By Business & Finance 
Pictured: Louise Grubb, Chair, Trinity’s Ideas Workspace
This week sees new and notable appointments at eir, the Government of Ireland’s Commission on Taxation and Welfare, Trinity’s Ideas Workspace, Deloitte Ireland, Bank of Ireland Insurance Services, Britvic Ireland, and Datascan
Four new board members, Board of Directors,
eir
eir, Ireland’s largest telecommunications provider, announces the appointment of four new members to its Board of Directors, bringing the number of members to thirteen. With these appointments 30% of the Board is now composed of female Directors, furthering eir’s stated goal of embedding diversity and inclusion within the organisation.
The four new Directors are: Aoife Beirne, Chief Transformation Officer and Director of plastics company, Mergon Group, Miriam Hughes, former CEO of communications group DDFH&B, Pierre-Emmanuel Durand, of telco investor NJJ, and Alexandre Wauquiez also a member of NJJ and former CEO of SFR Business, the French telecom operator. Richard Moat and Pádraig Ó Ríordáin have both retired from the Board following completion of their three-year term.
Carolan Lennon, CEO of eir, commented “I am delighted to welcome four new appointees to eir’s Board of Directors. Each Director brings with them a wealth of knowledge and experience, from a range of industries and professions. I would also like to thank Richard Moat and Pádraig Ó Ríordáin for their enormous contribution to eir over these last three years of major transformation.
As the first Irish telco to issue a gender pay gap report in March this year, eir is committed to increasing gender balance in leadership positions and building a business that is more reflective of Irish society. At eir our purpose is to connect for a better Ireland and we know, as we have a gender balanced senior management team, that a more balanced Board will better serve our business, long into the future.”
David McRedmond, eir Chairman, commented “Businesses like eir have a fundamental role to play in creating more inclusive workplaces that better serve the needs of their customers. I would like to welcome the four new appointments to eir’s Board of Directors. They bring with them great experience and the clarity of vision that I know will help drive forward eir’s goal of connecting for a better Ireland. I am proud to see strong female Board representation at eir and I welcome the talent and experience that these new appointees will bring to eir as the business continues on its ambitious journey of building world class networks and a world class care offering to serve two million customers across Ireland.”
New appointment to the Board of Directors:
Aoife Beirne
Aoife Beirne is the Chief Transformation Officer and Director at Mergon Group Limited, leading the strategic transformation across the organisation, focusing on long-term strategy, culture and growth of the organisation. Aoife was formerly Chief of Staff at An Post, working alongside the CEO and Management Board delivering the strategy which transformed the organisation from loss-making to profitability and growth. Aoife also spearheaded and launched the first An Post gender pay gap report in 2019. Aoife holds an MBA from Smurfit Business School, a Diploma in Psychology from DBS, a Higher Diploma in Quality Assurance from NUIG and a BSC Double Honours in Science from NUI Maynooth.
Pierre-Emmanuel Durand
Pierre-Emmanuel Durand, non-executive Director, started his career at KPMG Deal Advisory in Paris, in the Transaction Services department working on many Financial Due Diligences for Corporate clients and Private Equity houses. He joined NJJ in 2018, mainly focusing on Financial Controlling, Financing and M&A / Development activities. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Salt Mobile SA. He holds a Master’s degree in Corporate Finance and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics & English.
Miriam Hughes
Miriam Hughes has over 30 years of experience in marketing, brand reputation and communication. She is the former CEO of DDFH&B Group, one of the largest communication groups in Ireland and has also held a number of senior client marketing roles in blue-chip Irish companies. Miriam has also held senior management roles in Nestle, Bank of Ireland, Smith & Nephew and AIB. Currently Miriam is the Chair of Barnardo’s Ireland Board, Mentor on the Enterprise Ireland Panel, a Non-Executive Director at Bus Eireann and a Non-Executive director of Pluto. Miriam is a Chartered Director from the IOD, a graduate of UCD and holds a BComm and MBS in Marketing.
Alexandre Wauquiez
Alexandre Wauquiez is a specialist of B2B markets in the telecommunications industry. He began his career in the telecom division of the Vivendi Group before joining the Louis Dreyfus Group in 1999 as Business Development Vice President for its telecommunications subsidiary, Neuf Cegetel, which merged in 2008 with SFR, the second largest operator in France. After various positions in marketing and strategy at SFR, he was appointed CEO of SFR Business, the B2B division of SFR, until 2019, when he then joined NJJ. Alexandre Wauquiez is a graduate of Ecole Centrale Paris, Engineering School.
