New and notable appointments announced at Smith & Williamson, OpenSky, and Deloitte

Pictured: Helen Cole, Head of Digital Services, OpenSky

This week sees new appointments announced at Smith & Williamson, OpenSky, and Deloitte

Michael McGivern, Partner and Head of Tax
Smith & Williamson

Michael McGivern has been appointed as a Partner and the new Head of Tax for Smith & Williamson Ireland. McGivern will lead the Irish tax operation advising Smith & Williamson’s private and business clients on their tax requirements. Smith & Williamson’s private client and business tax operations has a team of over 370 tax professionals across Ireland and the UK.

“McGivern also has over 25 years’ experience of advising high net worth families and individuals on areas including succession planning, intergenerational business transfers, estate planning and personal tax matters.”

McGivern joins from Grant Thornton where he provided tax advice to large Irish and international corporate clients across the technology, manufacturing, services, retail, leisure and real estate sectors. McGivern’s appointment will see him bring his specialist knowledge in domestic and international IP planning, domestic and international mergers, acquisitions and reconstructions to Smith & Williamson’s clients.

McGivern also has over 25 years’ experience of advising high net worth families and individuals on areas including succession planning, intergenerational business transfers, estate planning and personal tax matters.

Commenting on the appointment, Paul Wyse, Managing Director of Professional Services, said: “I am absolutely delighted to welcome Michael to the team here at Smith & Williamson, where he will be a huge asset leading our tax department. Michael’s years of experience in providing strategic tax advice to large Irish and international corporates and, succession planning, estate planning and personal tax advice, will be of real benefit to our clients.

“I’m really looking forward to working with Michael and believe that our clients will benefit from his extensive experience and expertise.”

Michael is a graduate of University College Dublin, a Chartered Accountant (FCA) and a Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA).

Helen Cole, Head of Digital Services
OpenSky

OpenSky, the digital transformation specialist which provides automated solutions to public sector bodies, government agencies and financial services companies, has announced the appointment of Helen Cole to Head of Digital Services.

This position is a strategic role and Cole will serve as a member of the OpenSky senior management team. She will be responsible for driving the growth of the Digital Services division and supporting the overall expansion of the organisation as it delivers innovative digital solutions to the government, transport, environment, health and insurance sectors.

With more than 20 years’ experience in the IT industry, and a wealth of expertise working with public service organisations, Cole will lead project managers and practice leads as they fulfil client projects. She will also work closely with the sales and operations departments to increase value and deliver excellent service for customers.

Helen Cole, Head of Digital Services, OpenSky

Prior to joining OpenSky, Cole worked in Version 1 for more than 11 years. She joined the company as a Technical Consultant before taking up the position of Service Delivery Manager, a role she held for almost seven years. While in this role, Cole was responsible for managing the delivery of a housing system, iHouse, used exclusively by local authorities as contracted by the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA). She also managed numerous grant and administration systems for the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and the Safepass system for SOLAS.

Cole holds a bachelor’s degree in BSc Computer Science (Hons) from Maynooth University and is a certified Scrum Master (CSM).

Michael Cronin, Managing Director, OpenSky, said: “Helen brings a wide range of skills to this new role – including leadership, customer service and operations. Her experience working with some of the biggest government departments within the public sector is highly impressive and will lend itself to both her division and others within OpenSky.

“We have no doubt that she will play a pivotal role in our aim to deliver innovation to the Irish public sector and other industries as we move forward. We have an ambitious growth plan for the company and having the best people, like Helen, is crucial to making our business objectives a reality.”

Shane Wallace, Partner
Deloitte

Deloitte has announced that Shane Wallace has been appointed partner in the tax practice.

In this role, Wallace will support indigenous Irish companies and foreign-owned multinationals across a range of industries including life sciences, technology, consumer products, and real estate.

Wallace brings 20 years of experience with him to the role. Having previously worked in Deloitte for over 10 years, he re-joins the tax team from a leading Irish law firm, where he was a tax partner for over five years. Wallace is a qualified solicitor and chartered tax advisor and has used these combined skills to work on a range of significant M&A and real estate transactions, both on the buy and sell side.

Shane Wallace, Partner, Deloitte

Commenting on his appointment, Wallace said: “I know first-hand the emphasis the team at Deloitte place on quality and delivering impact for our clients in a changing market and regulatory environment, and I am delighted to be joining the fold once again. I look forward to working with our clients as they navigate their way through these significant changes, and support them in achieving their ambitions for their businesses.”

Lorraine Griffin, Head of Tax at Deloitte Ireland, said: “Shane’s breadth of experience and knowledge is an important addition to our team. We deliver the most value for our clients when we bring the breadth of our expertise to the challenges and the opportunities that they face. Shane’s tax and legal background across a range of industries, and indeed disciplines, will strengthen our tax advisory and M&A offerings in this regard. We are delighted to welcome him back.”

Wallace holds a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) and Masters in Commercial Law from UCD. He is also an elected council member of the Irish Tax Institute.