By Business & Finance 
Pictured: Dónal Traynor, Board, European Federation of Ethical and Alternative Banks (FEBEA).
This week sees new and notable appointments at European Federation of Ethical and Alternative Banks (FEBEA), Lifesight Ireland, Baker Tilly Mooney Moore, Bord Bia and Pluto Agency
Dónal Traynor, Board
European Federation of Ethical and Alternative Banks (FEBEA)
Dónal Traynor, CEO of Community Finance Ireland (CFI), has been appointed as the first Irish board member of the European Federation of Ethical and Alternative Banks (FEBEA), an umbrella group of 33 financial institutions from 15 European countries which develop and promote ethical finance principles.
The appointment was announced following the FEBEA Annual Conference in Athens last month, where Mr. Traynor spoke to delegates about the impact of CFI’s work providing social finance solutions to voluntary-led and grassroots organisations on the island of Ireland.
Community Finance Ireland, which has been a member of FEBEA since 2016, offers social finance loans to community organisations which drive social impact through sport, faith-based groups, social enterprises and community projects.
CFI was established in Belfast in 1995 and has supported a wide variety of organisations across the island of Ireland to a value of €100million in social finance.
Speaking on his appointment, Mr. Traynor said, “I’m delighted to join the board of this excellent European network. FEBEA’s mission to work for the development of a fairer, more sustainable and more inclusive society is directly aligned with our mission at Community Finance Ireland.
“We’re proud to offer tailored supports to organisations that are creating palpable social change in our local communities across Ireland. Just as our peers in FEBEA do in communities right across Europe.
“For CFI, for our clients, and for the wider not-for-profit sector in Ireland, this closer collaboration with our European partners is an important step. We know from working with volunteers on the ground in communities from Bantry to Ballymoney, Donegal to Dublin, we have much to share with our colleagues across Europe and we will have much to learn from them.”
Pedro M. Sasia, President of FEBEA said, “For FEBEA, the participation of an organisation like Community Finance Ireland, deeply aligned with ethical finance values and the spirit of community, is of great importance. That’s why we’re beyond happy to see Donal Traynor stepping up and actively engaging in the network’s most vital body: the Board of Directors.”
Originally from Cavan, Mr. Traynor was appointed to CEO of Community Finance Ireland in 2020, having led their business in the Republic of Ireland since 2004. He is the youngest CEO in the organisation’s history and the first to come from a non-banking background.
Alex Wilkes, Country President
AstraZeneca Ireland Marketing Company
AstraZeneca, the global biopharmaceutical company, has announced the appointment of Alex Wilkes as Country President for the AstraZeneca Ireland Marketing Company.
With AstraZeneca since 2019, Alex most recently served as Regional Commercial Director for Respiratory and Immunology within the company’s EUCAN team. Prior to joining AstraZeneca, Alex spent more than 18 years in various senior leadership roles in the pharmaceutical industry across the UK and Switzerland.
“I am proud to join the AstraZeneca Ireland team at such an exciting time of growth and innovation. At AstraZeneca we are passionate about pushing the boundaries of science to deliver life-changing medicines to patients. I look forward to collaborating with colleagues and all stakeholders to continue our journey to transform the future of healthcare by unlocking the power of what science can do for people, society, and the planet,” commented Alex Wilkes, Country President, AstraZeneca Ireland.
AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialisation of prescription medicines in Oncology, Rare Diseases, and BioPharmaceuticals, including Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory & Immunology.
Julie Davenport, Independent Director
Lifesight Ireland
LifeSight Ireland Trustee, trustee to WTW Ireland’s defined contribution master trust pension solution for employees and employers, has announced the appointment of Julie Davenport as Independent Director.
In her new role, Julie will join as the LifeSight Ireland master trust continues to grow, with €2 billion committed to be invested before the end of 2023. The LifeSight master trust enables employers to benefit from high-quality, lower risk, market-competitive pension provision without the governance burden for trustees. LifeSight uses simple-to-use online and mobile support tools as well as global and local experts to actively improve members’ retirement outcomes.
With over 40 years of experience in the financial services industry in Ireland and the US, Julie has held senior executive positions in large multinational organisations with roles in technology delivery, middle and back office operations, and risk and compliance. With extensive experience in large scale technology programme management, service delivery and strategic planning and organisational development, Julie has served on multiple boards.
Commenting on the appointment, Maria Quinlan Head of LifeSight Ireland, said: “This is an important appointment for LifeSight Ireland, and I am delighted to welcome Julie to the team and the existing independent trustee company. Julie has a proven track record and key insights in improving members’ engagement, understanding and retirement outcomes in Ireland.
“Independence is a strong part of our proposition, which is reflected heavily in our investment approach and advice to members, and is now enhanced by the appointment of further independent directors.”
Speaking about her new position, Julie Davenport said, “One of the key things that attracted me to LifeSight Ireland was their commitment to providing independent investment advice at a competitive price and scale. My main priorities are enhancing the relevance of the decision making and evaluation tools for members, providing transparency on costs, and continually focusing on enhancing member’s ability to achieve appropriate retirement outcomes.”
Ian McCabe, Managing Director
Pluto the Agency
Pluto, a marketing and events agencies, has announced several significant appointments as part of a restructuring of its senior leadership team.
