By Business & Finance 
Pictured: Aideen Croasdell, Engagement Manager for Life-Long Learning, ESRI
This week sees new appointments at ESRI, Horizon8, Smith & Williamson Freaney Limited and Grant Thornton
Aideen Croasdell, Engagement Manger for Life-Long Learning,
ESRI
Esri Ireland, the market leader in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), has appointed Aideen Croasdell as Engagement Manager for Life-Long Learning. In this new role, Croasdell will be responsible for the development, integration and promotion of Esri’s ArcGIS for School Programme in Ireland and Northern Ireland – which makes the company’s digital mapping software freely available to every primary and secondary school student.
Croasdell will work alongside teachers, schools and higher-education institutes to introduce more mapping projects into classrooms. This includes the development of the new ‘Teach with ArcGIS for Schools’ teacher training course in Education Support Centres across Ireland, Esri’s GeoMentor programme, which links GIS professionals with geography teachers to enhance GIS education, and partnerships with other education programmes across Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Having worked at Esri Ireland for eight years, she previously held the roles of Programme Lead, Client Manager and Technical Pre-Sales Consultant. Prior to her time at Esri, Croasdell was GIS Technician with eSpatial Solutions. Her technical background provides her with a deep knowledge of the capabilities and possibilities enabled by the ArcGIS platform, while her experience in pre-sales and client management will be beneficial for stakeholder engagement and programme integration.
Croasdell holds a degree in English and Geography as well as a MSc. in GIS and Environmental Remote Sensing from NUI Maynooth.
Shane O’Neill and Ciaran Corkery, Principal Solutions Arhcitect and Principal Solutions Consultant
Horizon8
Horizon8, an innovative technology solutions company today announces the expansion of its European Headquarters in Cork. Horizon8 has expanded its core team of experts with the recruitment of Shane O’ Neill, Principal Solutions Architect, and Ciaran Corkery, Principal Solutions Consultant. Horizon8 is the European and North American arm of technology services company HengTian which was created in 2004 as a strategic partnership between Boston based State Street, and Hangzhou based Insigma Technology and Zhejiang University.
Managing Director of Horizon8 Europe, Patrick Horgan, commenting on the expansion said: “We are delighted to welcome Shane and Ciaran to our senior management team here in Cork city. With their unmatched expertise and experience, they are already proving to be incredible assets both to the company and to our clients. Being based in Cork, we are surrounded by a diverse talent pool, and I look forward to growing the team in this thriving technology and growing Financial Services hub. We also look forward to growing Horizon8’s footprint in Europe and across the globe with the further expansion of our headquarters and the growth of our team.”
Shane O’ Neill, Principal Solutions Architect at Horizon8, said: “I am excited to be a part of the incredible team here at Horizon8. I will be looking after Business Development and Client Relationships for the Company. My aim is to provide high levels of client satisfaction by designing and proposing innovative solutions that deliver sustained value for their business. We are leveraging and expanding the Horizon8 suite of proprietary technologies and I am very pleased to be a driving force behind the development of these innovative solutions.”
Pictured (L-R): Shane O’Neill, Patrick Horgan, and Ciaran Corkery
Shane is an experienced IT and business executive in the Financial Services sector, having held a number of C-level roles during his 7 years within the Fairfax Financial Holdings group; including CIO of ffh Management Services, IT strategy director and most recently a mergers and acquisitions director focusing on the Insurance sector. Shane began his career in Technology Consulting, working for 10 years with Accenture, specializing as an Oracle solutions architect.
Ciaran Corkery, Principal Solutions Consultant at Horizon8, said: “I am thrilled to be working with Horizon8’s varied client base across Europe, ensuring their needs and expectations are met by our existing solutions as well as working with them to refine our strategic product and services roadmap ensuring it meets the future needs of the market. This approach to Business Development and Client Servicing that I work in alongside Shane in is a real differentiator for us in the market. We at Horizon8 have at our disposal highly advanced technological solutions that will enhance the way in which our clients deal with compliance, digital identity, traceability and digital assets.”
Ciaran has a background in IT program delivery and is a client relationship professional with more than 6 years of client-site delivery and relationship management experience working on some of the largest IT programs in the country. Prior to joining Horizon8, Ciaran worked for Accenture Technology as a delivery and client relationship manager specialized in custom payments and debt collection software as well as large scale enterprise resource planning software with a focus on financial shared services.
