By Business & Finance 
Business & Finance releases the annual CEO 100 list recognising the top CEOs operating in Ireland.
As 2019 draws to a close, it is our pleasure to once again curate and release the annual Business & Finance CEO 100 Index. The Index is an in-depth and impartial look at the best-performing CEOs leading businesses in Ireland today and across 2019 and we take great pride in making sure that this Index is a broad representation of excellence in Irish business, taking in disruptors, innovators and visionary leaders.
It is never an easy task to compile, such is the strength of leadership and world class companies operating on these shores. We have selected but a small sample to profile here, to give a flavour of the variety, the experience and the talent operating in the Irish business community. Looking ahead to 2019 we can only predict that the quality and calibre of the business leaders will continue to go from strength to strength and we look forward to continuing our journey alongside them.
Part 1 (A-C) – Part 2 (C-F) – Part 3 (F-L) – Part 4 (L-P) – Part 5 (P-T)
Christian Kinnear, VP & Managing Director EMEA
Hubspot
Vice President & Managing Director Hubspot EMEA, Christian joined HubSpot Dublin in October 2015 as Director of Sales, where he was responsible for coordinating the company’s sales strategy across key regions. Quickly proving his ability to be a great cross-functional leader, Christian served as HubSpot’s EMEA Managing Director for the past three years, before his latest promotion.
Colin Hunt, CEO
AIB
Colin first joined AIB in September 2016 as managing director of wholesale and institutional banking. Prior to this he was with heading up the Irish operation for Australian banking group Macquarie. A former chief economist at Goodbody Stockbrokers, at a time when it was part of AIB Capital Markets, Colin also previously held the role of special adviser to former ministers for finance and transport, including Brian Cowen.
Colin Meagle, Group CEO
Continuum
Colin Meagle serves as Group CEO of the Continuum Group. The Continuum Group consists of six companies (Continuum, APP.Laud, BXP Software, Continuous Ventures, NTES and Tribe Digital) which provide digital transformation services with complete fulfilment and support.Colin founded Continuum as an attic start-up in Dublin in 2002 which over the last 17 years has grown into the Continuum Group. Prior to Continuum, Colin worked in a number of business consulting and process engineering roles including IBM, Workstations, Calyx and CTI. Roles included Business Process analyst, lecturer, technical architect and Chief Technical Officer. Most of his career involves bridging the gaps between business and technology.
Conor Brennan, CEO
Arachas Corporate Brokers
With more than 10 years experience in the insurance industry in both the UK and Ireland, Conor Brennan has been CEO of Ireland’s fastest growing specialist corporate broker since May 2018.
Prior to this he was with Zurich since 2008, first in Ireland where he rose through the ranks from Director of Broker Distribution to CEO, before moving to head of General Insurance in the UK.
Prior to Zurich, he was Deputy CEO of Chambers Ireland.
Conor McQuaid, CEO & Chairman
Irish Distillers
Conor McQuaid was announced as CEO and Chairman of Irish Distillers effective from July 2018, during a reshuffling and milestone period of growth for the company in the first half of the year.
McQuaid previously served as EVP global business development at the Pernod Ricard. He joined Irish Distillers as regional manager for Southern Europe in 1998, and has worked across the Pernod Ricard conglomerate for almost 20 years.
Dalton Philips, CEO
DAA
Dalton Philips has a wide variety of top-level experience in business including being a former CEO of Brown Thomas and Morrisons Supermarkets. He has worked across retail, innovation, consultancy and transport. He assumed the role of CEO at the Dublin Airport Authority in August 2017 and is leading ambitious plans for the expansion of Dublin Airport, and developing it as a transfer hub.
Danny McCoy, CEO
Ibec
Danny has been CEO of Ibec since 2009. Prior to this he was a senior economist at both the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and the Central Bank of Ireland. He has also lectured at Dublin City University, University College London, Oxford and Trinity College Dublin, and has been a consultant for the European Central Commission and the OECD.
David McRedmond, CEO
An Post
McRedmond was appointed to the position of CEO of An Post in October 2016, for a seven-year tenure. The Dubliner previously headed up TV3 and transformed it into a major player in Irish broadcasting, prior to its sale to Liberty Global in 2015. The 2017 annual report showed a jump from losses of €12.4m in 2016 to profits of €8.4m in 2017 (against forecast losses of €61m), and volumes in the relaunched parcel business up 30% on the prior year.
Declan McCourt, Chief Executive
OHM Group
Declan McCourt has been leading the luxury car dealership, purveyors of Jaguar and Land Rover in the Irish market, since 1982. Originally based in Walkinstown, OHM Group moved its car division to Baldonnell Business Park in 2003, Declan has also served as chairman of the Mater Hospital Foundation for many years, and was a member of the Bank of Ireland court of directors, the board of Fyffes, Blackrock International Land and the Dublin Docklands Development Authority.