In June this year, Pluto announced a major evolution of its business with the creation of two separate practices within the company – Pluto the Agency and Pluto Live, reflecting the breadth of services that the agency now offers.
Today, Pluto announced that Ian McCabe and Amanda Carwood will take up new roles as managing directors of Pluto the Agency and Pluto Live respectively. Cathy O’Donohoe, current managing director, will transition to a new CEO role, focusing on business development and working with its partner Worldwide Partners to enhance Pluto’s domestic and international presence.
Ian McCabe joined Pluto in September 2022 as Head of Shopper Marketing. He has a proven track record of delivering award winning campaigns for some of the biggest clients in Ireland working with clients such as Polestar, Pladis, WaterWipes, Irish Distillers and Heineken. Prior to joining Pluto Ian spent 15 years in the advertising agency, Publicis Dublin, where he was a Senior Account Director working with an array of clients across many verticals such as Bord Gais Energy, Iarnrod Eireann, Renault, RCSI and Davy.
In his new role as managing director of Pluto the Agency, Ian will be responsible for leading the strategic growth of Pluto’s end to end creative marketing team with responsibility for youth marketing, social good, content creation and shopper/FMCG marketing.
Amanda Carwood joined Pluto in 2010 from Grayling PR where she held the position of Account Manager. Since joining Pluto as a Senior Account Manager over a decade ago, Amanda has since moved from this role to Account Director and again to her most recent position of Head of Pluto Live working with clients across the Pharmaceutical, Automotive, Financial, Technology and Agriculture industries .
In her new role as managing director of Pluto Live, Amanda will lead Pluto’s highly established events team with responsibility for driving the identity and growth of the Pluto Live practice and maintaining its reputation for excellence in event creation and management.
Commenting on the appointments, Cathy O’Donohoe, incoming CEO, said, “I am delighted for Ian and Amanda as they take up their new managing director roles and look forward to working closely with them as we continue to grow and evolve our business. Ian and Amanda both have exceptional experience and are well known to our clients, so it will be a seamless transition into our new leadership structure. I’d like to wish both Ian and Amanda every success as they embark on their new roles.”
Patrycja Reinke, Tax Senior
Baker Tilly Mooney Moore
Accountancy and advisory practice Baker Tilly Mooney Moore has announced the appointment of Patrycja Reinke as a Tax Senior.
Part qualified with Chartered Accountants Ireland, Patrycja joins the Belfast firm from a big four accounting practice, where she specialised in Corporation Tax for three and a half years.
Patrycja studied Accounting and Management part-time at the Ulster University and throughout her studies, worked part-time in the accounting department of a Belfast commercial property agency before a short period in accounts within the agri-food sector.
At Baker Tilly Mooney Moore, Patrycja will work across personal and corporate tax and is the latest addition to the growing team, which specialises in Audit & Assurance, Business Services, Consulting, Taxation and Restructuring & Insolvency.
Angela Keery, Head of Tax at Baker Tilly Mooney Moore said: I am delighted to welcome Patrycja to the team at Baker Tilly Mooney Moore. Patrycja is an excellent addition to our practice and is well placed to help clients meet their tax obligations. Her experience and enthusiasm will prove invaluable to the busy tax department, and to our valued clients. I wish her well for her time with us at Baker Tilly Mooney Moore.”
Martin Hofler, Senior Sustainability Manager
Bord Bia
Bord Bia has announced the appointment of Martin Hofler to the position of Senior Sustainability Manager at Bord Bia. In his new role, Martin will be responsible for overseeing and managing the company/manufacturing portion of the Origin Green programme, the national programme driving sustainable improvement in the Irish food and drink sector. As Senior Sustainability Manager, he will continue to drive Origin Green’s ambition to enable the manufacturing industry to set and achieve measurable sustainability targets that respect the environment and serve local communities.
Before joining Bord Bia, Martin worked in several global sustainability roles with leading organisations including Jacobs Engineering, PepsiCo U.S., Ornua Deutschland, and the Dairy Sustainability Framework.
Commenting on Martin’s appointment, Deirdre Ryan, Director of Sustainability & Quality Assurance, Origin Green Programme said: “With over 10 years of experience in the sustainability sector, Martin brings a wealth of expertise to his new position having previously served as Sustainability Operations Manager and Sustainability Partnership Manager at Bord Bia. His leadership and passion for sustainability has been instrumental in advancing environmental initiatives, fostering partnerships, and driving positive change within the organisation and across the industry.”
Martin Hofler, newly appointed Senior Sustainability Manager, Origin Green Programme said: “I’m excited to commence my new role as Senior Sustainability Manager at Bord Bia and continue working with teams across Bord Bia to guide businesses towards sustainable practices and reducing their environmental footprint in an important time for climate action. I would like to thank the team in Bord Bia for their support and I look forward to continuing the development of greater sustainable practices in the Irish food, drink and horticulture industry.”
Martin is a graduate of UCD Smurfit School and Trinity College Dublin with an MSc. in Business Sustainability and an MSc. in Environmental Science respectively. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from the University of Scranton. Additionally, he is committed to professional development, holding a Diploma in Strategic Project and Programme Management from the Institute of Project Management.
READ MORE APPOINTMENTS:
Auxilion, Drinkaware, Envisage and Rásaíocht Con Éireann
Great-West Lifeco, Esri Ireland, FTI Consulting and Cork Society of Chartered Accountants Ireland
