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 2026.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
Ines Obtinalla, Marketing Director
Visa
Ines Obtinalla is the Marketing Director for Visa, a position she has held since 2022. Prior to that, she held various marketing roles at Visa, having joined the firm in 2015 in Toronto, Canada. She is a graduate of the Schulich School of Business at York University in Canada and holds an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing and Strategic Management.”
Andy Parton, Chief Commercial Officer
Greencore Group plc
Andy Parton is Chief Commercial Officer at Greencore Group, 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, Parton was Business Director for our Food to Go business. He joined Greencore in 2014, having previously held senior commercial positions in Aldi and PepsiCo.
Parton holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Cranfield University.
Oskar Persson, Head of Brands
Irish Distillers
Oskar Persson is Head of Brands for the Irish market at Irish Distillers and is responsible for providing strategic marketing leadership to support the growth of a diverse portfolio of spirit brands, including Jameson, Redbreast and Absolut vodka. He is recognised as a strong culture-first marketer who has built Jameson into a force in Irish music culture off the back of successful partnerships with the likes of Aiken Promotions and Other Voices.
Jo Pettifer, CMO
Salesforce UK & Ireland
Jo Pettifer is the CMO at Salesforce and leads the UK and Ireland marketing team, focusing on marketing strategy, demand generation, brand awareness, and product and customer marketing. Jo has over 25 years of experience in the tech industry and previously served as VP of EMEA Marketing at Box.
Jo holds a Business Administration degree from DeMontfort University and is based in Oxfordshire. Jo is passionate about continuous learning and mentors aspiring tech professionals. Jo is also an Ambassador for Earthforce, promoting environmental responsibility at Salesforce.
Julia Pilkes, Senior Director of Marketing EMEA
HubSpot
Julia Pilkes has been Senior Director of Marketing EMEA for HubSpot since August 2024. There, she leads the company’s marketing strategy for the EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) region. Prior to that, she’s held roles as VP of Marketing, Director of Demand Generation EMEA, Senior Manager, and Marketing and Communications leader. Pilkes is a graduate of Universidad del Salvador, where she studied International Business Trade and Commerce. Additionally, she also holds an International Business and Management diploma from the University of Applied Sciences.
Sarah Powell-Adams, Marketing Director
Cairn Hotel Group
Sarah Powell-Abrams is a seasoned brand builder and strategic partnerships professional. With experience building brands across seven countries and diverse industries including TV, Film, Sport, and Hospitality, she excels as a creative, results-driven collaborator. Powell-Abrams has been appointed as the new Director of Marketing for Cairn Hotel Group, after holding the position of Head of Marketing for 3 years.
Skilled in strategic marketing, brand development, and partnerships and leveraging her professional Masters in Business Law from the University of Toronto, she brings a unique blend of business acumen and creativity to her work. Currently serving as the Head of Marketing at Cairn Hotel Group, Powell-Abrams continues to drive marketing excellence in the hospitality sector.
Meadhbh Quinn, Director of Marketing
Bord Gáis Energy
Meadhbh Quinn is the Director of Marketing at Bord Gáis Energy, appointed in 2024. She began her marketing career in 1991 at PTSB and has since held senior roles across leading organisations including Mediahuis, Smurfit Kappa, Meteor Mobile Communications, Telefónica, and Virgin Media Ireland.
In 2018, she founded PinkSalmon, a strategic marketing consultancy focused on brand positioning and growth, working with global and tech brands. Known for her deep strategic insight and leadership, Quinn combines over 30 years of experience in marketing, communications, and brand transformation across multiple sectors.
She is a graduate of UCD and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and History.
Hillary Quinn, Marketing Director
Diageo Ireland
Hilary Quinn is the Marketing Director for Diageo Ireland, having been appointed in 2020. She is responsible for the full portfolio of beer and spirits brands including Guinness, Rockshore, Smirnoff, Gordon’s and many more. Prior to joining Diageo, Quinn was Marketing Director for Coca-Cola Western Europe, responsible for driving the growth of a vast portfolio which included an array of premium brands across Western Europe. She started her career in Unilever and holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Marketing, Economics and Business.
Fiona Rawlisson, Head of Marketing
Carbery
Fiona Rawlinson is Head of Marketing at Carbery, the Cork-based global manufacturer of speciality 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.
Before stepping into her current role, Rawlinson held senior marketing positions including Head of Global Marketing at Waterful and Marketing Manager at Clonakilty Food Co., along with previous roles at Glanbia, Northern Foods, John West Foods, First100 Ltd, and 9White Deer Brewery.
She is a graduate of the University College of Cork, with a Bachelor’s in Communications, Marketing & Management.