Board of Directors Composition
Following the new appointments, the composition of the new Board of Directors will be as
follows:
- David McRedmond (Chairman)
- Pierre Alain Allemand
- Aoife Beirne
- Paddy Browne
- Franck Brunel
- Pierre-Emmanuel Durand
- Michael Golan
- Miriam Hughes
- Rose Hynes
- Xavier Niel
- Olivier Rosenfeld
- Fiona Tierney
- Alexandre Wauquiez
Sandra Clarke, Member on the Government of Ireland’s Commission on Taxation and Welfare,
Irish Government
Sandra Clarke, Member on the Government of Ireland’s Commission on Taxation and Welfare, Irish Government
Sandra Clarke, Board Director of Xeinadin Group (‘Xeinadin’), the Ireland and UK-based business advisory and accountancy group, has been appointed as a member on the Government of Ireland’s Commission on Taxation and Welfare.
With over 30 years of experience in the accountancy & taxation sector, Sandra is a Chartered Tax Adviser and specialises in particular on taxation within the SME sector. Being a council member of the Irish Tax Institute, Sandra has contributed to numerous tax policy submissions to the Department of Finance and similarly being self-employed and responsible for over 20 employees, she is well positioned to support in analysing and making recommendations for the future tax and welfare system. Sandra is a Board Director for Xeinadin Group and Managing Partner of BCC Accountants, a member firm of the group.
The Commision on Taxation and Welfare, established under the Department of Finance, will independently consider how best the taxation and welfare systems can support economic activity and promote increased employment and prosperity across Ireland. The 14 member committee has been carefully selected to bring a mix of direct experience and knowledge of several areas relevant to the Commission’s work, including taxation, welfare, economics, legal and broader civil society.
Sandra Clarke commented: “I’m privileged to be a part of the Commission on Taxation and Welfare and working with the Chairperson Professor Niamh Moloney and the other selected members. We have an important job to do on behalf of the Irish economy and I’m proud to be able to play a part in that. I look forward to the challenges and discussions towards achieving a balanced outcome for the Commission’s report in July 2022.”
Louise Grubb, Chair,
Trinity’s Ideas Workspace
Trinity College Dublin has announced the appointment of Louise Grubb as new Chair of Tangent, Trinity’s Ideas Workspace.
In her new position, Louise will champion Tangent’s growth plans, notably educating 11,000 learners in entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and helping establish 500 start-ups by 2026. Since beginning its partnership with Bank of Ireland in 2019, Tangent has experienced explosive growth including the nationwide delivery of regional education programmes across 10 locations in Ireland.
A serial life science entrepreneur with a track record in business strategy, Louise is CEO and founder of TriviumVet, the Co. Waterford animal healthcare company which works with veterinarians globally to develop and commercialise medicines and diagnostics for use in companion animals.
Louise has over 20 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries and was a finalist in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards in 2016.
A graduate of Trinity College Dublin, Louise holds a BSc in Nutrition and Dietetics from the university, as well as an MBS in International Marketing from DCU. She succeeds Brian Caulfield as Chair.
Six new partners, various positions,
Deloittle Ireland
Deloitte Ireland has appointed six new partners across its business. Heather Doolin and David McCaffrey have been appointed partners in Audit & Assurance; Donal Murray has been appointed a partner in Risk Advisory; James Smyth has been appointed a partner in Tax, and Louise McEntee and Carol Trunk are now partners in Consulting. In addition, Deloitte Ireland has appointed a managing director, Ciaran Duffy, within its Consulting business.
Commenting on the new appointments, Harry Goddard, CEO, Deloitte Ireland, said: “Huge congratulations to our new partners and managing director. This is a significant milestone for both of them, and the Deloitte Ireland business, as we recognise their contribution to our clients and our people. As leaders, they have supported clients as they navigated the unprecedented uncertainty of the last year, supporting them to respond with agility and with a focus on emerging strongly from the pandemic. In addition, they have maintained a strong commitment to working closely and prioritising the wellbeing of our people. I wish them every success in their new roles.”
