By Business & Finance 
Pictured: Denise Sidhu, Chair, Irish Venture Capital Association.
There were new and notable appointments this week at Irish Venture Capital Association, A&L Goodbody, Vyta, Logicalis UK&I and Codex.
Denise Sidhu, Chair,
Irish Venture Capital Association
Denise Sidhu, partner and director of Cork headquartered Kernel Capital, has been elected chairperson of the Irish Venture Capital Association (IVCA). She replaces Leo Hamill, former managing partner of Investec Ventures in Ireland, who has completed his term of office. Sidhu is the third woman to chair the IVCA in the last four years.
The Irish Venture Capital Association is the representative organisation for venture capital and private equity firms in Ireland. Last year venture capital investment into Irish tech start-ups and SMEs totalled over €1.3 billion.
Commenting on her election, Sidhu said that her focus would be to work with Government and all relevant stakeholders to put financial structures in place to ensure indigenous technology and life science firms will be able to source funding locally and maximise their potential.
“Ireland’s most innovative technology firms are being cherry picked by global investors. We need to be able to scale from local resources, rather than letting international investors harvest our best companies and develop jobs and headquarters overseas rather than here in Ireland.”
She added, “Failure to provide locally sourced scaling funding means that that Irish jobs and headquarters move abroad just at a time when companies are reaching their maximum growth potential. Funding local companies and scaling them here will help to broaden the tax base.”
Sidhu, who joined Kernel Capital in 2001, has played a key role in over 20 trade sales of the firm’s venture capital portfolio companies. She is a board member with portfolio investees B-Secur, Cirdan Imaging, Kianda Technologies and Nova Leah.
Before joining Kernel, Sidhu who is from Blackrock, Cork, was head of finance in Ulster Bank Commercial Services Limited and prior to that financial controller of the Bank of Nova Scotia, Channel Islands.
Lorena Dunne, Asset Management & Investment Funds,
A&L Goodbody
Pictured: Lorena Dunne and Stephen Carson
A&L Goodbody LLP (ALG) has appointed Lorena Dunne as a partner in its Asset Management & Investment Funds practice.
Dunne has extensive experience advising a range of leading international asset managers on the establishment and ongoing operation of investment funds in Ireland. She has significant expertise in advising on EU sustainable finance regulation. Lorena is a long-standing member of the ESG Policy, Legal and Regulatory Working Group of Irish Funds, the Irish funds industry association. She also represents Irish Funds on the International Investment Funds Association ESG Working Committee.
David Widger, Managing Partner at ALG, said: “Funds and asset management remains a very significant and growing sector in Ireland, particularly post-Brexit. I’m delighted to welcome Lorena to our market-leading team which continues to be a very active practice for our firm. Lorena brings invaluable knowledge and experience having worked both in Ireland and the UK, with a particular focus on ESG and sustainability which is an area of critical importance to our clients.”
Dunne joins ALG’s Asset Management & Investment Funds practice led by Stephen Carson. Stephen recently became head of the practice group, succeeding Brian McDermott in July of this year. Brian continues to be a senior partner in our Asset Management & Investment Funds practice.
Sue Bywater-Read, Strategic Relationship Director,
Vyta
Pictured: Sue Bywater-Read, Strategic Relationship Director
Vyta, a secure IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) company has announced the appointment of Sue Bywater-Read to the role of Strategic Relationship Director. As Vyta continues to grow, Sue will be responsible for identifying gaps and pain points in companies’ IT asset management models and overseeing solutions to build upon Vyta’s services.
Her career in the ITAD Industry began in 2000 at RDC where she gained skills and knowledge in building complete lifecycle solutions to meet customers’ compliance and financial requirements. Since, her career has spanned multiple organisations including EOL IT Services and Global Resale, where she held the position of Lifecycles Services Consultant, introducing partner solutions to develop its client base. From there, Sue was appointed IT Asset Manager at The Workshop, a global technology company where she built an IT Asset Management function from the ground up.
Bywater-Read holds a PgDip Certificate in Management from Anglia Ruskin University, a Certificate of Achievement for Audit Defense Licensing Course from the LISA Academy, and is a Certified GDPR-trained Professional through Briefed Certification.