Angela Schmidt, CMO
AMCS
Angela Schmidt is a marketing leader with over 20 years of experience across global enterprises and high-growth startups. She is a strategic thinker and hands-on planner who applies a sales-focused approach to drive measurable revenue growth. Her expertise spans a wide range of marketing disciplines, including sales and marketing alignment, strategic campaign planning, global event execution, lead generation, customer advocacy, channel marketing, and communications.
She is a graduate of the University of Arizona, holding a Bachelor’s in Political Science and Spanish.
Lauren Schulz, Chief Communications Officer
CRH
Lauren Schulz is Chief Communications Officer at CRH, a global leader in building materials solutions. She brings over 20 years of experience in strategic communications, reputation management, and executive positioning across corporate, non-profit, and military sectors.
Prior to CRH, she led global communications at Verizon Business and held leadership roles at the veteran non-profit FourBlock. A retired U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel, she held senior communications and operational posts across multiple regions. She holds a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University and has a proven track record of leading high-impact global communications strategies.
Etain Seymour, EMEA Head of Marketing & Communications, Products CRM
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 of 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
Cubic³
A data-driven marketing and communications leader with 20+ years of global experience, Matt Simmons has spearheaded impactful programmes for high-growth startups and public companies alike – including Zendesk, Avalara, Microsoft, and now Cubic³, an Irish tech firm connecting millions of cars to the internet for the likes of Audi, Porsche, VW, Skoda, Honda and GM.
With a unique blend of in-house and top-tier agency experience, Matt brings deep expertise across the full marketing spectrum, spanning brand, demand generation, GTM, digital, content and PR/comms.
At Cubic³, Matt spearheaded a full company rebrand, including new visual and verbal identities, website, product naming and positioning, and led the high-profile press launch of SoftBank Corp’s investment in the company, achieving record press coverage in titles such as Forbes, Reuters, WSJ and TechCrunch.
David Slattery, Head of Marketing & Communications
Pinergy
David Slattery is Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Pinergy, where he leads the company’s marketing, brand, communications, customer engagement, and sponsorship strategy across its residential and commercial businesses.
With extensive leadership experience spanning the energy, financial services, and wealth management sectors, David has built a strong track record of driving brand transformation & growth. Since joining Pinergy, he has played a pivotal role in repositioning the company as one of Ireland’s leading green energy providers, supporting its strategic evolution through the growth of its Solar PV and Acutrace businesses and strengthening its position at the forefront of the energy transition.
As a member of the executive leadership team, David is responsible for shaping Pinergy’s market positioning, enhancing its customer offerings, and building a purpose-led brand that empowers customers to take control of their energy future.
David is a Commerce graduate of University College Dublin (UCD) and holds executive qualifications from the Irish Management Institute (IMI) and the Marketing Institute of Ireland.
Siobhán Smith, Global Marketing Director & Board Member
Expeleo
Siobhán Smith is a VP-level marketing, brand and communications leader and board director who has built and scaled high-performing marketing functions across Ireland, EMEA and APAC.
Over eight years at Expleo, a global engineering, technology and consulting services firm, she built the marketing function from the ground up — first in-country, then at Group level — becoming the company’s first VP of Brand & Communications in 2025. She has a wide spectrum of experience across leading Brand Storytelling, Corporate Branding, Employer Brand, Communications, PR & Media Relations and Employee Engagement. She led the rebrand of Expleo in 2019 and has guided her team to four industry awards, most recently for ‘SAPnav’, a campaign that generated €25M in new business revenue.
As Global Marketing Director, she previously led EMEA market share growth, go-to-market and Demand Generation, contributing to Group revenue growth from €900M to €1.4B.
Siobhán sits on the Expleo Ireland Board of Directors, the marketing subcommittee at Outhouse LGBTQ+ Centre, and the advisory board at Origins Foster Care. She holds a Master of Science in Marketing and Management from Technological University Dublin, graduating first in class.
Michelle Spillane, Managing Director, Marketing
PaddyPower Betfair – Flutter
Michelle Spillane is the MD of Marketing, Paddy Power (whilst also being MD of UKI Brand Collaboration). In her role, Michelle oversees all marketing and brand efforts for Paddy Power in the UK and the bookmaker’s native Ireland. Spillane joined the company from Irish public-service broadcaster RTÉ, where she had served as Director of RTÉ Global, RTÉ’s international commercial arm, Marketing for four years.
Earlier in her career, Spillane spent time as Chief Marketing Officer for the Irish division of Microsoft, as well as Head of Marketing for Bank of Ireland. In addition, she spent two-and-a-half years as Marketing Director for the ITV Worldwide arm of UK commercial broadcaster ITV.
