anne O’Hagan, EMEA Marketing Director

Oracle

With a career spanning 20 years at Oracle Corporation, Anne is currently Marketing Director in the European Digital Marketing team and the lead on B2B automated marketing programs across APAC and EMEA regions. Prior to joining Oracle, Anne was Corporate Communications Manager with Compaq Computer Corporation managing advertising, events and public relations, and worked as Marketing Manager at Acer Incorporated across the UK and Northern Europe regions.

Caitriona O’Kennedy, Head of Marketing Communications

IDA Ireland

Caitriona O’Kennedy is in charge of Marketing Communications for IDA Ireland, the agency responsible for the attraction and retention of foreign direct investment (FDI) into Ireland. This entails working from marketing strategy to implementation. She leads a team of professionals, internally and externally delivering high quality and innovative marketing campaigns across all channels globally. She has a postgrad diploma in digital marketing from the Digital Marketing Institute.

Des O’Mahony, Marketing Director

Musgrave

Des joined Musgrave in 2001 and was previously Head of Marketing Strategy. Prior to joining the Musgrave Group he held roles as a Brand Manager at Connolly’s Red Mills, a Marketing Specialist at Gateway and began his career as a Marketing Executive at Aer Lingus.

Brian O’Neill, Head of Communications, Brand, Sponsorship

Aviva

Brian joined Aviva in August 2018 after 12 years with Friends First Group, most recently as Strategic Marketing Director since 2012, and Head of Investor Relations from 2010 to 2012. Prior to this he was Product & Market Development Director with Prudential Europe. He began his career with Bank of Ireland Lifetime Assurance.

Stefano Pappalardo, Head of Digital & Marketing

GCN

Stefano is the Head of Digital & Marketing for GCN, Ireland’s national LGBT+ press. He joined ahead of its 2017 relaunch and has been instrumental in growing GCN’s online presence. He is responsible for implementing procedures and processes, leading and coordinating all areas of digital and planning high-value, engaging content. He successfully drives content delivery across all digital platforms by creating strategic marketing plans and campaigns, operating closely with the editorial, commercial and events teams. He supervises GCN’s website, ensuring its optimisation to deliver a seamless experience for readers and advertisers. He has also worked on Dublin Pride’s social media strategies.

Áine Plunkett, Lead Marketing Manager

SSE Airtricity

Aine joined SSE Airtricity in 2006 and currently heads up the Marketing Division. Since taking up her role as Lead Marketing Manager in January 2018, Aine has repositioned the SSE Airtricity brand in Ireland with “This is Generation Green”, a leading brand and marketing idea that leverages SSE Airtricity’s unique point of difference. She’s currently responsible for; Brand, Advertising, Digital, Sponsorship, Communications and Marketing Operations.

Aidan Power, Director of Customer, Brand & Marketing

KBC Bank

Aidan has been Director of Customer, Brand & Marketing at KBC Bank Ireland since June 2012. Previously he was Head of Marketing at EBS Limited and a Marketing Manager at Musgrave. Aidan is a member of the Irish Advertisers Association Council and is on the Board of the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland. He is also a Board Director with Enactus Ireland – a social entrepreneurship non-profit. Aidan graduated from UCC with a BComm.

Noel Quinn, Senior Marketing & Media Rights Manager

GAA – Croke Park

Noel has over a decade of commercial sport industry experience and has led the GAA’s national marketing and promotional strategy as Senior Marketing Manager since 2017. Aside from overseeing competition-specific creative and media campaigns, he drove a major Association brand repositioning in 2019 which culminated in the highly regarded “Where We All Belong” brand roll-out. He is also responsible for the negotiation and management of the GAA’s broadcast portfolio (TV, radio & digital) and has oversaw four media rights tendering & selection processes during his tenure in Croke Park Stadium. He acted as the GAA Lead whilst developing and launching it’s global live and on-demand digital match streaming subscription platform, GAAGO.ie, as well as the organization’s ‘GAANOW’ short form platform. He has also previously worked in a sponsorship, licensing, loyalty programme and research capacity.

Suzanne Quinn, Marketing & Digital Director

Woodie’s

Suzanne is Marketing and Digital Director for Woodie’s, the number one garden, home and DIY retailer in Ireland. She has been with Woodie’s since November 2019, having previously been with Tesco Ireland as Head of Brand Propositions and Head of Marketing for Tesco Mobile. With a Masters in Marketing Practice from UCD Michael Smurfit graduate business school she has carved out a career in retail marketing having also held a number of senior marketing positions with Dunnes Stores and Superquinn.

Joe Roche, Head of Marketing

Blueface

Joe Roche has been Head of Marketing at Blueface, a Comcast Business Company Marketing Department since October 2018 having joined Blueface as the Content Manager. Joe and the Blueface Marketing Team have guided the brand through a merger with Star2Star Communications, ultimately leading to an acquisition by United States media and technology giant, Comcast. Prior to joining Blueface, Joe worked as the Content Manager for EI-HPSU, Code Institute and a Music / Sports Journalist for Independent News and Media with an extensive history in PR, copywriting and brand development.

Louise Ryan, Marketing and Communications Manager

Screen Ireland / Irish Film Board

Louise has responsibility for the agency’s marketing and communications strategy. Her focus is the promotion of Screen Ireland’s role to the Irish market and the international promotion of the Irish film, television and animation industry. Louise is Ireland’s representative for the European Film Promotion initiative, a valuable network that promotes our films and talent abroad. She previously held roles across film distribution and production in a number of leading companies, and sat on the board of several industry initiatives.

