By Business & Finance 
Pictured: Ann Marie Lenihan is CEO of NewsBrands Ireland and recently appointed board member to the Advertising Standards Authority.
This week sees new and notable appointments at Advertising Standards Authority, Mercy University Hospital Cork, OutForm Consulting and Matheson LLP.
Ann Marie Lenihan, Clare Mulcahy, Michael O’Keeffe, Board Members
Advertising Standards Authority
The Advertising Standards Authority, the independent advertising self-regulatory body responsible for promoting, regulating and enforcing the highest standards of marketing communications in Ireland, has appointed Ann Marie Lenihan, Clare Mulcahy, and Michael O’Keeffe to its Board.
The appointments of Clare Mulcahy and Michael O’Keeffe to the Board represent a significant milestone for the Advertising Standards Authority, introducing independent, non-industry perspectives that will enhance its mission to ‘Foster Trust in Advertising for all’.
Ann Marie Lenihan is CEO of NewsBrands Ireland, a representative body for national news publishers. Since her appointment to the role in 2016, Ann Marie has led the organisation in successful lobbying for the abolition of VAT on both print and digital newspapers, a change reflected in the 2023 Budget. More recently, she spearheaded efforts that resulted in the publication of the Defamation (Amendment) Bill, which aims to reform Ireland defamation laws.
Clare Mulcahy is Head of Consumer Affairs at the Irish Aviation Authority and was also previously a member of the Advertising Standards Authority Complaints Committee. An accomplished leader in consumer protection and regulatory compliance, Clare has also worked with the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, where she managed compliance for water, electricity and gas markets.
Michael O’Keeffe is the former Chief Executive of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI), having worked in this role for the BAI and its predecessors between 1991 and 2021. While in this role, Michael served as a member of the Advertising Standards Authority Complaints Committee.
Commenting on the appointments, Orla Twomey, Chief Executive of the Advertising Standards Authority, said: “We are delighted to welcome Ann Marie, Clare and Michael to the Board. Each appointee brings a wealth of expertise to the role. Their insights will be invaluable to the wider Board of the Advertising Standards Authority and their combined knowledge will offer expert guidance on the dynamic advertising landscape.
Commenting on the appointments, Miriam Hughes, Chair of the Board, said: “We are very much looking forward to working with Ann Marie, Clare and Michael in the future. Clare and Michael’s appointments, in particular, are an important milestone for the organisation. Their independent voices will bring fresh perspectives to the Board’s deliberations, enriching our decision making process and strengthening our commitment to safeguarding consumers from advertising that is harmful, offensive, or misleading.”
Margaret McKiernan, Chief Executive Officer
Mercy University Hospital Cork
Following a competitive recruitment process, the Board of Directors of Mercy University Hospital (MUH) is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms Margaret McKiernan as Chief Executive Officer.
Ms McKiernan brings over 25 years of experience in the acute hospital sector to the role, most recently serving as MUH’s Director of Nursing since 2016. In this capacity, she played a key role in the executive management of the hospital, overseeing capital developments and the patient experience pathway.
A Registered General Nurse with a distinguished career spanning clinical and leadership roles in Ireland and the UK, Ms McKiernan’s professional and academic qualifications include an MSc in Nursing and a post graduate qualification in Intensive Care and Coronary Care Nursing. Most recently, she successfully completed the Florence Nightingale Foundation Scholarship Programme 2022 to 2023. Her clinical background lies in critical care nursing, with specialist interests in healthcare communication, end-of-life care, and inclusion health.
Ms McKiernan represents acute hospitals nationally on the HSE / Irish Hospice Foundation Oversight Group and is the acute hospital representative in Cork on the LGBT Interagency Group. Ms McKiernan established the Sanctuary Hospital Group within Mercy University Hospital which has hospital and interagency membership to support the delivery of HSE Inclusion Health priorities.
Speaking about the appointment, Ms McKiernan said; “I am honoured to take up this position and to lead Mercy University Hospital into its next chapter. My commitment is to build upon our strong foundation of compassionate, patient-centred care while embracing innovation and collaboration to best serve our community. Working with partners across health, social care and the voluntary sector, I will guide the hospital’s ambition to provide the right services to meet the health and care needs of our communities both now and in years to come”.
Ms Ann Doherty, Chair of the Mercy University Hospital Board, said; “Margaret’s qualifications, clinical expertise and decades of experience speak for themselves. We are confident that her leadership will guide MUH towards continued success in providing exceptional patient care.”
Jean-Manuel Lejeune, Director
OutForm Consulting
OutForm Consulting is very excited to announce the appointment of Jean-Manuel Lejeune as Director in the latest appointment to its growing leadership team.Alice Duffy, Partner in Employment, Pensions and Benefits Group
Matheson
Matheson LLP has announced the appointment of Alice Duffy as partner to its Employment, Pensions and Benefits Group. Matheson now has an employment and pensions team of 28 specialist lawyers, including six partners and eleven senior associates, making it one of the largest such practices in the Irish market.
Alice Duffy initially trained with Clyde & Co before joining Matheson in 2014 as a senior associate. From 2019 she worked with a leading international law firm, before recently rejoining Matheson as partner. Alice is particularly experienced in supporting multi-national companies on international people-related projects including global workforce expansion and restructuring, and joins the Employment team to work on a range of exciting domestic and international matters. She advises employers across the technology, financial services, retail and hospitality and life sciences sectors. She has particular, hands-on technology and fintech sector experience, having completed secondments with a number of multinational technology companies. Alice is the third partner to join Matheson’s Employment, Pensions and Benefits team in the last three years, bringing the total number of partners in the group to six.
Michael Jackson, Managing Partner at Matheson said “We are delighted to welcome Alice back to Matheson as a partner. Her experience in advising internationally-focused companies, particularly in the technology sector, aligns with our longstanding strategy of being the law firm of choice to internationally-focused businesses and financial institutions doing business in and from Ireland. Our Employment, Pensions and Benefits practice continues to grow its market share and the addition of Alice, together with senior associates with the skills and experience of Rachel and Jennifer, reflects our continued commitment to investing in talent across all of our strategically important practice areas. I look forward to working closely with Alice, Rachel and Jennifer as we continue on our growth journey.”
