New and notable appointments at Bank of Ireland, FREE NOW, Publicis, The Noledge Group, Wellington IT, Royal London, and WebDoctor

Pictured: Fiona Brady, Head of Public Affairs at FREE NOW.

This week sees new and notable appointments at Bank of Ireland, FREE NOW, Publicis, The Noledge Group, Wellington IT, Royal London, and WebDoctor.

Joann Hosey, Director of Wealth Advice & Distribution,
Bank of Ireland

Pictured: Joann Hosey, Director of Wealth Advice & Distribution at Bank of Ireland

Joann Hosey has been appointed as Director of Wealth Advice & Distribution at Bank of Ireland. Joann moves into her new role from the Bank’s Retail division, where she previously led the Eastern Area distribution team across sales, advice and everyday banking channels.

In her new position Joann will look to further develop the exceptional growth levels delivered by Bank of Ireland’s Wealth Advice & Distribution team over the past number of years. Prior to taking up her new appointment Joann led the Retail Ireland team through a period of significant upheaval as they continued to deliver essential services throughout the pandemic.

Discussing her appointment, Michael Murphy, Managing Director of New Ireland Wealth & Insurance, said: “We are delighted to appoint Joann to this important leadership role in Bank of Ireland. Joann knows the Bank and indeed our industry very well, bringing with her significant experience and expertise from a career which began in New Ireland and more recently encompassing the wider Bank of Ireland Group.

This is an exciting time for our Wealth & Insurance business, as we continue to deliver transformation, growth and excellent outcomes for Bank of Ireland customers. Joann always carries out her roles with energy, drive and a clear focus on delivery. I look forward to the Wealth Advice and Distribution team continuing its strong growth and serving customers brilliantly under her leadership.”

Following her appointment, Joann Hosey said: “Having started my Bank of Ireland career within the wealth business, I’m very proud to now return to lead this division. The growth and transformation that the wealth business has witnessed in recent years is truly exceptional and its digital transformation is now delivering very positive outcomes. Our customer’s financial wellbeing is very important to us and taking care of their long term financial needs is paramount to our success.”

Fiona Brady, Head of Public Affairs,
FREE NOW

Pictured: Fiona Brady, Head of Public Affairs at FREE NOW

FREE NOW, Ireland’s leading multi-mobility app, has appointed Fiona Brady as its new Head of Public Affairs for Ireland effective immediately.

Fiona has worked with FREE NOW for over six years and is currently the Head of Operations for the company in Ireland. With this new appointment she will assume a dual role, maintaining responsibility for leading the company’s strategic operations, in addition to her new Public Affairs remit – leading the development and execution of the company’s public affairs strategy and spearheading its sustainability and innovation agenda across Ireland.

In her new role, Fiona will engage with the political ecosystem and public policy to advance how people and businesses across Ireland interact with next generation mobility services. She is committed to realising FREE NOW’s strategic ambitions to facilitate more flexible and sustainable transport throughout Ireland via multi-modal approaches to transport, reduced reliance on private vehicle ownership, and wide-scale electrification of our national transport infrastructure.

Fiona has over 18 years’ experience working in transport, tech and mobility across both public and private sectors. She holds a Diploma in Management Studies, Transport and Aviation from the Institute of Technology Carlow, as well as an Honours Degree in Social Science from University College Dublin and has recently completed the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford Leading Sustainable Corporations Programme.

Fiona Brady, Head of Operations & Public Affairs for FREE NOW in Ireland commented: “I am delighted to take on this new joint role as Head of  Operations & Public Affairs at FREE NOW. This is a milestone career progression for me with FREE NOW and in my career to date, having acquired a range of experience in roles across public and private sectors since I started out in the transport industry over 18 years ago.

Leading the Public Affairs function for an innovative company like FREE NOW is a new and exciting challenge for me, particularly as we navigate such an exciting time for the company and indeed the transport sector overall in Ireland. Our sector is evolving rapidly and with growing national demand for sustainable and flexible transport options it is crucial that transport providers collectively support the achievement of the ambitious 2030 carbon emissions targets set by the government.