Naomi Sabherwal, Head of Commercial Marketing

AIG Ireland

Naomi Sabherwal is the Head of Commercial Marketing and Communications for AIG Ireland. She is responsible for various business-to-business marketing activities including media relations, government affairs, thought leadership, digital marketing, broker training as well as commercially leveraging AIG’s local and global sponsorship assets. She holds a degree in Economics, Politics and International Relations from University College Dublin and a Master’s Degree in Marketing from Dublin Institute of Technology.

David Slattery, Head of Marketing

Pinergy

As Head of Marketing for Pinergy, an alternative to the energy market, David Slattery is in charge of the delivery of brand and reputation management, insights and research, traditional and digital marketing, sponsorship rights and activations, and media management. Prior to joining Pinergy in 2017, David was with Bank of Ireland where he worked as Head of Marketing: Business & Private Banking from 2011-2014, and Head of Digital Channels: Wealth Management from 2014-2017.

Michelle Spillane, Marketing & Brand Director

PaddyPower Betfair

Michelle joined Paddy Power Betfair in January 2018 with an impressive resume to her name. She most recently served as Director RTE Global & Marketing from 2014, after spending two years as CMO for Microsoft Ireland. She was Head of Marketing at Bank of Ireland from 2006-2012 and Marketing Director for ITV Worldwide in London from 2003-2006.

Mark Stanley, VP Web Marketing & Marketing Operations EMEA

Salesforce

Mark has been with Salesforce since December 2000, joining the company as Senior Director of Web Marketing. In May 2012, he was made Vice-President, Web Marketing & Marketing Operations EMEA. Before this he held many high-tech roles in Smartforce/Skillsoft, CBT Systems and Gateway. He also volunteers at Citywise Education, Habitat for Humanity Ireland and Room to Read.

Olive Stephens, Director Corporate Communications and Public Affairs

EY

Olive Stephens is the Director of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs for EY. She works with the Managing Partner and other cross-functional leadership teams. She oversees the management and creation of External and Internal Communications for EY Ireland, including media and government relations. Prior to joining EY, she acted as Head of Public Relations and Public Affairs for The Communications Clinic, a leading communications consultancy that specialises in public relations, public affairs, media training, crisis communications and media management.

Claire Sweeney, Product Marketing, Communications and Brand Manager

Flipdish

Claire has more than 15 years experience in digital marketing, brand, content and PR. In 2019, she began her role as Product Marketing, Communications and Brand Manager at Flipdish, a high-growth, B2B tech scale-up in the hospitality industry. Previously she was at B2C tech start-up Homestay.com as Digital Marketing and Brand Manager. Claire holds an honours degree from Trinity College Dublin in European Studies and a Diploma in Communications from Charles Sturt University in Australia. She began her career as a print journalist at Reed Business Information, Australian Consolidated Press and The Times. In her current role at Flipdish, Claire is leading the growth and development of the brand globally.

Nora Torpey, Group Head of Marketing and Communications

RTÉ

Nora joined RTÉ in 2018 as Head of Marketing and Communications, leaving Tesco Ireland after four years as Head of Brand Strategy and Communications. Prior to this she worked in a number of brand manager roles across Coca-Cola Ireland, The Coca-Cola Company and Coca-Cola North West Europe & Nordics.

Claire Totten, Global Brand Manager

William Grant & Sons Ltd

Prior to joining William Grant & Sons Ltd, Claire was Senior Brand Manager for Johnson & Johnson, where she worked on the ‘Oralcare – Listerine’ portfolio. She is now Global Brand Manager in the spirits industry, focused on an Irish Export, Tullamore D.E.W. Irish whiskey. She is responsible for brand building in international markets with particular responsibility for the On Trade sector. Claire holds a BA Hons International from the University of Ulster, Magee.

Niall Tracey, Director of Marketing

Fáilte Ireland

Niall is Director of Marketing for Fáilte Ireland. As well as being responsible for the brands like Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland’s Ancient East, Niall oversees research and insight, and domestic marketing activity encouraging 10.5 million domestic visitors to stay in Ireland for a holiday in 2017. In addition, Niall is responsible for the tourist information network across the country providing face-to-face advice and recommendations to 1.5 million visitors each year. Prior to Failte Ireland, Niall worked with well-known brands including Aldi, Kerrygold, Aviva, SuperValu and Diageo.

Inés Ures, Chief Marketing Officer

Deliveroo

With over 13 years’ marketing experience, Inés began her career with an internship at the Economics Department of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya after which she joined Deloitte to intern as an Analyst. In 2011, she joined Atrápalo as a Project Manager and was promoted to the role of CRM Manager & Marketing Product Owner. In 2016, she took moved to the UK to work as Chief Marketing Officer for Treatwell and in 2019, she took up the role of Chief Marketing Officer for Deliveroo where she leads the company’s demand generation team.

Sarah-Jane Willoughby, Head of Marketing and Sponsorship

IBEC

Sarah-Jane has been Head of Marketing and Sponsorship at business group Ibec since 2014, and is responsible for the organisation’s marketing strategy, brand development, advertising, lead generation activities, digital transformation as well as team development. She was previously Marketing Communications Manager at Deloitte Ireland and has also served in senior marketing roles at Microsoft, Verizon Business and MCI-WorldCom.