By Business & Finance 
Pictured (from l-r): Jimmy Kirby, Executive Chairman at Kirby Group Engineering, Henry McCann, Group Operations Director – Chief Executive Officer (Designate) and Mark Flanagan, Chief Executive Officer. Photo: Philip Leonard / Leonard Photography
This week sees new and notable appointments at Kirby Group Engineering, Xeinadin, FREENOW, Grant Thornton, TELUS Digital Experience and EY Ireland.
Henry McCann, Chief Executive Officer
Kirby Group Engineering
Kirby Group Engineering has announced CEO Mark Flanagan will step down on January 1st, 2025 after five very successful years in the role. As part of a planned and structured transition process, Henry McCann will step into the role of CEO, having spent the last five years as Group Operations Director at the Limerick-headquartered company.
Mark has successfully led the 60-year-old Kirby Group Engineering through an unprecedented period of profitable growth and international expansion, establishing it as a key leader in the international Mechanical and Electrical Engineering and Construction industry. Kirby now employs over 1,800 people and is on track to record turnover above €700m in 2024. Mark will continue supporting the company as Executive Director, supporting Kirby’s sustained growth.
Henry McCann has played a pivotal role in Kirby’s expansion and the development of its organisational capabilities, notably leading the Kirby Way initiative. He is determined that helping people reach their full potential will be a key priority for his term as CEO: “I am passionate about focusing on people and the further development of Kirby as a learning and teaching organisation. I have also developed a strong instinct for understanding and pre-empting our valued clients’ needs which is key to building sustainable partnerships that can deliver real value into the future.”
Dave O’Brien, Head of Tax
Xeinadin
Pictured: Dave O’Brien, Head of Tax, Xeinadin
Professional services groups in Ireland and the UK, has announced the appointment of Dave O’Brien as the new Head of Tax at Xeinadin in Ireland.
Based in Cork, Dave will oversee tax advisory services for Xeinadin across Ireland, bringing together tax experts under one department, giving clients access to expertise from Xeinadin’s offices across the country.
Dave will lead the team in key taxation areas such as succession planning, M&A activity, corporate restructures, VAT and a range of other tax advisory services aimed at the SME market.
Dave O’Brien, Head of Xeinadin Tax Ireland said: “I’m thrilled to be leading this exciting project which has lots of potential. We are fortunate that the members of our tax team have experience in all areas of taxation, allowing us to become a one-stop shop for all businesses located in Ireland. I’m looking forward to leading this team now and into the future.”
Dave started his career at EY before joining Quintas in 2012 where he went on to become their Tax Advisory Partner. until Quintas was acquired by Xeinadin in 2023.
Danny O’Gorman, General Manager Ireland
FREENOW
FREENOW has announced the appointment of Danny O’Gorman as the new General Manager for the Irish market. Danny will oversee FREENOW’s operations in Ireland, with a strategic focus on expanding and enhancing the company’s taxi services across the country while continuing to support Ireland’s largest fleet of driver partners.
In his role, Danny will continue to focus on offering passengers an even better experience across the country by extending the service beyond its established presence in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Kerry and Waterford. Danny will also oversee the growth of FREENOW’s electric vehicle fleet, encouraging and supporting more driver partners to make the switch to electric and providing passengers with more environmentally friendly mobility choices.
Commenting on his appointment, Danny O’Gorman, the new General Manager for FREENOW Ireland, said: “I am thrilled to join FREENOW at such a pivotal time for the business in Ireland. The taxi industry remains at the core of our operations and I am excited to build on the incredible legacy FREENOW has established here and across Europe. My top priority is to work closely with our valued driver partners and the dedicated team at FREENOW Ireland to strengthen our taxi offering in both our established cities and new locations. By expanding our regional footprint, we aim to provide reliable and efficient mobility solutions to more passengers and businesses nationwide.
“I am also eager to support the continued growth of our electric vehicle fleet, ensuring that passengers have access to more sustainable travel options. While taxi services will always be our primary focus, we are proud of the additional services we have introduced, such as our recent partnership with Moby, which demonstrates our commitment to enhancing urban mobility. Together, we will continue to innovate and evolve, and I look forward to delivering enhanced transport options to Irish passengers in the near future.”
Danny replaces Charlie Gleeson as General Manager for FREENOW Ireland. As the company continues to play a vital role in Ireland’s public transport infrastructure, Danny’s leadership will be pivotal in aligning the company’s operations with its long-term strategic goals, including the commitment to innovations for both passengers and drivers while supporting the company’s initiatives.
Tim Arnold, Regional General Manager for FREENOW said: “We are excited to welcome Danny to lead the FREENOW Ireland team. With over a decade of experience in marketplace operations, logistics and sales, Danny brings a wealth of expertise in scaling teams, driving growth, and optimising operations. His background in managing large-scale projects and partnerships, along with his deep understanding of the Irish market, positions him perfectly to lead FREENOW’s next phase of growth. We are confident that under Danny’s leadership, we will continue to expand our taxi offering in Ireland and deliver the best service for passengers and driver partners across the country.”
