Appointments

New and notable appointments at Community Finance Ireland, Diaceutics, Equinix, Fine Grain Property and LK Shields Solicitors LLP

By Business & Finance
04 March 2021
Nikita Lynn, Vice President Finance, Diaceutics
Pictured: Nikita Lynn, Vice President of Finance, Diaceutics

This week sees new and notable appointments at Community Finance Ireland, Diaceutics, Equinix, Fine Grain Property and LK Shields Solicitors LLP


Emmett O’Hara, Associate Director
Community Finance Ireland

Pictured: Emmet O’Hara, Associate Director, Community Finance Ireland

Community Finance Ireland, the fastest-growing social finance provider in Ireland and the UK, has today (01.03.21) announced the appointment of Emmett O’Hara as the organisation’s new associate director for the Republic of Ireland. He replaces Dónal Traynor who was appointed as CEO of the organisation last November.

Community Finance Ireland offers finance solutions specifically tailored for the community sector including sports clubs, community projects, faith-based groups, and social enterprises.

Emmett O’Hara will be working in the Leinster region where Community Finance Ireland has funded over 100 projects to the amount of €9,857,000.

Born in Cavan and raised in Dublin, Mr O’Hara (42) comes to Community Finance Ireland from the financial sector, where he has worked across Business Development, Commercial and Credit Analyst management over a 24-year period.

Commenting on his appointment, Mr O’Hara said, “I’m delighted to join the team at Community Finance Ireland. After such a long tenure in the commercial lending sector where I gained a broad experience of credit analysis, I’m delighted to be able to bring my expertise to a new sector where I can have a direct impact on local communities and support the resilience of volunteers and grassroots organisations as we all look forward.

“Living in Meath with my family I’ve seen first-hand how these organisations can play a pivotal role in local communities. There are incredible things happening in sports clubs, arts organisations and social enterprise centres right across the country and I’m looking forward to getting out there to meet those who are making change happen at a local level here in Leinster.”

Welcoming the appointment, Dónal Traynor, CEO of Community Finance Ireland said, “Emmett brings a wealth of financial expertise to our clients and potential clients in the Leinster area, we’re delighted to have him on board. Importantly, he shares our passion to invest in social capital and support the greater good. Emmett is a team player and with our small team working across the length and breadth of Ireland, it’s fantastic to have someone on board who can hit the ground running in his province.”


Nikita Lynn, Vice President of Finance                                                  Diaceutics

Diaceutics has announced the appointment of Nikita Lynn to Vice President of Finance. She has been promoted to this role following her tenure as Senior Director of Corporate Advancement.

In her new role within Diaceutics, Nikita will be responsible for the financial operations and corporate development of the company, reporting to the CFO, board of directors and non-executive directors. She brings extensive experience in financial reporting, taxation and auditing for public companies to the position.

Before joining Diaceutics in August 2020, Nikita was a Senior Manager at PwC where she spent approximately six years in the Assurance Department, working predominantly within audit. During this time, she also worked on reporting accountant engagements, which included project leading the IPO’s of Diaceutics PLC in March 2019 and Fusion Antibodies in December 2017.

Nikita trained and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ireland, and is an active contributor with the Institute of Chartered Accountants Ireland, Ulster Society, having gained experience across several committee roles.

Commenting on the appointment, Philip White, Chief Financial Officer of Diaceutics, said: “An expert in finance, Nikita has a stellar track record and in-depth experience within the technology, pharma, and manufacturing sectors. During her time as Senior Director of Corporate Advancement at Diaceutics, she has demonstrated the leadership abilities which will be invaluable in helping us advance our mission and solutions enabled by DXRX – The Diagnostic Network®, and in unlocking the transformative financial value of platform business models.”

Nikita Lynn, Vice President of Finance, Diaceutics added: “I’m thrilled to commence a new chapter in my Diaceutics career, and to continue working alongside a diverse group of talented professionals aligned on a common goal – to provide every patient with the treatment they deserve. I look forward to continuing to work with the Diaceutics finance and executive management team as we continue to drive the growth of Diaceutics PLC and DXRX.”


John O’Driscoll, Regional Sales Director
Equinix

Equinix has announced the appointment of John O’Driscoll as its new Regional Sales Director for Ireland. In his new role, O’Driscoll will have overall strategic and operational responsibility for all of Equinix Ireland’s sales channels, leading domestic and international business development efforts, while overseeing renewals and Channel sales.

