By Business & Finance 
Pictured: Anne O’Leary, Head of Office, Meta Ireland
There were new and notable appointments this week at Meta Ireland, Carbery Group, Bank of Ireland and Pinergy SolarElectric.
Anne O’Leary, Head of Office,
Meta Ireland
Anne O’Leary has been appointed to the position of Head of Office at Meta Ireland, Facebook’s parent company. She will continue her role as Vice President of the firm’s EMEA Global Business Group division.
In her current position, O’Leary leads sales teams across Europe, the Middle-East and Africa.The news of her appointment comes after Meta announced that former boss Rick Kelley was to step away from the company.
“I’m delighted to be appointed Head of Meta Ireland and I’m very excited to work with an amazing leadership team to foster the fantastic culture of collaboration, innovation, inclusivity and diversity at Meta in Ireland,” said O’Leary.
“I’m looking forward to leading the team in Ireland who contribute important work to our company’s success,” she added.
Anne O’Leary was formerly the CEO of Vodafone and was the recipient of the Business Person of the Year Award at the 2019 Business & Finance Awards.
Liam Hughes, Group Chief Financial Officer,
Carbery Group
Pictured: Liam Hughes, Group Chief Financial Officer, Carbery Group
Carbery Group, the international dairy, flavours and nutritional ingredients company has announced the appointment of Liam Hughes as Group Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director. He will take up this position in the coming months.
Originally from Fermoy, Co Cork, Hughes joins Carbery from Kerry Group where he has held several senior finance positions and global senior leadership positions in Europe and the US. He is a Chartered Accountant as well as an experienced executive within the food industry having held the role of President of Kerry’s North American Taste business and most recently leading their Taste business in Europe.
In joining Carbery, Hughes brings with him deep financial and extensive commercial experience, and a successful track record for driving growth and delivering large transformation initiatives both nationally and internationally.
Commenting on this appointment, Jason Hawkins, CEO, Carbery Group said:
“I am really pleased to welcome Liam to Carbery, after an extensive global search to find the right person for us. Liam joins at a crucial stage for our organisation, as we seek to build on 50 years of evolution and propel the company into the next phase of success. The Group CFO is a pivotal role to achieve this, and I look forward to working with Liam and drawing on his extensive financial management and commercial experience, and also his strength in driving growth supported by innovation, commercial expertise and new approaches.”
Cormac O’Keeffe, Chairman, Carbery Group said:
“Liam’s knowledge combined with his strong financial acumen and global experience makes him very well suited to build on the strong foundations that are in place at Carbery. On behalf of the Board, I welcome him and look forward to working with him. I would also like to reiterate our thanks to our outgoing CFO Colm Leen for his many years of commitment to Carbery and wish him all the best for the future.”
Colette Shirley, Director of Sustainability,
Bank of Ireland
Pictured: Colette Shirley, Director of Sustainability, Bank of Ireland | Photo credit: Naoise Culhane
Bank of Ireland has appointed Colette Shirley to the role of Director of Sustainability for its Corporate & Markets Division. In her new role, she will have a leading role in Bank of Ireland’s drive to help its corporate and business customers make the transition to a low carbon economy. Further developing customer propositions and supporting customers to develop their sustainability plans is a key focus for the wider Corporate & Markets Division with Shirley’s appointment key to achieving this ambition.
Shirley is a highly experienced banker with over twenty one years’ experience in our Irish and UK corporate banking operations. In the UK, she worked with a range of sectors with a particular focus on Telecoms, Media, and Technology (TMT) and Industrials. In early 2020, Shirley relocated to Ireland as Head of Healthcare & Financial Services within our corporate banking division.
Nikki Canavan, Senior Director Corporate Banking and Head of Sustainability for the Division, said:
“We are absolutely committed to working with our customers, colleagues and communities on their transition to a resilient, net zero economy by 2050. Colette has a wealth of experience across a broad range of sectors, which makes her ideally-placed to help our corporate customers understand ESG risks and opportunities and to consider long-term sustainability strategies.”
Commenting on her appointment, Colette Shirley said:
“At Bank of Ireland our focus is on offering customers highly practical and useful solutions and supports for some of the most critical challenges facing them today. I’m really excited to take on this strategically important role and I look forward to supporting our Corporate & Markets customers on their sustainability journey”.
Ronan Power, CEO,
Pinergy SolarElectric
Pinergy SolarElectric, an Irish solar energy businesses, has announced the appointment of Ronan Power as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). This new senior appointment will see Power focus on growing the Wexford-based Pinergy SolarElectric business and the scaling of the business through a period of further sustained growth.
In this new role, he will oversee delivery of all business functions including sales, operations, supply chain, people and revenue as it aims to deliver on its growth ambitions supporting businesses and homeowners in their energy transition.
Reportedly, his aim is to build a company culture based around strong ethics on behalf of its customers, employees and all other stakeholders. According to the firm, Power is passionate about building a working environment where people can learn, grow and thrive together while delivering the highest standards of customer experience.
Speaking about the new appointment, Enda Gunnell, CEO, Pinergy said:
“Ronan has been a member of the Pinergy leadership team since 2020 and in that time, he has demonstrated his key abilities. Ronan’s passion for delivering sustainable services & solutions to the market and his years of experience in management and operational roles make him the ideal person to shape & lead the Pinergy SolarElectric business into the future.”
The past year has highlighted the need for change in the energy sector in Ireland. As the energy transition gathers pace, Pinergy SolarElectric is well positioned to deliver Solar PV systems to the domestic, commercial and agricultural markets in Ireland.
Commenting on his appointment, Ronan Power said:
“I’m delighted to be starting this new role with Pinergy SolarElectric. I truly believe, as a country, we need to accelerate our journey towards a greener more sustainable energy future. We are experiencing high levels of demand for our range of solar PV solutions and the company has seen significant growth in the last 12 months. There is huge opportunity for further growth in the solar market and I am very passionate about enabling homeowners and businesses to take control of their own sustainable energy future.”
Prior to becoming CEO of Pinergy SolarElectric, Power held the position of Head of Operations at Pinergy. Prior to that he was the Director of Operational Performance and Transformation at Abtran, Management Consultant with KPMG and Programme Director at Actavo. Power has since become a board member of the Enniscorthy Chamber of Commerce demonstrating his commitment to further integrate Pinergy SolarElectric into the local community.
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