By Business & Finance 
Ahead of tonight’s CFO 100 launch at The Merrion in association with Friends First, it’s time for the fifth and final instalment in our five-part series featuring the most innovative financial officers in Ireland.
David Paterson / Primark
Paterson joined Irish retailers Primark earlier this year, after almost five years as CFO of Car Trawler, the online car rental marketplace. His time at Car Trawler spanned massive transformation and growth for the company when investment firm BC Partners bought a majority stake in 2014.
A graduate of the University of Leeds and London Business School, he began his career in finance with British Airways, before stints with Deutsche Bank, Virgin Rail Group ad TUI Travel PLC.
View his LinkedIn account here.
Barry Patton / Intel
Ireland Site Finance Director, Patton has been with Intel in Ireland since 1992. His function plays a key role in helping drive value for their operations, and he has described it in the past as, “very business and operational impact focused.”
He was appointed to the board of Gilbert Little’s Aepona in 2013 when Intel bought the telecoms software firm for €93 million, one of the largest ever sales of a technology firm in Ireland.
Patton is a graduate of Business Studies, Accounting and Finance from University of Limerick.
View his LinkedIn account here.
Ryan Preston / Independent News & Media
Preston joined INM in December 2014, from his previous role of Tesco Group Finance Director Europe. He joined Tesco in 1997 as part of the acquisition of Stewarts Supermarkets, and worked in a number of roles in the group.
A Belfast native, he holds a BA (Hons) in Accounting from the University of Ulster in Jordanstown.
View his LinkedIn account here.
Matt Robinson / Aviva
Before being appointed CFO of Aviva Ireland, Robinson held numerous senior positions within the Aviva Group. An actuary by qualification, he has held roles wider than this discipline having worked in propositions, delivered large programmes (eg Gender Directive in UK Life), and recently led the Irish Life business through a successful transformation programme as Managing Director.
In his current role he provides Finance oversight of the Aviva Ireland Group across Life, Health and General Insurance with a particular focus on capital management, strategic change and trading.
View his LinkedIn account here.
Jonathan Rockett / Ding
Rockett is Head of Finance at Ding. He joined the company in 2013 from Paddy Power, now Paddy Power Betfair.
A graduate of TCD and Smurfit Business School, he holds qualifications from the Irish Tax Institute and Chartered Accountants Ireland, and has completed the Stanford Strategic Leadership Program for CFOs.
View his LinkedIn account here.
Colm Saunders / WElink Group
Saunders has recently joined WElink Group as CFO, after four years at Xtralis.
The UCD graduate has previously held CFO roles at ThirdForce and Zamano.
View his LinkedIn account here.
Aidan Skelly / EirGrid
Skelly was appointed Director of Finance & Legal in July 2015. He previously held the position of CFO since 2005. He was formerly Finance Director with Waterford Stanley Limited. He worked with Waterford Crystal from 1987 to 2002, during which time he held a number of finance and commercial positions in Ireland and in the UK.
Skelly trained as a Chartered Accountant with PwC and is a Commerce graduate of UCD. He also holds an MBS from DCU.
View his LinkedIn account here.
Wendy Smith / Kellogg’s
Smith is VP of Finance and CFO at Kellogg’s. Smith is a member of the Kellogg European Leadership Team and the Global Finance Leadership Team.
She previously worked in international CFO roles with Johnson & Johnson, LifeScan and Proctor & Gamble, most recently as VP of Finance and CFO for the Consumer Business of Johnson & Johnson in Asia Pacific, based in Singapore.
Smith is a Mathematics graduate of Brigham University and holds an MBA in Finance from the same institution.
View her LinkedIn account here.
Gerard Solan / KBI Global Investors Ltd
Gerard Solan is Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer/Chief Financial Officer at KBI Global Investors Ltd.
Solan joined the firm in 1993 and has held a number of positions with KBI Global Investors since then, including Programme Manager, Head of Information Technology and Head of Operations, before assuming his current role Chief Operating Officer/Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining the firm, Solan worked in Bank of Ireland Asset Management.
He graduated from the University of Limerick with an honours degree in Business Studies in 1989 and subsequently completed a management diploma with the Irish Management Institute in 2003 and an MBA with Henley Management College, Oxfordshire in 2005.
He has also received a certificate and diploma in Company Direction with the Institute of Directors. He is a fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants and is qualified as an associate of the Institute of Investment Management and Research. He was appointed a director of KBI Global Investors Ltd in December 2005.
View his LinkedIn account here.
Neil Sorahan / Ryanair
Sorahan joined Ryanair in 2003 and, seen as a safe pair of hands as the company underwent a time of transformation, was appointed CFO in October 2014.
Before joining Ryanair, Neil held various finance and treasury roles at building materials group CRH plc, where he worked for 11 years, managing its treasury function, taking part in investor roadshows and was closely involved in its €850 million bond issue.
View his profile here.
Geoff Sparling / Allianz
Sparling is Associate CFO and a member of the Executive Management of leading insurer Allianz p.l.c., leading the Finance, Actuarial and Risk Management operations.
He studied Accounting in WIT and has worked in audit roles in PwC and Westpac before joining Allianz in 2005.
View his LinkedIn account here.
Paul Stanley / Ulster Bank
The Ulster Bank CFO joined from AIB in 2013, where he had been Acting CFO and a member of its leadership team since 2011. He was appointed Interim CEO of Ulster Bank in August 2015, serving until May 2016 and the appointment of Gerry Mallon in the role.
View his LinkedIn account here.
Mary Stone / Northern Trust
Stone has been at Northern Trust in a variety of roles since 2005, culminating in her most recent appointment in 2014 as Finance Director Ireland & Head of EMEA MRP&A. She previously worked with Baring Asset Management.
View her LinkedIn account here.
Eoin Tonge / Greencore
Tonge was appointed CFO of Greencore Group in September 2016. He has responsibility for Group Finance, Risk Management, Group Purchasing and Legal, as well as our Ingredients and Property Division. Eoin joined Greencore in early 2006 as Group Capital Markets Director, with responsibility for Treasury, Investor Relations, and Group Communications.
He then served as Group Strategy and Corporate Development Director from 2009 and has most recently served as Managing Director of Greencore’s Grocery division since 2014.
Tonge worked for Goldman Sachs from 1994 to 2005, holding a variety of finance, treasury and capital market roles in London, Hong Kong and New York. He holds a First Class Honours degree in Engineering from UCD.
View his profile here.
Brian Walsh / Vhi Healthcare
Walsh joined Vhi as Executive Director & CFO in 2014. He previously held the role of CFO at DPI Specialty Foods, a food marketing and logistics group in LA. Prior to this he was involved in private equity since leaving the role of Finance Director in eir in 2005, after seven years.
Walsh graduated from Commerce in UCD, and holds a Diploma in Professional Accounting and was a fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland.
View his LinkedIn account here.
Les Wood / Tullow Oil
Wood is the UK-based Interim CFO of Tullow Oil, while CFO Ian Springett takes an extended leave of absence to undergo medical treatment. Wood’s usual role is VP Finance & Commercial. He joined the company in 2014 as VP Commercial.
He previously held a number of roles in BP, most recently Global Head of Business Development.
View his LinkedIn account here.
Read more:
Aer Lingus CFO Rachel Izzard to be honoured among Ireland’s leading financial officers
Chief Financial Officer 100: A-C
Chief Financial Officer 100: D-G
Chief Financial Officer 100: H-L
Chief Finanical Officer 100: M-O