O’Driscoll brings more than 20 years of sales experience, with more than 16 years in senior leadership roles in the cybersecurity, technology and telecoms sectors. Most recently, O’Driscoll served as Group Head of Sales at Integrity360, where he held full profit and loss responsibility for UK and Irish markets. Prior to this, he was Head of Global Business Development and Enterprise Inside Sales sectors at BT Ireland, where he established a new Global Business Development Unit and oversaw global acquisition and foreign direct investment (FDI) engagement.

O’Driscoll holds a Masters in Strategic Sales Management and Leadership from the Smurfit Graduate Business School, University College Dublin, as well as a Diploma in Coaching and Mentoring from the Chartered Management Institute. His appointment will strengthen Equinix’s efforts to guide the digital transformation strategies of enterprises in Ireland, helping them leverage the Platform’s unrivalled global reach to broaden their growth horizons and innovate at pace. O’Driscoll will also play a pivotal role in supporting Ireland’s valuable FDI sector by enabling enterprises to access Equinix’s best-in-class digital infrastructure to quickly establish operations in Ireland.

Maurice Mortell, Managing Director, Ireland, Equinix:

“John brings a wealth of experience to the table, and his appointment demonstrates Equinix’s ability to attract the best and brightest talent to drive our mission forward. John is firmly in tune with our efforts to continue helping enterprises harness digital infrastructure to achieve a competitive advantage in their respective markets. Having earned his sales leadership credentials over an impressive career to date, John’s management and strategic acumen will be invaluable in helping us maintain and refine our customer-centric strategy in the months and years ahead.”

John O’Driscoll, Regional Sales Director, Ireland, Equinix: “I’m delighted to join Equinix at such an exciting time for the company. I have great admiration for the company’s leadership, as well as the scale and breadth of the Equinix global network. I’m excited to play a key role in ensuring all of Equinix’s customers in Ireland are able to seamlessly leverage the power of Equinix’s global platform to expedite the launch of digital services, uphold a world-class standard of service delivery and expand their market share. I look forward to working alongside this exceptional team of professionals in growing the business in 2021 and beyond.”


Lionel Alexander, Board of Management
Fine Grain Property

Fine Grain Property, an Irish-owned international commercial real estate investor and operator, has announced that it has appointed Lionel Alexander to its board of directors.

Lionel, who served on the board at IDA Ireland for nine years, has significant experience of driving business growth for multinational corporations and indigenous Irish businesses.

He spent more than 30 years with global tech giant, HP, both in Singapore and Ireland that culminated in his role as GM, overseeing their substantial operations and investments in Ireland.  In addition, Lionel has a rich history of board appointments, including as President of the American Chamber of Commerce, and board member of the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (Ibec).

Most recently, Lionel completed a five year term as Chairman of the Institute of Technology, Tralee, where he oversaw the amalgamation with Cork Institute of Technology to become Munster Technological University.

Ron Bolger, Chairman of Fine Grain Property, said: “We are delighted to have Lionel join our board. With his extensive background in advancing commercial and technical innovation in Ireland and globally, Lionel brings clear strategic direction as we continue to grow the success of the business.”

Fine Grain Property buys, builds, and repositions properties across Ireland to provide workspaces for global and Irish employers, carefully selecting locations with access to good infrastructure, close to third level educational facilities, and where there is a deep pool of talented people.

Lionel Alexander, as the newest member of the Fine Grain Property board, said: “I’m delighted to join the Fine Grain Property board. Fine Grain Property is a long-term, patient investor, creating commercial real estate that is designed to support the development of advanced building solutions for international and domestic employers across the country.”

Fine Grain Property operates business parks in Athlone, Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick, Maynooth and Shannon and its properties are home to more than 60 clients from large international and domestic businesses.


Cathal Hester, Partner in Commercial Property Team
LK Shields Solicitors LLP

Cathal Hester, Partner, LK Shields Solicitors LLP

Pictured: Cathal Hester, Partner, LK Shields Solicitors LLP

Cathal Hester is a key member of the Commercial Property Team and plays a central role in advising some of our largest domestic and international clients on all aspects of Irish commercial property law, with a particular expertise in complex commercial leasing transactions.  Cathal is based in our Galway office.

Commenting on the announcement, David Williams, Managing Partner, LK Shields Solicitors LLP said: “Cathal’s promotion is testament to his wealth of knowledge and expertise.  Furthermore, it underpins our commitment to our clients and the western region.  The past twelve months have been an unprecedented time for the sector but Cathal, and the Commercial Property Team, have risen to the challenge by providing rapid support and innovative solutions in these testing times.”

The Commercial Property Team at LK Shields Solicitors LLP works in partnership with our clients to ensure practical solutions to their commercial property related needs.  They advise a wide variety of clients including major Irish and international corporates, financial institutions, large institutional and private investors and public bodies and regularly advise on premium value property transactions.