Dee Forbes, Director General
RTÉ
Dee is the first woman to hold the Director General role at RTÉ. Before joining RTÉ she was President and Managing Director of Discovery Networks Northern Europe. After graduating from University College Dublin she moved to the UK in 1989 to begin her career in the advertising agency Young and Rubicam.
Denis McCarthy, CEO
Fexco
Denis was appointed CEO of Fexco in January 2015, having previously held the position of Non-Executive Director. Denis has a degree in Mathematics and founded Annadale Technologies, a software development company specialising in the design and development of web-based transaction processing applications. Denis also founded Aviso, a payments software company.
Derek Kehoe, CEO
BNP Paribas
Appointed as CEO for the BNP Paribas Group in the Republic of Ireland in 2015, Derek has over 25 years’ experience in banking, having graduated from UCD with an Honours degree in Economics in 1987. He joined BNP Paribas in 2002, since when he has held a number of senior roles in capital markets in Dublin and London, before most recently being appointed Deputy Head of CIB in April 2014.
Dómhnal Slattery, CEO
Avolon
Dómhnal began his career in 1989 in marketing with Guinness Peat Aviation and GECAS. 1994 saw him introduce his own company, International Aviation Management Group (IAMG), which delivered aircraft advice and investment-banking services. He was Chief Executive of RBS Aviation Capital from 2001 to 2004 when RBS acquired IAMG in 2001 and continued to be a non-executive director until January 2008.
Donal Murphy, CEO
DCC
Donal joined DCC as Head of Group IT in 1998 having previously worked with Allied Irish Bank plc. He was Managing Director of DCC from 2004 to 2006 and then Managing Director of DCC Energy thereafter. He took over as CEO of the support-services firm in July of 2017.
Eamonn Rothwell, CEO
CG
Eamonn Rothwell was appointed as CEO of Irish Continental Group in 1992. He is a Director of Interferry European Office A.I.S.B.L. He is a former Director of The United Kingdom Mutual War Risks Association Limited, Interferry Inc and The United Kingdom Mutual Steam Ship Assurance Association (Bermuda) Limited. He is a past executive Director of stockbrokers NCB Group. Prior to that, he worked with Allied Irish Banks plc and Bord Fáilte Eireann.
Eamonn Sinnott, Vice President & General Manager
Intel Ireland
Eamonn Sinnott is Vice President, Technology and Manufacturing Group at Intel Corporation and the General Manager of Intel in Ireland. Sinnott joined Intel in 1991 and has held a variety of factory management positions in Ireland and in the USA. Eamonn became the factory manager for the 300mm start-up/ramp of Fab24 in 2001 before taking over as the plant manager in 2006.
Edel Creely, Group Managing Director
Trilogy Technologies
Edel Creely has led Trilogy Technologies to become one of the leading managed services providers across UK and Irish markets. Edel was instrumental in the formation of Trilogy Technologies in late 2009 following the acquisition of IT focus and the merger of Team DBA. She was Chair of the Irish Software Association (ISA) from 2013-2015, and appointed to the board of Ibec in 2015, serving as President for the 2017/18 year.
Edmond Scanlon, Chief Executive
Kerry Group
Edmond joined Kerry in 1996 through the graduate programme from University College Cork. He performed several roles before relocating to the US in 2004, including three years in Commercial Financial Management for the Consumer Foods business. On arrival to the US, he was ultimately promoted to VP Operations for the Supply Chain and Financial functions. He was appointed interim chief executive in February 2017, returning to Ireland after 14 years abroad, and officially took over from Stan McCarthy in October of the same year.
Fergal Broder, Founder & CEO
LotusWorks
LotusWorks was founded by Fergal Broder in 1989 in Sligo. The company has experienced substantial growth over the last five years and has an annual turnover of over €50m. The company employs 520 full-time staff in Europe and the US.
Fergal Naughton, CEO
Glen Dimplex
Chief Executive Officer of the Glen Dimplex Group Fergal Naughton holds a degree in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (Trinity College Dublin, 1998), a Masters of Science (Stanford University, 2000) and a Masters of Business Administration (Harvard University, 2005). He is Chairman of the Provost’s Council at Trinity College Dublin and was the Founding President of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce.
Fiona Flannery, CEO
Depfa Bank
Fiona Flannery was appointed CEO of DEPFA Bank Plc following the transfer of the DEPFA Group to the German state owned FMS-WM in December 2014. Prior to that, Fiona was the Chief Risk Officer at DEPFA Bank plc since April 2010. Since joining DEPFA Bank in 1994 she has held a number of senior positions including Head of Credit Risk & Credit Advisory and Global Head of Public Finance, Corporate & Financial Institutions. Prior to joining DEPFA Bank, Fiona worked at PFIZER International Bank Europe and IIB Bank.
