By Business & Finance 
Business & Finance is proud to release the annual CMO 100 Index in association with Cvent. The CMO 100 recognises the top marketing professionals operating in Ireland in 2024.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
Siobhan O’Dwyer, Global Head of Marketing,
Kingspan
With a background in Marketing and Business Management, Siobhan O’Dwyer created her own company called Threesixty, an award-winning specialist B2B marketing and branding consultancy that has evolved to become a B2B agency with a focus on food, cleantech and science.
21 years later she is the Global Head of Marketing from Kingspan Group and feels very fortunate to enjoy the rich experience of working in diverse, multi-cultural teams.
Rob O’Keeffe, Head of Marketing, E-Commerce & Digital at Tirlan,
Tirlán
Rob O’Keeffe is Head of Marketing, E-Commerce & Digital at Tirlán, formerly Glanbia, a nutrition business with a network of over 6,000 family farms. O’Keeffe has over 20 years of experience as a marketer. He has worked in a variety of sectors, including global software, tourism, agri and international food organisations.
Sinead O’Neill, Senior Marketing Manager,
TransferMate Global Payments
Sinead O’Neill is a Senior Marketer with 15 years’ experience across a broad range of industries, including Telco, Airline, Retail, Entertainment and Financial Services.
She has extensive experience accumulated across B2C and B2B including brand development, media optimisation, agency management, P&L management, product launches, project management, managing stakeholders and relationship building.
Prior to taking up her role at TransferMate Global Payments, she held positions at Aer Lingus and Conduit Global.
Brian O’Neill, Head of Communications, Brand, Sponsorship, Sustainability,
Aviva
Brian O’Neill 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. O’Neill’s key responsibilities include Sustainability and Climate Change Delivery, Communications and Public Policy, and Sponsorship including the Aviva Stadium.
Ruth O’Shea, Director – Head of Marketing & Communications,
Grant Thornton
Ruth O’Shea is Director – Head of Marketing & Communications at Grant Thornton. An accomplished and results-driven leader, O’Shea boasts an impressive 20 years of expertise in Advertising, Marketing, Digital, and International Communications across B2B and B2C. As the Marketing Director at Grant Thornton, she leads a high-performing team of 30 professionals, including marketers, designers, storytellers, and communicators. Prior to her appointment at Gran Thornton, she held senior positions in Ryanair and daa.
Catherine O’Toole, Head of Marketing,
Very
Catherine O’Toole is a highly creative, customer centric marketing professional with 15 years’ experience within retail, FMCG and ecommerce industries.
In her role as Head of Marketing at Very, she leads a high performing team and oversees the marketing strategy and its implementation for Ireland’s largest pure play online retailer.
She holds an Msc in Marketing Practice from UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School and has completed Marketing Week’s Mini MBA in both Marketing and Brand Management.
Stefano Pappalardo, Head of Digital, Marketing & Development,
GCN
Stefano Pappalardo is the Head of Digital, Marketing & Development / Deputy Manager for GCN, Ireland’s national LGBTQ+ media and a registered charity with not-for-profit model.
Over the past seven years, he has been instrumental in developing and growing GCN’s digital presence and offering, for which GCN was awarded 2022’s Emerging Stronger – Digital for Good Spider Award.
Stefano is responsible for leading and overseeing all areas of digital, implementing processes and strategies, creating and planning high-value content, campaigns and initiatives.
He successfully drives content delivery across all digital platforms through strategic marketing plans, operating closely with the editorial, commercial and events teams.
He manages GCN’s website, ensuring its optimisation to deliver a seamless experience for readers and advertisers alike. He oversees all aspects of GCN’s merchandise and online store. He has also worked on Dublin Pride’s social media and marketing strategies.
Andy Parton, Chief Commercial Officer,
Greencore Group Plc
Greencore Group plc Andy is Chief Commercial Officer, responsible for setting and delivering the commercial strategy and agenda. The role covers marketing, insights and category management, product development and management, sales and procurement. Prior to this Andy was Business Director for our Food to Go business. Andy joined Greencore in 2014 having previously held senior commercial positions in Aldi and PepsiCo.
Gideon Pridor, CMO,
Workvivo
Gideon serves as the CMO and Chief Storyteller at Workvivo, a leading employee experience platform recently acquired by Zoom. Positioned at the vanguard of marketing and communications, he has a distinguished track record of propelling disruptive SaaS startups into market-leading unicorns that redefine their sectors. While his official title denotes him as a marketing leader, Gideon sees himself more as a storyteller and a coach, employing narrative to ignite excitement and foster connections. His leadership ethos is built on empathy, open dialogue, and the development of a workplace culture that promotes satisfaction and peak performance.
Prior to his tenure at Workvivo, Gideon built and led marketing teams in various startups and was instrumental in the explosive growth of TravelPerk, a business travel unicorn, and Perfecto (acquired by Perforce), among other ventures. Acknowledged as a thought leader, he regularly imparts his expertise at industry events, fueled by a fervent passion for story-led marketing and workplace innovation. Additionally, Gideon makes significant contributions as a seed investor and startup mentor, assisting companies and founders in effectively articulating their narratives and engaging their target audience.
Hilary Quinn, Marketing Director,
Diageo Ireland
Hilary Quinn is the Marketing Director for Diageo Ireland having been appointed in 2020. She is responsible for a portfolio of brands including Guinness, Rockshore and Smithwick’s. She previously worked as Marketing Director for Flavours and Adult Brands in Coca-Cola Western Europe.
During her 20-year tenure at Coca-Cola, Quinn drove the growth of a vast portfolio which included an array of premium brands across Western Europe.