Vyta is rapidly growing and in May announced the creation of 100 jobs over the next two and a half years. This came after it grew to a team of more than 120 people following the acquisition of the Essex-based IT asset disposal company, FGD, in 2022.
Faye Thomas, Vyta’s Chief Commercial Officer said: “Sue has more than 20 years of experience in the IT asset disposal and tech industry and brings with her a wealth of experience. Her passion for building and nurturing customer relationships will be pivotal in ensuring Vyta’s clients and staff are supported to the fullest.
“Sue will use her years of industry knowledge and skills to develop and oversee solutions and build upon the scalable, compliant, secure and sustainable service that Vyta prides itself on.”
Sue Bywater-Read, Strategic Relationship Director, Vyta Group, said: “I am delighted to have been appointed to this role at such an exciting time for Vyta. This role is about delivering excellence, collaboration, integrity, growth and supporting services and these are qualities which Vyta and I are both very aligned on. My aim is to add value to Vyta while embodying the company’s values and sharing them amongst new and existing clients.”
Noel O’Grady, Sales Manager,
Logicalis UK&I
Pictured: Noel O’Grady, Sales Manager, Logicalis UK&I
O’Grady will be responsible for driving revenue generation and growth for the company in Ireland through the development of existing clients and new customer acquisitions. As part of this, he will oversee the creation and execution of go-to-market strategies, while managing the mid-market and new business teams.
With over 20 years of experience in the IT industry, O’Grady is well-positioned to help clients move to the cloud, navigate hybrid operational models, support transformational migrations and implement layered security services.
Throughout his career, O’Grady has worked across a variety of markets including cloud, information security, and data centres. During this time, he has been instrumental in building and leading high-performing sales teams, driving revenue growth, and forging strategic partnerships.
Prior to joining Logicalis, he spent eight years as Sales Director for Ireland at Sungard Availability Services. Whilst at Sungard, hewas named EMEA Manager of the Year in 2021 and Global Salesperson of the Year in 2020.
Preceding Sungard, O’Grady held the position of Sales Director for Ward Solutions for two years. This followed six years with his own cloud infrastructure and software business, Fort Technologies, where he served as Founder and Sales & Marketing Director until its sale.
Speaking about his new role, O’Grady said: “It is such an exciting time for companies like Logicalis, given the opportunities in the sector and its position in the Irish and wider international markets, I am delighted to be joining the team and contributing to its upward trajectory. Leading, supporting and delivering for our clients, both present and future, is a fascinating challenge and one which I am really looking forward to.”
Gary Higgins, Head of Sales,
Codex
Codex, a B2B office supplier, has appointed a new Head of Sales, Gary Higgins, to spearhead the company’s expansion into new markets including office furniture and fit-outs.
The appointment of a new Head of Sales is part of an ambitious growth strategy that has seen Codex become the largest supplier of office supplies in Ireland. The family-owned firm has more than 40 years’ experience supplying products and services to private companies, educational institutions, and public sector bodies.
A big GAA supporter and father of four, Gary Higgins has almost 30 years’ experience in sales and management. He joins Codex from Cash and Carry Kitchens – Ireland’s biggest manufacturer of fitted kitchens – and has worked with other Irish retail giants including DID Electrical, Woodies and Dunnes Stores.
“I’m very proud to be joining Ireland’s leading office supplier and I look forward to playing my part in helping to drive our sales figures upwards,” said Gary Higgins, Codex’s new Head of Sales. “This is a fantastic team with a huge amount of specialist knowledge across all areas of the business. I look forward to cementing existing client relationships, and building new ones, as we continue to grow.”
We’re delighted to welcome Gary to his new role as our Head of Sales,” said Codex CEO, Patrick Murphy, who took over the business from his father, company founder Brendan Murphy, in 2019.
“Gary has an exceptional track record in sales with some of Ireland’s leading brands, and his commercial acumen and motivational flair will be huge assets,” Mr Murphy added. “These are exciting times at Codex as we look to build on our proud 40-year history while diversifying into new markets, new products and new services. We’re very glad that Gary has agreed to be a part of that.”
In addition to its core range of office supplies, Codex continues to expand its portfolio by investing in talent to offer new services such as print and design, office interiors and furniture. Codex now offers a fully-integrated office fit-out service including space design and furniture allocation, from concept to installation.
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