Pictured (L-R): Antony Keane, Strategy and Consulting Lead for Ireland, Aisling Campbell, Head of Human Resources and Aoife Aherne, Head of Resources for Ireland at Accenture
This week sees new and notable appointments at Accenture, LIFT Ireland, Welltel and Pieta
Antony Keane, Strategy and Consulting Lead for Ireland,
Aisling Campbell, Head of Human Resources,
Aoife Aherne, Head of Resources for Ireland
Accenture
Accenture has announced the appointment of three new members to its leadership team. Aisling Campbell takes up the role of Head of Human Resources, with Antony Keane appointed as Strategy and Consulting Lead for Ireland, and Aoife Aherne as Head of Resources for Ireland.
Commenting on the new appointments, Alastair Blair, country managing director of Accenture in Ireland said: “Today’s announcement marks an exciting time for our business and is a great illustration of the breadth and diversity of our business in Ireland. At Accenture, we are dedicated to building leaders, and Aisling, Aoife, and Antony have made an enormous contribution and demonstrated fantastic commitment to our business. Their promotion to the leadership team reflects their focus, dedication, leadership and experience which will be instrumental to us as we continue to make a positive difference for our clients and our communities and grow our business in Ireland.”
Aisling Campbell takes on her new role as Head of HR for Accenture in Ireland having previously worked as HR Lead for Accenture’s Operations business. She began her career in Accenture in 2015, when she joined as HR Manager for Accenture’s global R&D and innovation centre, The Dock, and managed a wide range of people performance and support areas, from talent planning and culture to human capital strategy. Aisling holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Queen’s University, Belfast, and a master’s in Occupational Psychology from the University of Leicester.
Antony Keane takes on his new role as Strategy and Consulting Lead for Ireland, having spent over 20 years with Accenture in various roles within the Financial Services sector. Antony worked with some of the firm’s biggest banking clients across London, France, and the Netherlands before eventually returning to Accenture’s Dublin office. Antony’s new position will see him lead all aspects of Accenture’s Strategy and Consulting business. Together with his team, Antony works with the executive teams of Ireland’s leading organisations to help them accelerate their digital transformation, grow profitability, and deliver sustainable value. He has both a bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering and a master’s in Management Science from UCD.
Meanwhile, Aoife Aherne has over 15 years’ experience in the energy and utilities sector in the UK & Ireland having first joined Accenture as a graduate. Aoife’s new role as Head of Resources will see her lead on the firm’s work with utility, energy and fuels retail companies based in Ireland. She is passionate about the energy transition that Ireland needs to undertake as part of the drive to net zero. She is collaborating with the rapidly expanding eco-system of technology, data, and engineering service providers and is driven by what the sector can achieve in partnership with its customers and stakeholders. Aoife is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and IAE Grenoble and holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and French as well as a master’s in Information Systems and Organisational Management.
Anne Heraty, Chair,
LIFT Ireland
LIFT Ireland has announced business leader Anne Heraty as the new Chair of the organisation’s Board of Directors. She will be joined on the Board by two new members: John Lonergan, former Governor of Mountjoy Prison, and corporate lawyer Ken Casey. LIFT – which stands for ‘Leading Ireland’s Future Together’ – is a social enterprise aimed at increasing the level of positive leadership in Ireland. It works with individuals and organisations across the country, ranging from multinational corporations to SMEs, NGOs, schools, sports organisations, and individuals from all walks of life. The new appointments to the organisation’s Board come at a time of rapid growth for LIFT Ireland: in 2021, 17,000 people participated in LIFT initiatives, with LIFT leadership facilitators growing by 310% and the number of participants in LIFT’s ‘roundtable’ events increasing by 180%.
About the LIFT Board-Members
- Anne Heraty is the founder of CPL Group, a global recruitment company. She led CPL to become Ireland’s top employment services provider and remains on the board after the company was acquired by Outsourcing inc. in 2021. She is a former President of Ibec, is a passionate supporter of youth education and development, and has a keen interest in social and youth affairs.
- John Lonergan served in the Irish Prison Service for over 40 years, spending more than half that time as the Governor of Mountjoy Prison. John is a renowned and respected authority on social justice issues and the societal impacts of the penal system. He believes that the biggest challenge facing us today is creating a just, inclusive and cohesive society based on the core values of justice, equality, respect and compassion. He was formerly a member of LIFT Ireland’s Advisory Board before becoming a Director in 2022.
