By Business & Finance 
Pictured: Ailish O’Donnell, Head of Sales, FREE NOW
This week sees new and notable appointments at FREE NOW, CRY Ireland, Newmarket Motors, and Blueface
Ailish O’Donnell, Head of Sales,
FREE NOW
E-hailing app FREE NOW has appointed Ailish O’Donnell as Head of Sales. In the role, Ms O’Donnell will lead the commercial sales team of the FREE NOW for Business department, overseeing sales, B2B operations and partnerships to support the company’s upward growth trajectory.
Since joining the organisation in 2015, Ms O’Donnell has been a key player in significantly growing the company’s corporate client portfolio across rebrands from Hailo to mytaxi to FREE NOW. As a member of FREE NOW’s leadership team, she will contribute to the strategic direction of the company’s B2B expansion goals into 2021. Environmentally kinder taxi travel, micro mobility and reporting automation are all key components of future-proofing corporate mobility according to FREE NOW.
Commenting on the announcement, Niall Carson, Country Manager for Ireland said: “From playing a vital role in securing successful public sector contracts with the HSE and Government Departments, to leading the team through the challenging COVID landscape more recently, Ailish is a real asset to the FREE NOW team. I am looking forward to her taking on the Head of Sales role and I am confident that under her leadership the team will continue to thrive.”
Speaking about her appointment, Ms O’Donnell said: “I’m delighted to be appointed as the Head of Sales for Ireland. We have a fantastic team helping corporate, public & hospitality sectors around the country with their ground transportation needs – and now in the current situation, where safety and traceability are so crucial – we aim to continuously provide sustainable travel solutions that have a real focus on duty of care. I am looking forward to seeing how business travel will bounce back stronger than before.”
Ms O’Donnell holds a BA in Communications from Dublin City University and a Diploma in Project Management accredited by the Project Management Institute. She is succeeding Niall Carson, who has transitioned to Country Manager of Ireland for the European ride-hailing app.
Noelle Condon, Chairperson,
CRY Ireland
Noelle Condon, Chairperson, CRY Ireland
CRY Ireland has appointed Noelle Condon as the new Chairperson of the organisation.
Ms Condon graduated from UCD with a Bachelor of Commerce and a Masters in Accounting, and is a fellow Chartered Accountant with over 20 years’ experience in banking and real estate. She is the Chief Financial Officer for the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) and had worked in previous roles with KBC Bank and KPMG.
Ms Condon became a Trustee of CRY Ireland in 2018. CRY Ireland (Cardiac Risk in the Young) is an Irish registered charity that offers screening services and emotional support to families that have lost someone to sudden cardiac death.
Ms Condon said of the appointment: “As a mother of two boys, the significance of CRY Ireland really hit close to home for me when I saw a young boy collapse suddenly and die while playing in the same football match as one of my sons. Seeing someone so young and healthy lose their life to this condition was a shocking experience. The work of CRY Ireland in helping those that have been affected by sudden cardiac death is truly valuable and can potentially save lives.”
She continued: “It is a great privilege to have been appointed Chairperson for CRY Ireland. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with those at CRY Ireland for the last two years and I am very excited about the future for CRY Ireland and opportunities that my appointment will present.”
DJ Browne and Bernard Dennehy, Brand Manager and Used Sales Manager, respectively
Newmarket Motors
DJ Browne, Brand Manager, Newmarket Motors
Newmarket Motors has announced details of a double appointment in the North Cork Volkswagen dealership.
DJ Browne has been promoted to Brand Manager, having worked for Newmarket Motors for 21 years. During his time with Newmarket Motors, Mr Browne has held a number of positions including Sales Manager, Senior Volkswagen Sales Specialist, and Senior Volkswagen Commercial Sales Specialist.
Meanwhile, Bernard Dennehy has been appointed as Used Sales Manager. Another long-standing member of the Newmarket Motors team, Mr Dennehy has held positions of Volkswagen Sales Specialist and Audi Sales Specialist during his 20 years with the organisation.
Newmarket Motors is a successful Volkswagen dealership, which has been operated by the Browne family since 1976. A big part of the business is used vehicles across a range of brands.
Bernard Dennehy, Used Sales Manager, Newmarket Motors
Gavan Smyth, Chief Executive Officer,
Blueface
Gavan Smyth, Chief Executive Officer, Blueface
Dublin-based technology provider Blueface has announced the appointment of Gavan Smyth as chief executive officer.
Mr Smyth is a former vice president of product and vice president of strategic marketing with Liberty Global based in Amsterdam, where he was responsible for the delivery of B2B products and digital marketing strategies to 10 operations across Europe. Prior to this he led the Virgin Media business in Ireland for nine years as vice president of business services, delivering double digit revenue growth each year.
Alan Foy is stepping down as CEO after 11 years and will continue his relationship with the company as chairman.
Commenting on Mr Smyth’s appointment, Mr Foy said: “We are delighted to attract someone of the calibre of Gavan Smyth to lead the Blueface team at an important and exciting time for the business. We have grown the team significantly in the current year to drive our product roadmap and serve the demands of an expanding global customer base. Gavan’s product and international expertise will enable Blueface to optimise on the further international and domestic opportunities for the business.”
Mr Smyth said: “The company has come a long way in a relatively short period of time and I believe, with the offering it has for the market, it has a really great future.”
