By Business & Finance 
Pictured: Lorraine Stack, Risk Management Leader, Europe, Marsh.
This week sees new and notable appointments at Marsh, WF Risk Group, Harvest Resources Limited, Future Planet, Harris Group and Kwayga.
Lorraine Stack, Risk Management Leader, Europe,
Marsh
Marsh, an insurance broker and risk advisor and a business of Marsh McLennan, has announced the appointment of Lorraine Stack as Risk Management Leader, Europe. Ms. Stack is based in Dublin and reports to Christos Adamantiadis, CEO, and Carolina Klint, Chief Commercial Officer, Marsh McLennan Europe.
Marsh also announced that Rob Geraghty has succeeded Ms. Stack as International Consulting and Sales Leader, Marsh Captive Solutions and that Nick Gale has been promoted to Dublin and Isle of Man Captives Operations Leader, both effectively immediately. Mr. Geraghty is based in London and Mr. Gale is based on the Isle of Man; both report to Will Thomas-Ferrand, International Captive Practice Leader, Marsh.
In her new role, Ms. Stack has overall responsibility for Marsh’s portfolio of its largest European clients and supporting them in managing their risk and insurance programmes. She will also work closely with Marsh’s Risk Management leaders to develop a unified client strategy across the region, with a key focus on collaboration and growth to position Marsh as the foremost risk advisor for the future.
Ms. Stack joined Marsh in 1996 and has held numerous senior international positions within Marsh Captive Solutions. She brings over 30 years’ experience in broking and underwriting to the role and succeeds Ms. Klint, who was appointed as Chief Commercial Officer, Marsh McLennan Europe, in 2023. Ms. Stack also retains her position as Chair of Marsh Captive Solutions’ Dublin Captive Management office.
Commenting on Ms. Stack’s appointment, Mr. Adamantiadis said: “Lorraine is widely recognised and respected among her peers as one of the industry’s foremost thinkers on risk and resilience, and how insurance can be used to create a competitive advantage. She is a wonderful addition to the European leadership team and will play a key role in delivering the best of Marsh to our clients across Marsh McLennan.”
Various, Directors,
WF Risk Group
Bruce Low, Managing Director, Kennett Ireland; Richard Willis, Managing Director, WF Risk Group and Wayne Kwan, Sales Director, Kennett Ireland.
Belfast headquartered WF Risk Group, owner of Willis Insurance & Risk Management in Belfast, has appointed two Directors to head up Kennett Insurance Brokers Ireland DAC, situated at the prestigious Dublin address, Merrion Square South.
Already owners of one of the UK’s largest independent and family-owned brokers, the Belfast-based firm has made two strategic appointments in Ireland, Bruce Low, who will take lead as Managing Director, and Wayne Kwan, who will take up the post as Sales Director.
The Group has been doing business in Ireland for over 45 years, and following Brexit they established a regulated entity in Dublin to enable the Group to look after those businesses across Northern and Southern Ireland.
Richard Willis, Managing Director, WF Risk Group said: “The Group has worked for decades in the UK and Ireland markets, and we are delighted to be expanding our presence within the Island of Ireland.
The WF Risk Group has experienced significant expansion over the last four years, both organically and through the acquisition of like-minded companies.
With the recent appointments in Ireland, the Group has developed a robust and respected leadership team, with firms that provide services across Insurance, Risk Management, Wealth Management, HR Consultancy and Employee Benefits.
The Group has over 140 members of staff, across various offices in the UK and Ireland including Belfast, London, Hull, Leeds, and Dublin.
Julie Ryan, Deputy Managing Director,
Harvest Resources Limited
Julie Ryan, Deputy Managing Director, Harvest Resources Limited
Julie Ryan has been appointed to the position of Deputy Managing Director with Ireland’s leading People Development Learning Specialist consultancy, Harvest Resources.
Ms. Ryan moves to the bespoke people development experts from her 33-year tenure at the Irish Management Institute (IMI) where she was as Head of Customised and Sectoral Programmes for 22 years, and, prior to that, led the IMI’s Open and Distance Education portfolio.
