By Business & Finance 
Pictured: Gavin Woods, Litigation and Regulatory Partner, DLA Piper
There were new and notable appointments this week at DLA Piper, Repak, Hume Brophy, PE Global and Connelly Partners.
Gavin Woods, Litigation and Regulatory Partner,
DLA Piper
DLA Piper has announced the appointment of Gavin Woods as a partner in the firm’s Litigation and Regulatory practice in Ireland.
He will join the firm in January 2023 from Arthur Cox where he has been a partner since 2011. Gavin specialises in litigation, dispute resolution, and investigations and advises on a broad range of commercial disputes in the technology and financial services sectors. Gavin has a recognised expertise in intellectual property, data, technology and content related issues including defamation and reputational matters. Gavin has significant experience in representing clients before the Irish Courts including the Commercial Court as well as through alternate dispute resolution such as arbitration and mediation.
Woods is active in promoting Ireland as a jurisdiction for the resolution of international commercial disputes. As a committee member and former president of Arbitration Ireland (2017-2018), Gavin represents the association in its engagement with the international arbitration community and international arbitral institutions. Furthermore, Gavin is one of Ireland’s representatives to the International Chamber of Commerce’s Commission on Arbitration and ADR.
Country Managing Partner for DLA Piper in Ireland, David Carthy, said: “Gavin’s extensive knowledge of complex litigation, dispute resolution and investigations will be brought to bear for DLA Piper clients, and I would like to welcome him to the team. This continues to be an exciting time for the firm in Ireland as we continue to build our team to meet the growing needs of the business and we know that the appointment of Gavin will add significant value to our clients.”
DLA Piper confirmed recently that it had delivered on its initial recruitment objective of building a team of 100 lawyers and business professionals in Ireland and announced plans to double its workforce in Ireland in the coming years.
Robert Ryan, Board of Director,
Repak
Lidl’s Chief Operating Officer, Robert Ryan, has been appointed to the Repak Board of Directors. Mr. Ryan has been at the forefront of developing and delivering many of the retailer’s market-leading sustainability initiatives across Lidl’s network of 200+ stores and four regional distribution centres on the island of Ireland. These include achieving zero waste to landfill and the roll-out of in-store customer recycling and plastic footprint reductions, which position him well as the retailer’s representative on the Board for the next three years.
Dublin native, Ryan, joined the Board of Lidl Ireland & Northern Ireland in February 2019 after holding the Chief Operating Officer role at Lidl in Great Britain for over three years. He is responsible for the overall management of Lidl’s sales operations, supply chain and logistics, including the retailer’s waste management policies and procedures. Robert previously served as a Regional Managing Director for Lidl Ireland’s Leinster region where he oversaw daily operations for over 50 stores and the overall operations of the regional distribution centre in Newbridge, Co. Kildare. He previously worked for Musgrave Operating Partners as Head of Cost & Organisation and holds a B.Sc. from DIT in Business Administration & Management.
Commenting on his appointment, Robert Ryan, Chief Operating Officer, Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland, said: “I am honoured to be appointed to the Repak Board 2022, having worked extensively in the development and execution of Lidl’s CSR initiatives in recent years. This is an area I’m deeply passionate about. I look forward to working closely with Repak’s stakeholders and contributing my expertise to support Repak’s initiatives that are making a tangible difference to Ireland’s sustainability footprint today.
Rory O’Donnell, Managing Director, International Agriculture, Food and Trade
Hume Brophy
Pictured: Rory O’Donnell, Managing Director, International Agriculture, Food and Trade, Hume Brophy
International communications and government relations firm, Hume Brophy, has announced the appointment of former UK government negotiator, Rory O’Donnell, to the newly created role of Managing Director, International Agriculture, Food and Trade.
O’Donnell is one of Europe’s most senior and respected negotiators across a wide range of issues including Trade, Agriculture, Fisheries and Brexit.
He joins Hume Brophy from the UK Mission to the EU where he was responsible for the Withdrawal Agreement and Northern Ireland Protocol. Previously, he was Director for Trade and the UK’s principal negotiator across a range of Agriculture issues.
Prior to moving to Brussels, O’Donnell worked across a number of Whitehall Departments on a range of policy issues including Communications, Animal Health, Local Authority Performance and Urban Regeneration.
In this new role, he is tasked with leading the growth of Hume Brophy’s agriculture and trade practice worldwide, working closely with the firm’s regional Managing Directors, senior specialists located across the firm’s key markets, and senior advisers Mella Frewen, Stuart Harbinson and Ian Wright.
O’Donnell will be reporting directly to Hume Brophy’s CEO, Conall McDevitt.
Maura Smyth, Board of Directors,
PE Global
Pictured: Maura Smyth, Board of Directors, PE Global
PE Global, is pleased to announce the appointment of Maura Smyth to its board of directors.
A qualified accountant from the Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Smyth joined PE Global almost 12 years ago. Over this period, she has progressed through the ranks at PE Global and provided strategic insight and expertise that has aided in the development of the company.
Smyth’s current role at PE Global is the Director of Finance, where she is responsible for the company’s long-term financial health and growth. She is also responsible for establishing strategies that will contribute to the company’s overall growth and oversees all accounting operations to help improve or change current practices and increase efficiency.
Commenting on her appointment to the board of directors at PE Global, Smyth said: “PE Global has cemented its place as a leader in the specialist recruitment industry and will continue to do so into the future. We have an excellent team who perform their respective duties to achieve our goals and targets for both our clients and PE Global. As Finance Director and now Board Member, I look forward to strategically aligning and planning our company’s exciting growth trajectory and expansion into the future.”
Vaunnie McDermott, Managing Director,
Connelly Partners
Connelly Partners Dublin has appointed Vaunnie McDermott as Managing Director. The Connelly Partners Dublin management team works alongside ZOO and the other Connelly Partner offices in Boston and Vancouver as an integrated team, working on a number of clients collaboratively across key creative functions including strategy, creative and data analytics.
The independent full-service creative agency has been named lead creative agency for the National Transport Authority (NTA), which is responsible for overseeing the delivery and development of public transport in Ireland as well as key active travel projects nationwide. The three-year contract was won following a competitive two stage three-way pitch. Connelly Partners Dublin will be responsible for the diverse portfolio of NTA brands, which includes the extensive roll-out of BusConnects. The agency was selected for its strategy expertise, creative work, and its full-service offerings.
“We are delighted to be appointed Creative Agency for the NTA at such an exciting time. We’re so looking forward to the opportunity of bringing our defiantly human approach to the NTA and their brands. It’s a fabulous win for our agency, for Eoin our new Creative Director and for the CP team on both sides of the Atlantic,” said Vaunnie McDermott.
New and notable appointments at BLK BOX, Savills, Sidero and NDT Global