Prior to joining the soft drink giant, Quinn spent four years at Unilever’s Personal Care Division. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Marketing, Economics and Business from Technological University Dublin.
Linda Quinn, Global Marketing Director,
Keyword Studios
Linda Quinn is Global Marketing Director at Keyword Studios. She became Global Marketing Manager at the firm in 2017 before assuming her current position in 2020.
Quinn previously held roles at MCI Worldcom and Verizon Enterprise Solutions. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Economics and Social Studies from Trinity College Dublin.
Fiona Rawlinson, Head of Marketing,
Carbery
Fiona Rawlinson is Head of Marketing at Carbery, the Cork-based global manufacturer of specialty and nutritional dairy ingredients. She has strong consumer and B2B marketing experience in corporate organisations as well as non-profit and professional services consulting experience.
Etain Seymour, Head of Marketing & Communications,
Accenture
Etain Seymour leads Accenture’s client relationship marketing across EMEA in the Products Industry. Prior to taking this position in 2023, she led the Marketing and communications function in Accenture Ireland for 3 years.
As a highly experienced marketer with over 25 years’ experience, she has specialised in customer centric growth strategies across industries including retail, consumer goods, life sciences and technology, analytics, and loyalty.
Seymour has a keen interest in inclusion and diversity and has served on the board of Connecting Women in Technology (CWIT) as the chair of branding and strategy. She sits on the Board of Business to Arts.
She holds a BSc in Management from Trinity College Dublin, is an active member of the Marketing Institute of Ireland, and a frequent conference speaker and contributor to thought leadership.
Matt Simmons, Head of Global Marketing,
Cubic Telecom
Matt Simmons is a growth-focused, data-driven marketing and communications leader with more than 20 years of experience across the full marketing spectrum. He has a strong track record of driving impactful global marketing and communications programmes for tech start-ups and public companies alike, such as Zendesk, Microsoft, Instructure and Cubic. Matt has top-tier agency as well as in-house experience, having also worked for two of the world’s largest PR agencies, Weber Shandwick and Ruder Finn. Tech marketing experience: Software as a Service (SaaS), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Data Analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), Connected Devices.
David Slattery, Head of Marketing & Communications,
Pinergy
David Slattery has significant marketing, digital & communications experience from leadership roles across Financial Services, Wealth Management & Energy sectors.
In 2017, Slattery joined clean energy supplier & solutions business Pinergy leading the brand, marketing & communications programme including significant re-positioning of the brand. David is a Commerce graduate of UCD, is a Qualified Marketer (Marketing Institute of Ireland), is a member of Chartered Institute of Marketing in the UK.
Siobhán Smith, Senior Global Marketing Manager,
Expleo
As Senior Global Marketing Manager for Expleo, a world-wide technology and engineering consulting firm, Siobhán Smith is responsible for driving growth in its key sectors.
She leads an award-winning marketing team across Expleo’s strategic countries, driving commercial and business targets for their development and growth.
Smith holds a Postgraduate Degree in Marketing and Management from TU Dublin. She was also awarded the Gold Medal for achieving a first place on the Master of Science in Management and Marketing from the Dublin Institute of Technology, class of 2018.
Liz Smyth, VP of Global Field Marketing,
Slack
Liz Smyth is a Marketing executive who specializes in international expansion for fast-growing companies. She has spent over twenty years helping companies in the technology industry scale, across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific.
Smyth is currently Vice President of Global Field Marketing at Slack, the messaging app for businesses around the world. Prior to joining Slack, she worked at Marketo where she led the go-to-market strategy for Europe and APAC.
Smyth previously held a variety of roles at Salesforce in Dublin. Liz holds a BA in International Business from The University of Ulster.
Michelle Spillane, Marketing & Brand Director,
PaddyPower Betfair
Niall Tracey, Director of Marketing,
Fáílte Ireland
Niall Tracey is Director of Marketing for Fáilte Ireland. He is also responsible for the brands like Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland’s Ancient East and oversees research and insight, and domestic marketing activity encouraging 10.5 million domestic visitors to stay in Ireland for a holiday in 2017.
Prior to Failte Ireland, Tracey worked with major players in Ireland including Aldi, Kerrygold, Aviva, SuperValu and Diageo.
Heather Vadgama, Chief Marketing Officer,
Walkers
Heather Vadgama is Chief Marketing Officer at Walkers. Her focus is on strengthening the Walkers brand, its market presence and client relationships. She also leads a global team of talented business development, marketing and communication professionals. Heather has over 20 years of experience in business development, sales and marketing in a multinational B2B environment, including law and accounting firms.
Sarah-Jane Willoughby, Head of Marketing & Sponsorship,
Ibec
Sarah-Jane Willoughby is an experienced B2B senior marketing leader with a proven track record in strategic marketing leadership, strategic planning and B2B brand building.
She has been the Head of Marketing and Events at Ibec since 2014, Ireland’s most influential and largest business representative organisation, shaping the organisation’s brand strategy and developing innovative competitive marketing strategies for impact and growth across all its commercial lines. She is skilled and passionate about developing compelling corporate communications and customer value propositions with a focus on increasing brand consideration, driving new areas of growth through innovation, partnerships and digital transformation.
She was previously Marketing Communications Manager at Deloitte Ireland and has also served in senior marketing roles at Microsoft, Verizon Business and MCI-WorldCom.
Business & Finance CMO 100 Index 2024 (alphabetical by surname):
View part one (B–D)
View part two (D–K)
View part three (L–O)
View part four (O–W)