Ms Ryan brings more than 30 years’ experience to the role and over the course of her career has pioneered the largest portfolio of sectoral programmes to enhance performance in these sectors through people development – including in sectors such as financial services, hospitality, healthcare, technology, the multinational community in Ireland in partnership with IDA Ireland.
Announcing the appointment, Nicola O’Neill, Managing Director of Harvest Resources said:
“Having Julie join our team creates an exciting and significant opportunity to enhance our client offer and enrich our talented team. Her work to date speaks for itself – she is a stellar performer in our industry and brings her wealth of experience in supporting business growth through people development and performance to the company. Having worked with most of the world’s biggest business schools and world-class thought leaders across Harvard, MIT, Columbia, INSEAD, IMD Switzerland, Julie has a unique understanding of how to nurture and enhance the skills and potential of people in an organisation. Julie purposeful approach focusing on adding real value to client outcomes aligns with the Harvest ethos and culture, she is an excellent match for Harvest.”
Speaking about her new role, Julie Ryan said:
“I am delighted to be joining such a progressive and successful company. Harvest has the agility of a consultancy and the rigour of a business school and it is hugely respected and valued by its customers. Harvest has attracted really smart and experienced people, so I will be working alongside a superb team of professionals. This is a really exciting step for me.”
In her new role, Ms Ryan will lead the Harvest growth agenda, with a client centric focus.
Debbie Power, Chief Commercial Officer,
Future Planet
Irish-developed sustainability AI company Future Planet has announced Debbie Power as its new Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), signalling a significant milestone in the company’s rapid growth journey.
With the SaaS AI platform’s enhanced capability and its growing customer base, Debbie’s appointment further supports Future Planet’s vision to impact sustainability transformation globally.
Bringing over 25 years of expertise, Debbie has held senior roles at prominent companies including Johnson Controls, Vodafone, and BT. Her extensive background spans data communications and IoT across Ireland, Europe, and emerging markets. Notably, her tenure at Johnson Controls, which included roles such as Director of Strategic Accounts & Partnerships, Director of Ecosystems EMEALA, and Digital Solutions Director, saw her at the forefront of the company’s pioneering sustainability solutions. Debbie is an experienced leader in the key areas of strategic planning, organisational development, sales and marketing.
In her new CCO role with Future Planet, Debbie will guide companies on their sustainability journeys and their efforts to tackle the urgent climate crisis. Debbie’s responsibilities encompass all commercial aspects of the business, with her key focus being on adding customer value.
Future Planet was co-founded by software entrepreneur Donal Daly and sustainable supply chain expert Ingrid De Doncker in 2021, empowering companies to achieve their sustainability goals while delivering tangible business.
Speaking on Debbie’s appointment, Donal Daly, CEO of Future Planet said: “We aspire to be the leading sustainability company globally, renowned for our technology capability which reflects the global market requirements across sustainability transformation. Debbie’s extensive experience makes her the perfect fit to propel Future Planet. Her appointment reaffirms our commitment to delivering innovative solutions and driving positive change across the sustainability landscape.”
Debbie added: “Throughout my career, I’ve been passionate about innovation. Now I’m privileged to bring my expertise to the realm of sustainability transformation. Joining Future Planet, with its blend of technological prowess and subject matter expertise, presents an exciting opportunity to make a meaningful impact on ESG requirements and regulatory compliance for companies worldwide.”
Brian Patterson, Group Managing Director,
Harris Group
Pictured (from l-r): Brian Patterson, Group Managing Director; Mark Barrett, Managing Director of Group Franchises; John Keogh, Managing Director of Retail Operations and Denise Harris, CEO and Chairperson.
Harris Group, a private automotive distributor, has announced a number of appointments to its leadership team.
Brian Patterson as Group Managing Director: In his new role, Brian will advise on strategic direction and implementation, motivating the business to meet ambitious growth targets, with the core objective of delivering exceptional customer service in the areas of both sales and aftersales. With responsibility for the company’s P&L, Brian Patterson brings two decades of motor industry experience to Harris Group. His journey began as a technician and over the course of his career he has held numerous international management roles both in Ireland and internationally.