Danny brings a wide range of experience to his new role, having held senior roles at Amazon and Catawiki. At Amazon, he led new seller partnerships and managed logistics and operations projects, while his work at Catawiki involved scaling sales teams and improving commercial operations across Europe. He holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Trinity College Dublin.
Emma Broderick, Tax Partner
Grant Thornton
Grant Thornton Ireland has appointed Emma Broderick as a new tax partner and Head of Indirect Tax. An accomplished indirect tax advisor, Emma has significant sector expertise advising both domestic and international clients on Irish and international VAT issues across a range of industries, with particular focus on financial services, real estate commercial property, technology and fintech.
Emma brings over 14 years’ experience in VAT consulting, compliance and indirect tax strategy and optimisation. Joining the Indirect Tax team, Emma will focus on VAT in and Financial Services advising leading companies across funds & asset management, banking & payments, and insurance.
Steve Tennant, CEO, Grant Thornton, said:“I’m delighted to welcome Emma to Grant Thornton as we continue to grow and strengthen our tax practice. Throughout her career, Emma has interpreted intricate Irish and EU VAT law, and her expertise and insights in these areas are an invaluable addition to our firm and our clients.”
Emma holds a First-Class Bachelor of Civil Law degree and is a Chartered Accountant and a Chartered Tax Advisor, achieving 1st place in Ireland in her final CTA exams.
Nora Clancy, Director of Global Compliance and Audit
TELUS Digital Experience
Nora Clancy has been appointed to the role of Senior Director of Global Compliance and Audit at TELUS Digital Experience (previously TELUS International). TELUS Digital is the digital CX innovator that designs, builds and delivers next-gen solutions, including AI and content moderation, for global and disruptive brands.
Clancy is a chartered accountant with extensive experience in the areas of audit, risk and compliance. From Ireland, she leads a global compliance team with responsibility for maintaining a consistent standard of information security compliance across TELUS Digital’s sites in four continents, providing oversight on the information security audit and risk compliance programme. Clancy is a member of the TELUS Digital Ireland Senior Leadership team.
As Senior Director, her responsibilities now extend to oversight of cyber risk management practices, integration of new acquisitions, ensuring the security of customer information and collaboration with legal and privacy teams on regulatory compliance matters.
Nora Clancy, Senior Director of Global Compliance and Audit at TELUS Digital, commented: “I am delighted to take up this new role. Here at TELUS Digital I am surrounded by a strong team that consistently goes above and beyond to deliver on organisational goals and objectives. We are committed to maintaining a consistent standard of information security compliance across our sites with a focus on innovation and technological advance. Our team dynamic, combined with the advancements in AI and digital technology, generate exciting opportunities for the business to grow and transform the way we do business.”
Shane MacSweeney, Head of Strategy and Transactions and EY Global Infrastructure Leader
EY Ireland
Pictured (from l-r): Shane MacSweeney, Head of Strategy and Transactions and EY Global Infrastructure Leader, Carol Murphy, Head of Markets, Frank O’Keeffe, EY Ireland Managing Partner, Colette Devey, Chief Risk Officer and Eoin O’Reilly, Head of AI and Data. Photo: EY Ireland.
EY Ireland has announced four senior appointments to its Leadership Team. Shane MacSweeney takes on dual roles as Head of Strategy and Transactions for EY Ireland and EY Global Infrastructure Leader. Shane has over twenty years global experience in corporate and project finance and a wealth of experience in delivering large and complex infrastructure projects worldwide. He has been a Partner at EY Ireland since 2017.
Carol Murphy takes on a new role as Head of Markets which will see her oversee the development and execution of EY Ireland’s market strategy aimed at delivering exceptional value to EY’s clients and stakeholders. Carol has a background in technology with over 25 years’ experience advising clients on how they can leverage technology to deliver business transformation and innovation, while balancing risk and regulation.
Eoin O’Reilly has been appointed Head of AI and Data with responsibility for driving EY Ireland’s AI & Data strategy. In this role Eoin will lead a multi-disciplinary team of over 300 people, designing and implementing data and AI-driven solutions to enable clients to take advantage of the enormous opportunities presented by AI. He joined EY in 2004.
Colette Devey has been appointed as the Chief Risk Officer for EY Ireland. Colette also leads EY Ireland’s Consumer Products and Retail Practice, and is a Partner in our Risk Consulting business. She joined EY in 2003 and became a Partner in 2019.
EY Ireland employs more than 5,100 people on the island of Ireland, with offices in Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford supporting organisations across a broad range of industries and sectors, in areas such as Audit, Corporate Finance, Tax and Law, Consulting, AI and Data Analytics.
Frank O’Keeffe, EY Ireland Managing Partner, says: “I am very pleased to announce the appointment of these exceptional leaders to our EY Ireland Leadership Team. Carol, Colette, Eoin and Shane are standout leaders in our business who inspire our people every day and work with our clients to help them solve some of their most complex and strategic issues. In their new roles I know that they will continue to help our firm to unlock our full potential in the years ahead.”