The new partners at Deloitte are:
Heather Doolin
Heather is a partner in Audit & Assurance. She has over 15 years’ experience providing audit and advisory services across the consumer business and financial services industries. The focus of her career to date has been large global audits. Heather is experienced in dealing with complex accounting under both US GAAP and IFRS, SOX requirements, and SEC reporting matters. Heather spent a number of years with Deloitte in Bermuda before returning to Ireland in 2016.
She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce and a Master’s Degree in Accountancy from University College Dublin, and is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland.
David McCaffrey
David is a partner in Audit & Assurance within the financial services group. David has over 13 years’ experience in audit and assurance projects with large Irish and international plc organisations. This has included projects with Irish and European banks, aviation finance companies, payment companies and investment property funds. David has significant experience in advising clients on accounting and technical matters and he has also acted on a number of corporate transactions including debt and equity raises.
David is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland. He has a BA (Hons) Degree in Accountancy from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.
Louise McEntee
Louise is a partner in Consulting, in the Operations Transformation team. She has significant experience leading major transformation programmes with Deloitte across Ireland and the UK, specialising in business transformation, digital transformation, and programme leadership. Her work has been across the public sector, including criminal justice, policing, health and social care, transport, housing, and central government. She has also worked with clients across the financial services and not-for-profit sectors. Louise leads Deloitte’s Intelligent Automation Team, which works to support organisations to enhance their customer, employee, and citizen journeys, through the delivery of digitally-enabled transformation.
Louise holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce and a Master’s Degree in Management & Organisational Studies from University College Dublin.
Donal Murray
Donal is a partner in Risk Advisory, specialising in technology assurance and IT risk advisory services. He joined the firm in 2005 and has worked across many industries, supporting organisations in better managing their IT risks. Most recently, Donal has been working with large scale plc organisations, providing assurance and IT risk services in heavily regulated environments. He has extensive knowledge of IT risk frameworks, IT controls in SEC registrants, IT governance, third party assurance reporting, and technology controls as it relates to the protection of data.
Donal has a BSc and MBS in Business Information Systems from University College Cork, in addition to numerous qualifications relating to system audit and data privacy.
James Smyth
James is a partner in Tax, where he advises a range of large Irish headquartered businesses with an international footprint. He has significant corporate and international tax advisory experience across a number of areas, including M&A, business model optimisation, and cross border financing, with a proven track record in leading cross-border teams on a number of high-profile transactions, and global engagements for large clients. He re-joined Deloitte in 2019 having spent two years working in industry.
James holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce from University College Dublin, is a member of Chartered Accountants Ireland and the Irish Taxation Institute.
Carol Trunk
Carol is a partner in Consulting, in the Enterprise Technology and Performance team. She specialises in SAP transformation programmes and brings over 22 years’ experience in delivering high-quality SAP programmes, both as a consultant and as an industry leader. She is experienced in defining and delivering large-scale ICT projects with a focus on enterprise applications, information management, and reporting. Carol is a leading expert in SAP Finance and provides advice to clients across various industries within the private and public sector. She has extensive experience in the consumer business, life sciences and distribution sectors with a detailed understanding of the associated constraints of regulated environments.
Carol holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics, a Master’s Degree in Economic Science and a Postgraduate Diploma in Computer Science, all from University College Dublin.
Carol Trunk
Ciaran Duffy
In addition to our six newly appointed partners,Ciaran Duffyhas been appointed a managing director in Consulting, in the Human Capital team. Ciaran also leads Deloitte Ireland’s Workday Human Capital Management and ServiceNow HR practices.
His primary area of specialty relates to HR technology transformation, specifically around how organisations can effectively employ the latest technology solutions, standards, and models to modernise their HR function, and support the wider people strategy of the business.
Ciaran has over 16 years’ commercial experience, with a background in both software development and HR. His deep technical and HR experience has helped to deliver HR technology implementations and HRIT advisory services for a broad number of international clients on cross-border and cross-industry engagements.
Ciaran holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Systems from University of Limerick, in addition to numerous qualifications relating to software development and project management.
Deirdre Ashe, Managing Director,
Bank of Ireland Insurance Services
Deirdre Ashe has been appointed as Managing Director of Bank of Ireland Insurance Services. Deirdre moves into this new role most recently from Liberty Insurance, where she previously held a number of local and international senior roles including Director of Personal Lines and Director of Customer and Markets. Prior to this Deirdre held a number of senior roles with Aviva.