Mark Barrett’s promotion to Managing Director of Group Franchises: Mark will now lead teams in both Ireland and the UK for Harris Group distributed brands, this includes growing MAXUS across right-hand drive Europe, expanding Isuzu in Ireland, and bringing the Higer brand (bus & coach) to the UK market. He will also be responsible for sales and marketing functions for all brands and the development of franchise dealership networks for the company. For more than 29 years Mark has worked in the automotive industry with extensive experience across fleet rental, commercial, HGV and LGV working with some of the leading brands in the world.
John Keogh’s appointment as Managing Director of Retail Operations: In his role, John will be responsible for the ongoing digital transformation of the business positioning it as a best-in-class digitally-lead automotive retailer. He will lead the retail sales and fulfilment teams across vans, bus and coach, parts OEM and aftermarket (CAS division). With a career spanning three decades, John’s first role was as a truck mechanic. A number of sales roles followed, including 18 years with Harris Commercial Motors where he was sales manager. He joins Harris Group from Longhual Commercials.
Barry McGrane’s appointment as Chief Financial Officer: A vastly experienced finance professional, Barry has more than 30 years’ experience working with both Irish and international businesses across multiple sectors, including motor trade, and will be responsible for Harris Group’s finance and IT functions.
Speaking about the new appointments, CEO and Chairperson, Denise Harris, said: “Brian, Barry, Mark, and John bring a wealth of expertise that will be pivotal in propelling Harris Group into a new era of growth and innovation across all our brands. Their leadership sees us poised to elevate our business across sales, aftersales, parts, and distribution, ensuring we remain at the forefront of excellence in the automotive sector over the next 60 years and beyond.”
Located on the Naas Rd. in Dublin, Harris Group is Ireland’s largest retail sales centre for the commercial vehicle sector with marque brands including Isuzu, MAXUS and Higer Bus & Coach. With a substantial parts stockholding the business is also the largest parts distribution centre in the country.
Paul Hourican, Executive Chairman
Kwayga
Kwayga, a B2B private label and trending supplier sourcing engine, transforming supply chain dynamics for food and beverage supermarket buyers and suppliers, has announced the appointment of Paul Hourican as the newly appointed Executive Chairman of the Board. With a distinguished career and a proven track record of leadership in the digital transformation industry, and especially Cloud Based Services, the visionary behind Ireland’s largest IT services company, PFH Technology Group, brings a wealth of experience to his new role, starting in February. Paul was shortlisted for the “EY Entrepreneur of the Year” in 2011 and winner of “Tech Person of the Year” in 2021 from it@cork for his commitment to developing and growing the tech sector throughout his career.
As Chairman, Hourican will play a pivotal role in guiding the company’s overall strategy, governance and direction. His vast experience in the high-tech industry will significantly contribute to the company’s growth trajectory and future accomplishments and is something Kwayga has been targeting in a Chairman.
“Paul is a dynamic global entrepreneur and business leader who will bring to our board a deep understanding in scaling a company successfully, along with significant experience in visionary leadership and strategic insight to guide the overall direction of the company. His wide-ranging perspective will be enormously valuable as we help supermarket buyers and suppliers to embrace a strategy of providing a sourcing reinvention and create 360° value for all our stakeholders,” said Mike McGrath, CEO and Co-founder of Kwayga, on Hourican’s appointment.
“As I step into the role of Executive Chairman of the Board, I am honoured and excited to contribute my experience and leadership to guide the trajectory of this innovative company that is at the forefront of revolutionising the way European supermarket sourcing teams operate and by empowering them with Kwayga’s game-changing technology. Together with the founding team, I am committed to steering the company’s strategy, governance, and direction with a focus on growth and accomplishment. I am confident in fostering a future marked by innovation and excellence”, said Paul Hourican, newly appointed Executive Chairman of the Board.
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