Elizabeth Toner, Head of Marketing
First Derivative
Elizabeth Toner is the Global Head of Marketing at First Derivative, directing the brand’s global strategy, positioning, and growth within the Capital Markets and Fintech sectors. Her executive remit has recently expanded into the wider Group EPAM Financial Services marketing division, where she drives synergy between Global Go-to-Market and Field Marketing teams to execute powerful, cross-border global campaigns.
With over 15 years of experience bridging financial services and technology, Elizabeth leverages a unique blend of commercial acumen and creative strategy to fuel client engagement. Her career across marketing, HR and project delivery enables her to uniquely align brand strategy with organisational culture. Elizabeth has led international campaigns across Europe, North America, and APAC.
Laura Toner, Group Marketing Director
daa
Laura Toner is Group Marketing Director of daa, with responsibility for marketing across Dublin Airport, Cork Airport, ARI’s international travel retail business and daa International.
With more than 20 years’ experience across aviation, travel, retail and tourism, Laura has led marketing across domestic and international markets, spanning brand, customer experience, corporate communications and PR, customer insights, CRM and loyalty, digital marketing and commercial marketing. She has held executive leadership and board positions throughout her career and has extensive experience across both B2C and B2B markets.
Since joining daa in 2019 as Global Head of Marketing for ARI, she has led integrated marketing strategies that strengthen brand reputation, deepen customer engagement and drive commercial growth.
Her experience combines customer strategy, commercial marketing and corporate reputation, with a focus on building brands, creating meaningful customer experiences and delivering long-term business value through insight-led strategy.
Niall Tracey, Director of Demand Development
Fáilte Ireland
Niall Tracey leads visitor-focused initiatives at Fáilte Ireland, including domestic tourism marketing campaigns, websites & social, business events, consumer insights and corporate communications. Adopting a visitor-centric approach, Tracey is passionate about creativity and collaboration when promoting Ireland as a destination.
Rebecca Trevor, Head of Marketing & Consumer Sales
Laya Healthcare
Rebecca Trevor is Head of Marketing and Consumer Sales at Laya Healthcare, a part of AXA, where she is responsible for driving brand growth, customer acquisition, and commercial performance across the organisation’s consumer businesses. A strategic marketing leader with deep expertise in brand development, business growth, and
customer engagement, Rebecca has played a key role in strengthening Laya’s market position and evolving the brand to meet changing customer needs. Her leadership has contributed to sustained business growth, industry recognition, and the development of a high-performing marketing organisation focused on measurable impact.
Rebecca’s remit spans brand, sponsorship, performance marketing, consumer sales, customer insight, and marketing effectiveness. She has led the delivery of major strategic initiatives, including
the launch of LayaArena, helping to reinforce Laya’s ambition to support healthier and more connected communities while enhancing the brand’s profile nationwide.
With a career at Laya spanning more than ten years across customer, sales, and marketing functions, Rebecca brings a uniquely integrated perspective on growth. She is a strong advocate for evidence-based decision-making and believes that the most successful brands are built through a combination of customer understanding, strategic clarity, and creative excellence.
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.
Vadgama has over 20 years of experience in business development, sales and marketing in a multinational B2B environment, including law and accounting firms.
She is a graduate of Federation University Australia and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management.
Michelle White, Head of Marketing
Dawn Meats
Michelle White, MCIM, has been with the Dawn Meats Group since 1998. An Economics graduate from the University of Essex, White completed a 2-year Management programme with Tesco before joining Dawn Meats as an Account Executive. From there, she climbed the ranks and was responsible for a €100m+ retail account before moving into a Marketing role in 2010. Following the joint venture with Dunbia in 2017, White was appointed Group Head of Marketing, responsible for delivering corporate brand, internal and external communications, events, and product branding, in line with the corporate strategy.
With key involvement in industry, including membership of marketing and reputation advisory groups for Bord Bia and the UK’s AHDB (Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board), White has been a Chartered Marketer since 2012. She was a member of the Millennial Dawn Meats Management Programme and is also a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Butchers. In 2025, she was named Meat Management’s Women in Meat Industry Businesswoman of the Year.
Sarah-Jane Willoughby, Head of Marketing & Events
Ibec
Sarah-Jane Willoughby is a seasoned B2B leader with a proven track record in strategic marketing and revenue growth. Since 2014, she has served as Head of Marketing and Brand at Ibec, Ireland’s largest business representative organisation, where she built and scaled the marketing capability to drive brand positioning and commercial demand strategy across all product lines.
She oversees Ibec’s brand strategy and positioning to heighten brand consideration, while delivering integrated marketing programmes that drive market impact. Willoughby is focused on sharpening customer value propositions and steering growth through innovation, strategic partnerships, and digital transformation.
Her career spans senior marketing roles at Deloitte Ireland, Microsoft, Verizon Business, and MCI WorldCom, and she brings a strong commitment to purpose-driven work that aligns business success with positive societal impact.