In her new role Deirdre will focus on leading and growing Bank of Ireland’s General Insurance business, which offers customers a wide range of home, car and travel insurance products. Bank of Ireland Insurance products are tailored to suit the needs of the banks’ consumers. Recent initiatives have resulted in an enhanced digitised customer experience which has been readily adopted by the banks customers’.
Discussing her appointment, Michael Murphy, Managing Director of New Ireland Wealth & Insurance: “We are delighted to appoint Deirdre to this central role as Managing Director of Bank of Ireland Insurance Services. Deirdre’s track record of realising successful customer led ambitions in the insurance industry is well-established and makes her appointment timely as Bank of Ireland looks to further develop its insurance product offerings and increase its market share.
As a senior leader Deirdre’s focus has always been on providing customer led innovation, and this will be a central aspect of how Bank of Ireland will meet the insurance needs of all of our customer segments into the future.”
Britvic Ireland, Head of People & Planet,
Britvic Ireland
Britvic Ireland, one of Ireland’s leading soft drinks companies and home to iconic favourites MiWadi, Ballygowan and Club, has announced the appointment of Sian Young to the position of Head of People and Planet for the island of Ireland market.
An Experimental Psychology graduate of the University of Oxford, Young is an experienced marketeer and sustainability specialist who has worked for Britvic for over 15 years.
Young moved to Ireland in 2001 to take up a position in Unilever Ireland as a graduate trainee, before securing a role in Britvic in 2006. She has worked in various marketing roles across local brands for Britvic, most notably with Ballygowan and MiWadi, and has led many wellbeing-focussed campaigns including the Ballygowan Pink and Gold bottle fundraising partnerships as well as sports sponsorship campaigns for the Ryder Cup, Munster Rugby and Dublin GAA.
In 2018 she was seconded to a project leading out the development of a Sustainability Strategy for Ballygowan, and what began as a short-term project became a long-term endeavour. In January 2020 she was appointed to ‘Head of Sustainability’, giving her responsibility for the Sustainability Strategy across the whole Irish Business.
In October 2020 she was appointed Head of People & Planet at Britvic Ireland, which brought together her responsibilities for Sustainability with also leading the People Strategy for Ireland, working closely with Britvic PLC to ensure that Britvic Ireland is aligned with the broader business. From a Planet perspective she engages with issues such as Britvic Ireland’s Carbon Footprint, Packaging Circularity and protection of Natural Resources; while from a People perspective she is responsible for ensuring that Britvic Ireland takes a responsible and caring approach to the wellbeing of employees, consumers and communities.
Commenting on Young’s appointment, Managing Director of Britvic Ireland, Kevin Donnelly said: “We’re delighted to announce the appointment of our colleague Sian Young as Head of People and Planet at Britvic Ireland. Sian’s role is central to the achievement of Britvic Ireland’s ambitious Healthier People, Healthier Planet strategy, and sustainably growing beloved Irish brands such as Ballygowan.”
Lisa Hayes, Human Resources Manager,
Datascan
Datascan, Ireland’s specialist digital document management service providers, is pleased to announce the appointment of Lisa Hayes as HR Manager, effective immediately. This is Datascan’s first designated HR role and demonstrates the company’s rapid expansion due to service demands since the Covid-19 pandemic.
In her new role, Lisa will provide HR support to the team of 50 employees who are based at Datascan’s facility in Finglas and working remotely. She has extensive Human Relations management experience across technology and hospitality sectors. Prior to joining Datascan, she held several senior HR positions with Tifco Ltd in the Crown Plaza Hotel’s in Blanchardstown, Dublin Airport and Dundalk. In addition, she has worked in HR roles in the Carphone Warehouse and the National Standards Authority of Ireland.
Orla Cafferty, CEO of Datascan, congratulated Lisa on her appointment: “I am delighted to welcome Lisa Hayes to her new position at Datascan. She takes up the first dedicated HR role in the company, which is a key priority for Datascan as we continue to expand our team across the areas of document scanning, accounts payable and CCTV redaction. Lisa brings with her extensive leadership and human relations experience and will be a central part of our business going forward. ”
Lisa holds a degree in Human Relations from National College of Ireland, a Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Studies from DIT, and a CIPD Certificate in Employment Relations Law and Practice from National College of Ireland.