In my new role, I am committed to ensuring that FREE NOW plays its part in the national effort to meet our sustainability ambition  – Move to Net-Zero programme – with the goal of achieving 50% of journeys in fully electric vehicles by 2025 and to be the first mobility platform in Europe to reach Net-Zero emissions by 2030 . I will also continue to drive our progression to our multi-modal service offering with e-scooters which will soon  be available on the app in 2022 following recent legislation passing.”

Speaking about the appointment, Niall Carson, General Manager for FREE NOW Ireland said: “We are very pleased to announce Fiona as the new Head of Public Affairs of FREE NOW in Ireland. I am confident she will drive our strategic PA and Operations agendas from strength to strength. Fiona is ideally placed to respond to exciting opportunities in the transport sector and we have no doubt that she will play a pivotal role in our aim to support a more sustainable, inter-connected and multi-modal transport network across Ireland.”

Sinead Dennis, Business Director,
Publicis

Pictured: Sinead Dennis, Business Director at
Publicis

Publicis Dublin, Ireland’s unique multi-disciplinary creative consultancy, has announced today a senior appointment to support the agency’s continuing growth. Sinead Dennis, a highly regarded leader in the advertising sector, will join Publicis from March as Business Director. In this role, part of the Publicis senior leadership team, Sinead will lead the ongoing growth and development of the Client Service team for Publicis and report to the Managing Director of the agency, Geraldine Jones.

Sinead, with over 15 years’ experience in the advertising sector, was recognised early in her career with the IAPI ‘One to Watch’ accolade, and has devised, built, and implemented high impact growth strategies for some of Ireland’s leading brands across the utilities, motoring, financial services, teleco, and FMCG sectors. Sinead has held previous roles in TBWA Dublin, Core and The Public House. A graduate of both UCD and TU Dublin, Sinead has also lectured with the Digital Marketing Institute.

Speaking about the appointment, Geraldine Jones said: “Having worked with Sinead I know the exemplary standard of her work as a strategic problem solver as well as her ability to bring creative flair to lead high impact work for clients.  Sinead is a highly regarded leader in our sector and worked with many of our team and clients in Publicis when she worked with us during 2020.  Sinead rejoins Publicis at a really exciting juncture for everyone in this sector.  With brands and business leaders facing into a totally new landscape, Sinead will join the wider multi-disciplinary Publicis team working with some of the most progressive brands in Ireland and internationally. As we devise new solutions to new challenges and create value, we will continue to expand the team in Publicis, helping our clients to create sustainable growth in an evolving world.”

Sinéad Galligani, Group Marketing Director,
The Noledge Group

Pictured: Sinéad Galligani, Group Marketing Director at The Noledge Group

 The Noledge Group, the Irish cloud ERP solution specialists, today announces that it has appointed Sinéad Galligani as Group Marketing Director for its Envisage and OSSM brands. Sinéad brings more than 20 years’ sales and marketing experience to this position. In this new role, she will be responsible for designing and executing marketing strategies for both Envisage and OSSM brands.

As part of the leadership team, Sinéad will be responsible for preparing budgets across a range of initiatives covering new customer acquisition and customer retention. Her role will also include collaborating with internal departments such as sales, product development, and customer service. As Group Marketing Director, she will work closely with key strategic partners including Sage, Oracle NetSuite and Next Technik, as well as collaborate with communications, media, branding and digital agencies.

Sinéad joined the Group in 2014 as marketing manager for both the Envisage and OSSM brands. Prior to that, she spent 11 years at Advent Processing Solutions working in business development, account management and marketing management roles. Earlier in her career, Sinéad spent six years in marketing and sales roles at Intellect Accounting & Network Solutions.

Sinéad holds a bachelor’s degree in International Marketing and Languages from Dublin City University, and a diploma in digital marketing from The Irish Times/IIA and most recently she successfully completed the Forrester B2B marketing foundations and demand-based marketing accreditations.

Speaking on her appointment, Sinéad Galligani said, “I have worked in the accounting software and ERP industry for most of my career. Over the years, I’ve been involved in several start-ups and small businesses which offered a fantastic experience in different aspects of business.  At The Noledge Group, this has been invaluable as we build something special with the uniting of our two more established brands into a real powerhouse of capability.

“Having worked with both sales and marketing teams has been hugely beneficial to me in my current role. As Group Marketing Director, understanding the internal processes and challenges within a business helps me align our initiatives and messaging to ensure we are continuously adding value to both new and existing customers. I’ve always enjoyed the autonomy and company culture where every team member is an important cog in the wheel and is hugely valued.”

