By Business & Finance 
Pictured (L-R): Deirdre Geaney, Client Services Director and Joanne McEnteggart, Managing Director, First Names Group
Business & Finance highlights notable new appointments at First Names Group, Qualtrics, Arthur Cox, Banking and Payments Federation Ireland, and An Post.
Deirdre Geaney, Client Services Director
First Names Group
First Names Group announced the appointment of Deirdre Geaney as a client services director in its Shannon office.
Prior to joining First Names Group, Deirdre built her career in the financial services division of one of the ‘Big 4’ accounting firms, where she achieved successive promotions culminating in senior management. She has worked on a number of significant banking group audit engagements, as well as providing credit institutions with advisory services including IPO readiness, loan portfolio sales, due diligence, product modelling and data analysis, regulatory assurance, and risk and finance support.
An ACA qualified member of Chartered Accountants Ireland, Deirdre also holds a first-class honours degree in Business Studies and a specialist diploma in Aviation Leasing and Finance, both from the University of Limerick.
In her new role, Deirdre will lead a team of corporate service professionals and work closely with her fellow directors to implement strategic plans and drive business development.
Bertrand Van Overschelde, VP Corporate Sales EMEA
Bertrand Van Overschelde
Qualtrics
Experience management company Qualtrics has announced the appointment of Bertrand Van Overschelde as Dublin Site Leader. In his new role, Bertrand will lead Qualtrics’ Corporate Sales in EMEA and will spearhead the company’s growth plans for the region.
Bertrand joins Qualtrics from Salesforce.com where he served as Area Vice President for Europe, responsible for driving the company’s growth in the region and heading a team of over 200 people.
It follows news earlier this year that Qualtrics intends to add a further 350 jobs in Dublin as it doubles the size of its operations over the next four years.
Gavin Kelly, Chief Executive Officer
Gavin Kelly
Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI)
Gavin Kelly, Chief Executive Officer, Retail Ireland, Bank of Ireland has been appointed President of Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI). He succeeds Jonathon Lowey, Country Manager of Citadel Securities in Ireland, who held the position for the two years 2017-2018.
Since joining Bank of Ireland in 2007, Gavin has held a number of senior management positions. In his current role as Retail Ireland CEO he oversees the provision of banking products and related financial services to personal, business and wealth management customers across Ireland – including consumer and business lending, commercial and asset finance, and general insurance and the New Ireland Assurance Company.
Before joining Bank of Ireland Gavin held a number of senior product and marketing roles in permanent tsb, and prior to this worked in branch banking and marketing with AIB. Gavin holds a Commerce Degree and a MBS from University College Dublin and is a Certified Bank Director from the Institute of Banking.
Padraig McNamara, Postmaster Director
Padraig MacNamara
An Post
Longford Postmaster Pádraig McNamara has been elected as Postmaster Director to the Board of An Post.
Mr. McNamara has been Postmaster at Granard for 22 years and a member of the Irish Postmasters’ Union Executive for 17 years and served as Vice President.
In his role as Postmaster Director he will represent the interests of Postmasters and the communities they serve at the highest level of decision making in An Post.
Five New Partners at Arthur Cox
Pictured (L-R): Parners David Kilty, Órlaith Molloy, Managing Partner Brian O’Gorman, Siobhán McBean, Conor McCarthy, and Olivia Mullooly
Arthur Cox announced the appointment of five new partners at its Dublin office, further strengthening the firm’s expertise in tax, asset management and investment funds, corporate M&A, commercial property and technology and innovation.
David Kilty, Partner, Tax
David advises domestic and international clients on a broad range of tax issues, including those relating to mergers & acquisitions, migrations, restructurings, re-organisations, structuring of intellectual property assets, financing transactions and tax disputes.
Órlaith Molloy, Partner, Commerical Property
Órlaith has broad experience in all aspects of commercial property law and her main focus areas are in commercial conveyancing, landlord and tenant matters and acting for lending institutions in financing commercial property transactions.
Siobhán McBean, Partner, Asset Management & Investment Funds
Siobhán advises on all legal and regulatory issues relating to the establishment, structuring and ongoing regulation of investment funds and fund managers in Ireland.
Conor McCarthy, Partner, Corporate M&A
Conor advises public and private industry-leading Irish and international companies on all aspects of company law. He advises clients on a wide range of corporate transactions including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate finance transactions, cross border mergers, corporate reorganisations and general corporate/commercial law advice.
Conor McCarthy, Partner, Technology & Innovation
Olivia has extensive experience advising on intellectual property, data protection and information technology matters across a range of sectors, such as technology and internet companies, content owners, healthcare industries, retail and consumer industries, education and research.