- Ken Casey is Partner and Head of Corporate at Hayes Solicitors. He has over 25 years of experience in corporate governance, business law, corporate finance, and equity markets across various industries such as financial services, tech, media, airlines, gaming, hospitality and sports. Like John Lonergan, he was formerly a member of LIFT Ireland’s Advisory Board before becoming a Director in 2022.
In addition to the three new members, the founders of LIFT Ireland – Joanne Hession, Sonya Lennon and David Hession – also sit on the Board of Directors. Joanne Hession, the organisation’s CEO, is a successful entrepreneur and leadership expert. She founded LIFT Ireland in 2017, along with her brother, David Hession, an education accreditation expert, and Sonya Lennon, designer equality advocate and social entrepreneur.
Commenting on the new Board appointments, Joanne Hession, said: “We are delighted to have Anne on board. Anne brings a wealth of experience as a director and inspirational leader. As LIFT Ireland continues to scale and reach into every corner of our society, Anne’s experience and insights will help us to achieve even more success into the future, creating an even greater impact for people, young and old, across all sectors to build their leadership skills. She will be joined by John Lonergan and Ken Casey, who are highly experienced and respected in their fields and we are grateful to have them join the LIFT Ireland Board.”
Des English, Head of Cloud and Security Sales,
Welltel
Welltel, the business communications provider, has announced the appointment of Des English as Head of Cloud and Security Sales. Des has 30 years’ experience in sales roles across multiple markets and industries including telecoms, cloud computing and SaaS (software-as-a-service).
In this role, Des will provide solutions to enterprise and mid-market customers in the areas of connectivity, cloud and cybersecurity at Welltel. With a focus on creating excellent customer experiences, he will build, coach and develop skilled teams and encourage a collaborative approach across the company’s sales teams.
Prior to joining Welltel, Des was Senior Regional Sales Director for Startups at Salesforce in the UK, working closely with disruptive consultancy startups across the legal, financial and recruitment sectors. Previously, he spent over two years as Sales Director with cloud specialist Strencom, which was acquired by Welltel in 2021. Here, he helped to grow Strencom’s sales team and client offering in managed connectivity and cloud IaaS (infrastructure-as-a-service).
Before this, Des was a Senior Sales Manager at Vodafone UK, where he was responsible for the management and expansion of Vodafone’s Red Edge Corporate UK Sales team who were developing Vodafone’s partnerships with large UK corporate clients.
Des holds a degree in Business and Legal Studies from University College Dublin, and has also completed a coaching programme at the Henley Institute of Training.
Des English, Head of Cloud and Security Sales, Welltel: “I plan to draw on my experience of working with fast-growing companies and building successful teams within the telecoms sector to drive the cloud and security sales direction at Welltel. My passion for superior customer experience is mirrored by Welltel and I look forward to helping to underpin growth for clients with bespoke, innovative solutions.
“Cloud and security are becoming ever more critical to the success of businesses in the workplace of the future. Welltel is a one-stop-shop for customer needs across connectivity, cloud, contact centres, communications and security, which underscores our commitment to our customers and allows them to go to market quickly and efficiently.
Stephanie Manahan, Chief Executive,
Pieta
Pictured: Stephanie Manahan, CEO, Pieta
In her role as Chief Executive of CRC, Stephanie was central to establishing new management structures and robust governance and led a transformational change programme at the organisation. Stephanie has worked in healthcare for over 30 years following qualifying as an Occupational Therapist in 1990. She was Deputy Hospital Manager at Connolly Hospital, Dublin and previously held the position of Director of Allied Health & Social Care professions. She holds a BSC from Trinity, an MSC from the University of London, and a Certificate in Change Management from the IPA. In 2015 Stephanie was awarded the 30% club scholarship to undertake the Professional Diploma in Corporate Governance with the Michael Smurfit Business School in UCD. Stephanie is a member of the Council of CORU (State body for the regulation of Irish Health & Social Care Professions).
Welcoming Stephanie to Pieta, Celine Fitzgerald, the Chair of the organisation said, “We are delighted to welcome Stephanie to lead Pieta. She has a strong track record in healthcare and the not-for-profit sector and will bring great expertise to Pieta. She joins at an important time as demand for our vital services continues to increase. The period of the pandemic fostered new ways of working at Pieta in order to continue delivering our services, and also saw an enormous fundraising response from the public, for which we are extremely grateful and which will enable the organisation to deliver on our ambition to expand and bring more of our important services to the people who need our support.”