Clare McCavanagh, Product Manager,
Wellington IT

Pictured: Clare McCavanagh, Product Manager at Wellington IT

Wellington IT, the tech partner to the credit union sector, today announces the appointment of Clare McCavanagh as Product Manager. Clare has 13 years of experience working in financial services and is highly skilled in the areas of product management, service delivery and strategic planning.

As Product Manager, Clare will be responsible for the creation, execution and delivery of Wellington IT’s product road map. Working closely with the development team on product strategy, she will use customer feedback to develop and build new technologies that empower customers and support their growth strategies.

Clare joined Wellington IT in 2018 as a Product Development Business Analyst. Previously, she spent over a decade with multinational investment bank, Citi. During this time, she worked in a number of planning and analysis roles at a senior level, most recently as Conferencing Technologies Product Manager.

Clare holds a BSc in Computing Science from Ulster University. She also has an IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) professional certification in Change Management & Service Transition; an Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) certificate in Financial Service Authority (FSA) Regulatory Environment, Introduction to Securities and Investments, and a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Computing and Business.

Clare McCavanagh, Product Manager, Wellington IT: “I am delighted to step into this new role in Wellington IT at such a pivotal time, as digital transformation has become critical for the credit union sector.

“Having worked in the financial services sector for 13 years, I understand the need for forward-thinking strategies and new technologies that improve customers’ ways of working, which I plan to leverage in my new position with Wellington IT.

“I look forward to working with clients to understand their needs and collaboratively create solutions that will ultimately help grow their businesses and provide a better experience to the end-user.”

Matthew Tinney, Head of Underwriting,
Royal London

Pictured: Matthew Tinney, Head of Underwriting at Royal London

Matthew Tinney has been appointed as Head of Underwriting at Royal London. In this new role, he will be responsible for strengthening Royal London in Ireland’s position in relation to underwriting and claims payment. Prior to Royal London, he gained experience in Underwriting Development at New Ireland Assurance for seven years, and Underwriting Manager at Allianz Worldwide Care for three years.

Ian Kennedy, Chief Marketing Officer,
WebDoctor

Pictured: Ian Kennedy, Chief Marketing Officer at WebDoctor

WebDoctor, a leading health technology business and telehealth platform, is pleased to announce the appointment of Ian Kennedy as Chief Marketing Officer effective immediately. In his new role, Ian will have overall commercial responsibility for the company’s B2C & B2B2C product, WebDoctor.ie, as well as responsibility for the organisation’s marketing, lead generation, digital optimisation, and customer communications, which will be a vital part of WebDoctor’s plans for international expansion, as it seeks to build on its strong growth in Ireland to date. He will report directly to WebDoctor’s CEO David Crimmins.

Prior to assuming the role of CMO at WebDoctor, Ian held the role of Head of Digital and Marketing, Europe at insurance provider Cover-More Group, part of the Zurich Insurance Group. He had responsibility in areas including product management, product growth, business strategy, business development, data analysis, customer acquisition, marketing, e-commerce, and distribution with the company. He previously served as Head of Digital and Marketing at Blue Insurance before it was acquired by Cover-More and played a key role in the acquisition.

Ian has also worked as Marketing and Media Manager with Ryanair and as a Client Director with one of Ireland’s leading marketing and communications agencies, Core. Ian serves as Board Secretary and Non-Executive Director at Community Credit Union, a member-owned regulated financial services organization, with responsibility for Governance, Financial Oversight, Business Development & Corporate Strategy.

Ian Kennedy, Chief Marketing Officer with WebDoctor said “I am delighted to take on this new role with WebDoctor and look forward to working with the rest of the team as we seek to expand into international markets and build upon the tremendous growth of the company to date. WebDoctor has established itself as a leader in the telemedicine space in the Irish market through a commitment to innovation and high standards of patient care and service, and this standard of excellence will help to enable us to continue to grow rapidly in the future.”

Ian holds a BA in Business and French and an MSc in Marketing and Digital from TUD. He also holds a Diploma in Financial Advice from UCD and a Certificate in Insurance Practice from The Insurance Institute as well as a Diploma in Ecommerce and Advertising from NCI.