Carl Donnelly, Associate Director – Business Tax Services
Smith & Williamson
Smith & Williamson has appointed Carl Donnelly as Associate Director – Business Tax Services. With extensive experience in Irish tax, he provides advice with respect to company reconstructions, transactions, family owned private companies, and employee global mobility. Advising clients in Ireland and internationally, Donnelly brings expertise in a wide range of sectors including construction, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, and technology.
Donnelly has extensive experience advising on business sales, advising on the set-up of several FDI companies in Ireland including tax residency position, VAT, and also assisting clients to develop succession strategies in a tax efficient manner.
Commenting on the appointment, Paul Wyse, Managing Director of Professional Services, said: “Leading the quality professional team at Smith & Williamson is a great privilege and it’s always a highlight to be able to see it grow by welcoming and promoting some of the most talented people in the industry. The expertise and client experience that Carl brings to the team will enable us to deliver quality client results – and even better services beyond the high bar that we have already set.
Donnelly holds a BA Honours in Accounting and Resource Management, and is an Associate Member of the Irish Tax Institute.
Carl Donnelly, Associate Director – Business Tax Services
Ashling Maguire, Associate Director – Assurance & Business Services
Smith & Williamson
Smith & Williamson has appointed Ashling Maguire to the position of Associate Director – Assurance and Business Services. Maguire originally joined the firm as an Audit Trainee in 2014. She has significant experience working with clients across a broad range of sectors including automotive, hospitality, distribution, pharmaceuticals, aircraft leasing, not-for-profits and charities, and sporting and membership bodies.
Maguire has experience specific to forensic audits for large corporate clients, has led a team carrying out due diligence that led to the merger of a large professional practice, and also has experience of large-scale and diversified businesses.
Commenting on the appointment, Paul Wyse, Managing Director of Professional Services, said: “We are promoting Ashling to the well-deserved position of Associate Director – a role in which she will undoubtedly thrive. Watching our team members grow their experience and improve skill-sets is exemplified in Ashling, who has quickly become an invaluable member of our management team.”
Maguire holds a Master’s in Accounting and is a Member of Chartered Accountants.
Ashling Maguire, Associate Director – Assurance & Business Services
Vic Angley, Partner
Grant Thornton
Grant Thornton Ireland has appointed Vic Angley as new partner for the Limerick Tax Practice, maintaining its ongoing national growth trajectory. The appointment of Vic Angley as partner in the Limerick office reflects the significant and continued growth experienced by Grant Thornton Ireland over the past ten years. The company currently employs over 1,450 people in seven offices across Ireland.
Vic’s appointment also illustrates the firm’s ongoing commitment to developing its general presence, as well as its specific tax presence outside Dublin, notably in Munster.
Commenting on the appointment Michael McAteer, Managing Partner at Grant Thornton Ireland, said “I am delighted to announce Vic’s appointment to Grant Thornton Limerick’s Tax Practice. His appointment demonstrates the firm’s commitment to expansion, across the island of Ireland. The growth of our clients has led to a significant increase in the demand for all of our services over the last 10 years, and our team in Limerick, along with their colleagues in our Cork office, have ambitious plans to continue to grow the business across the Munster region.”
Vic Angley joins the Limerick Tax Practice having worked in both Big Four and large national tax practices over the past twenty years. Vic has extensive experience spanning several areas, including; cross border tax planning, corporate acquisitions, reconstructions and reorganisations and foreign direct investment into Ireland.
Vic is an Associate of the Irish Tax Institute (CTA) and holds an MBA from the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School. He has both written and spoken for organisations such as the Irish Research & Development Group (IRDG), Chartered Accountants Ireland, IBEC and Bloomberg on a variety of topics including tax incentives for research and innovation, the Irish CFC regime and succession planning for Irish family business.
Commenting on his appointment,Vic Angley said “I am hugely excited to be appointed partner to the Limerick Tax Practice. The key focus of our team will be to deliver proactive, commercially relevant advice to our clients to assist them in addressing the many challenges an ever evolving tax landscape presents. In order to deliver this, I’m looking forward to adding to what is already an exceptionally strong tax team, a number of high calibre senior appointments who will broaden the base of specialist tax advice we can deliver to our existing and future clients.
Picture (L-R): Vic Angley and Michael McAteer, Managing Partner at Grant Thornton Ireland
