Appointments

New and notable appointments at Expleo Group, Arkphire, VROMO, Heidrick & Struggles and FRS Network

By Business & Finance
15 July 2021
Pictured: Emma Burke, Senior Manager of People Services in the UK and Ireland, Expleo Group

The weekly new and notable appointments at Expleo Group, Arkphire, VROMO, Heidrick & Struggles and FRS Network


Emma Burke, Senior Manager of People Services in the UK and Ireland,
Expleo Group

Expleo, the technology partner for innovative companies, has appointmented Emma Burke as Senior Manager of People Service UKI. In her new role, Emma will lead the People Services team creating synergies across the UK and Ireland. She will provide strategic HR business partnership support to the leadership teams and will support Expleo Group to achieve its business goals and objectives in the region.

Emma’s promotion to Senior Manager of People Services UKI follows a highly successful tenure within Expleo Ireland’s HR division as the business has grown at pace. She joined Expleo (formerly SQS Ireland) eight years ago as a HR and Sales Coordinator, a position she held for almost two years. She subsequently held the roles of HR Officer, HR Generalist, HR Manager and People Services Manager respectively.

Prior to her employment with Expleo, Emma worked with Pfizer Ireland Pharmaceuticals in a HR role for two years. That position was preceded by a five-year spell with Wyeth Medica Ireland in a variety of HR and analyst positions. Emma holds a Bachelor of Art in Human Resource Management and Accounting degree from the National College of Ireland. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and is an ICAgile Certified Professional with Agility in HR- ICP- AHR.

Commenting on her appointment, Emma Burke, Senior Manager People Services UKI, Expleo Group said: “The tech industry has always attracted me as it is constantly innovating and evolving. When I joined Expleo eight years ago, the company was in the early stages of an exciting growth trajectory, that has continued steadily since then.

“I will lead the People Services team in the development of people centric programmes, ensuring we maintain an open and flexible mindset. We will leverage best practices initiatives in both the UK and Ireland, creating synergies where possible. It is my ambition in this new role to further enhance our positive culture at Expleo where people want to work and more importantly to stay.”


Shawn Deegan, Head of Cloud Solutions,
Arkphire 

Pictured: Shawn Deegan, Head of Cloud Solutions, Arkphire

Arkphire, the Irish headquartered IT product procurement and services company, has appointmented Shawn Deegan to the role of Head of Cloud Solutions. The appointment follows the acquisition of Arkphire earlier this year, by North American IT solutions provider company Presidio and will see Shawn lead the Cloud Solutions business in the EMEA region.

Shawn’s appointment follows the recent expansion of Akphire’s cloud capabilities after the company was able to leverage Presidio’s wider market offering. In his new role, Shawn will be focused on business outcomes that align with the top cloud providers in the UK and Ireland and will lead his team in helping customers accelerate their digital innovation initiatives by utilising some of the most powerful cloud technologies on the market. Within Arkphire and the wider Presidio organisation, Shawn and his team will set up the foundation to reach customers throughout the EMEA region, focusing particularly on multi-nationals with global presence.

Speaking about the new appointmentPaschal Naylor, CEO at Arkphire said, “We’re delighted to have Shawn on board to lead our Cloud Solutions business in EMEA. He is a great example of the enhanced capabilities brought to Arkphire’s offering since being acquired by Presidio and his wealth of experience will no doubt prove to be a highly valued addition by both the Arkphire team and our clients. I’m greatly looking forward to working with him as we continue to increase Arkphire’s offering in the EMEA region and beyond.”

In response to his appointment, Shawn commented: “It’s great to have this opportunity to play such an exciting role in Arkphire. The company has already been able to achieve a tremendous amount in the EMEA region and I’m very pleased to be able to help play a part in expanding that offering further through the cloud solutions business.”

Shawn is currently based out of London where he has lived with his wife and two children since 2017.  He is originally from Canada where he received his BA in Economics from the University of Calgary. Shawn’s previous experience includes senior roles at technology businesses including Yellowfin, Galvanize and Avnet Services.  His core areas of expertise include solution selling, cloud computing, digital innovation, data analytics and machine learning.


Pádraig Howlin, Director of Engineering,
VROMO 

Pictured: Pádraig Howlin, Director of Engineering, VROMO

Software business VROMO, which has created the world’s only SaaS platform dedicated to restaurant delivery, has appointed Pádraig Howlin as Director of Engineering as the company continues its rapid growth trajectory – particularly in the US.

The appointment will support VROMO in its next phase of growth as it continues to secure significant partnership agreements with major brands in the hospitality sector.  

VROMO has its global head office in Dublin and already partners with brands including Burger King, Olo, Toast and Square.

Padraig brings a wealth of experience in front-end system development and engineering to the role and is looking forward to supporting VROMO’s future growth.

He said: ““Food delivery is an exciting and dynamic space right now, and VROMO is at the heart of this with a fantastic platform dedicated to restaurant food delivery.

“I have two clear objectives in my new role with VROMO. The first is to increase the scale, functionality and features of the platform because this constant cycle of innovation is critical in underpinning why VROMO is becoming the go-to platform for restaurant delivery. The second is to manage the growing team of front-end and back-end developers.

“I joined VROMO because really like the team! I like their energy, passion and drive. I’m also full of awe at how quickly they have developed a SaaS platform that already includes the likes of Burger King, Olo, Toast as users. VROMO is on the fast track to huge growth, and I’m looking forward to not only being part of that journey but playing a key role in it.”

