To celebrate International Women’s Day 2025, Business & Finance has highlighted some leading female voices across the business sector.
This year, to celebrate International Women’s Day, we’d like to showcase some of the leading women in business today. Here, we feature business leaders who are at the forefront of their respective fields, including entrepreneurs, founders, CFOs and CEOs.
IWD is celebrated globally on 8th March every year. The day is aimed at highlighting women’s political, economic and social achievements as well as marking women’s struggle for equality and justice.
Despite progress in many areas of life, issues like the gender pay gap, lack of women in senior positions, and workplace bias still exist. IWD creates a dialogue about these challenges and pushes companies to take action on diversity and inclusion.
The visibility of women in business helps to challenge outdated stereotypes and encourages more women to pursue active leadership roles, encouraging the next generation of thought leaders.
Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson is a trailblazer in law and politics. She was appointed Reid Professor of Criminal Law at Trinity College Dublin at just 25 years old and later co-founded the Irish Centre for European Law.
She served as a senator for two decades before making history as Ireland’s first female president from 1990 to 1997. Robinson went on to lead global human rights efforts as UN High Commissioner and played a pivotal role in climate advocacy as Chair of The Elders.
One of the world’s most respected voices on climate justice, Robinson has dedicated her career to championing human rights, gender equality, and sustainability. She has served as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Climate Change and sits on numerous boards, including the European Climate Foundation.
Robinson’s influence extends beyond policy; her book Climate Justice has received widespread acclaim. Recognised for her transformative leadership, she holds honorary doctorates from over 40 universities and has received prestigious honours, including the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom. An unforgettable speaker and advocate, she inspires audiences worldwide with her hopeful call to action, framing the fight for a sustainable future as both urgent and achievable.
Robinson will be honoured with the ESG Leader Award at this year’s Business & Finance ESG Awards, in partnership with Grant Thornton.
Mary Robinson commented on the news. “I am honoured to accept the ESG Leader Award at a time when there is significant push back on companies accepting the importance of incorporating Environmental, Social & Governance values to ensure their sustainability. I encourage Irish companies to show that both ESG and DEI (Diversity, Inclusion & Equity), are not only the right thing to do but also good for their bottom line.”
Aimee Connolly, founder and CEO of Sculpted by Aimee
Aimee Connolly is CEO and founder of Sculpted by Aimee, a multi-purpose beauty product brand, and winner of the Elevation Award in association with Enterprise Ireland at the Business & Finance Awards 2024.
She said: “As a female founder in a female dominated business and sector I think it’s incredibly powerful to celebrate International Women’s Day. It not only serves as a positive marker of how things are progressing for women in this day and age but it’s also a reminder of the room still to go to be equal and ensure equal opportunities.
“With this year’s theme being ‘Accelerate Action’, I think it’s really fitting that the IWD itself has become such an important calendar one as without these moments there would not be enough of a focus on the crucial subject of gender equality.”
Karen May, CFO of XOCEAN
She said: “We’ve come such a long way in empowering women in business. It is only in my mother’s generation that women had to give up their government jobs when they got married. Today, things have moved on so far from this that I don’t see myself as any different from a man in a leadership role. I am very grateful to James Ives, our CEO, and our wider leadership team who are such positive supporters of women.
“In XOCEAN, we are at over 30 times the Maritime Industry’s level of female participation, and we actively encourage the promotion of women in the business. I was fortunate to have exemplary female role models throughout my career and hope that I can payback some of their generosity through supporting other women now. It is so important that we remind ourselves of the radical change that has happened over the past 50 years by celebrating International Women’s Day. It is also important that we keep driving this agenda forward as there is still a lot more to do.”
Dr. Lucy O’Keeffe, CEO and co-founder of CroiValve
Dr Lucy O’Keeffe is CEO and co-founder of CroiValve. Based in Ireland and US, CroiValve has developed a minimally invasive device to treat the tricuspid valve. They are a spin out of Trinity College Dublin in 2019, with €40M investment to date from Irish & US venture capital funds, angel investors and EU & Irish grant funding.
They have completed a successful early clinical study in Europe and are currently enrolling in a US clinical study. Lucy holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from University College Dublin, a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from University of Limerick and a Diploma in Project Management from University College Cork.
She said: “For me, International Women’s Day is a great opportunity to showcase examples of strong female leadership and achievement, as these examples help show what women can achieve. I am proud that CroiValve is potentially one of these, particularly as examples of female led, venture backed, deep tech startups are still relatively uncommon.
“CroiValve demonstrates that a strategy to hire the best candidate results in strong female representation, with women holding 70% of CroíValve’s senior leadership team roles, 50% of board positions and 24 of 40 of the overall CroiValve team. We are pleased to be an example of that women can take on important challenges, champion innovation and have a real impact, for us on patients’ lives.”
Shelah McMahon, Director of Public Sector at Ergo
She said: “Throughout my career, I have been very lucky to know and work with some great leaders in terms of colleagues, organisational leaders and clients across Public & Private Sector. International Women’s Day to me, serves as an important reminder of the progress we’ve made and the work still to be done in achieving true diversity and gender balance.
“The technology sector remains largely male dominated, and, while we’ve seen some progress, especially when it comes to female leadership in Ireland over the past number of years, diversity isn’t just a goal or KPI to be hit – it’s a necessity to drive true innovation, and support growth in an ever-evolving sector.
“Having women in leadership roles brings fresh perspectives, better decision-making, and creates a workplace where everyone can thrive.
“When companies embrace diversity, they are more likely to attract top talent, improve employee satisfaction, and enhance their reputation. Gender balance, in particular, ensures that different viewpoints are considered, leading to more comprehensive and effective strategies.
“Having a workplace that supports inclusion has been invaluable to me throughout my career, and while this day is great to raise awareness of female achievements, my hope is that Ireland’s incredible pedigree of Irish female leaders will act as a source of ongoing encouragement for any female seeking to pursue a career in technology or otherwise.”
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