VROMO CEO Alan Hickey said: “We’ve already started to gain significant traction for VROMO, and everyone who has used the platform is hugely impressed with its functionality and management capabilities. Pádraig’s role will be to accelerate that momentum through the constant development of the platform and managing the growing team who are already making this happen.

“We liked Pádraig straight away, as he gets what we’re all about at VROMO and where we want to go – in terms of both our future direction for the development of the platform and how we support our delivery service partners.


Simon Waddington, Principal of Financial Services and Corporate Officers Practices,
Heidrick & Struggles

Pictured: Simon Waddington, Principal of Financial Services and Corporate Officers Practices, Heidrick & Struggles

Heidrick & Struggles (Nasdaq: HSII), the global provider of executive search and leadership advisory services, has appointmented Simon Waddington as a new principal and member of both Heidrick & Struggles’ Financial Services and Corporate Officers Practices. He will be based out of Dublin.

With over 25 years’ experience, Simon has a strong track record advising clients on executive roles, with a particular focus on CFO and C-Suite placements in the financial services sector. He will bring an in-depth understanding of client needs to Heidrick and Struggles’ European teams as well extensive experience in setting and delivering strategic mandates.

Regarding today’s announcement, Managing Partner of Heidrick & Struggles Ireland, Stafford Bagot said, “We couldn’t be happier to have Simon join us at this pivotal point in the growth of our Dublin operations. Simon has a wealth of experience in executive search and has undertaken a wide variety of C-suite and board level searches for clients in both in Irish and international markets. We welcome Simon to the firm and look forward to strengthening our capabilities in Ireland and across Europe.”

Commenting on his new role, Simon said, “I am delighted to take up this position at Heidrick & Struggles. I have long admired Heidrick’s operations and the firm’s reputation as a top global executive search house. I am looking forward to bringing further firepower to the Dublin practice and to advising clients across multiple sectors on C-suite and leadership talent.”

Prior to joining Heidrick & Struggles, Simon ran the Irish operations for a London-based boutique search firm, having previously run his own search firm. Simon gained his law degree from the University of Sheffield and he has an advanced diploma in Management Practice from the University of Ulster.

Heidrick & Struggles is committed to developing a strong team with the best capabilities in order to offer the highest level of service to their clients. The team assembled globally has a deep knowledge of talent and leadership in each significant market, and in every major industry sector and function.


Colin Donnery, Group CEO,
FRS Network

Pictured: Colin Donnery, Group CEO, FRS Network

FRS Network, the multimillion euro social enterprise co-operative, has announced the appointment of Colin Donnery as new Group CEO. He will succeed current CEO Peter Byrne upon his retirement in February 2022.

FRS Network is active in every county all across Ireland and incorporates a range of business units which employ approximately 2,000 staff, with an annual turnover of circa €100 million. These businesses under the umbrella of National Co-Op Farm Relief Services (NCFRS) include FRS Farm Relief, FRS Fencing, FRS Recruitment, FRS Training, Herdwatch, Turas Nua, FRS Business Services, FRS Employability and most recently, Get the Shifts.

Colin has been General Manager of FRS Recruitment, one of Ireland’s leading recruitment agencies with 10 offices across the country. He originally joined FRS in 2004 and was also the co-founder of Turas Nua who manage the JobPath programme which has helped more than 40,000 people secure employment. He was also General Manager of FRS Training, the skills and training provider from 2015 to 2020.

Colin is a board member and former President of the National Recruitment Federation, where he was awarded an honorary fellowship in 2015 for services to the industry. He has also previously served as a non-executive director with Macra na Feirme. He holds an MSc in Executive Leadership from Ulster University.

Speaking about the appointment, NCFRS Chairman Francis Fitzgerald said, “We are delighted that Colin Donnery has been appointed as Group CEO when Peter Byrne retires early next year. Colin is steeped in FRS and has had an exceptional record of achievement in all the various divisions he has headed. We have all been greatly impressed by his stewardship of FRS Recruitment, FRS Training and Turas Nua, how he has grown and nurtured these business units to become important elements of the FRS Group. He has also made an immense contribution to the overall growth and success of FRS. We have no doubt that Colin will be a dynamic, tremendously effective CEO and a worthy successor to Peter. Colin will head up our excellent senior management team who have great experience across all areas of the business. With Colin taking on this role the future of FRS is in extremely capable hands and we can be very confident in the continued, seamless success of FRS.”

“It is a tremendous honour to have been named as successor to Peter Byrne,” said Colin Donnery, incoming NCFRS Group CEO. “This is an amazing organisation which has repeatedly proven its effectiveness and resourcefulness over the last 40 years. My mission will be to continue that growth, to work with the exceptional team that has been assembled and to maintain the enormous progress that FRS has achieved under the leadership of Peter Byrne.

“Anyone who knows FRS or Peter Byrne will understand how important a figure he has been and all that he has accomplished. FRS simply wouldn’t be the organisation that it is today if it hadn’t been for Peter’s immense vision and stewardship. I am very grateful that I will have the opportunity to work hand in hand with Peter for the next 8 months.

“FRS has always been a forward looking organisation that has met customer and community needs. I will make sure that focus remains a central part of our operations and that as a social enterprise co-operative we are continually looking at ways how we can improve the lives of our members while also fulfilling our commercial objectives. The success of FRS has been built on these very solid foundations and they will continue to be the fundamental pillar of our activity in future,” Mr. Donnery concluded.