By Business & Finance Pictured: John Grogan, Darren Monaghan, Hugh Nealon, Mikey Ryan, and Ruairi Ryan, Kirby Group Engineering
This week sees new and notable appointments at Musgrave Group, The Board of Greyhound Racing Ireland/Rásaíocht Con Éireann, NOW, Gamma, Charles Monat, The Montenotte Hotel, Kirby Group Engineering, Taxback.com, and The American Chamber of Commerce
Myles O’Grady, Chief Financial Officer,
Musgrave Group
Musgrave Group, food retail, wholesale and foodservice company is delighted to announce the appointment of Myles O’Grady as Chief Financial Officer with effect from 4th April 2022.
Myles joins Musgrave from Bank of Ireland where he is Group Chief Financial Officer since 2019. In joining Musgrave, Myles brings with him a wealth of experience in delivering sustainable growth and in driving a culture that is customer focused and increasingly digital.
Commenting on his appointment, Noel Keeley, Musgrave CEO said, “I am pleased to welcome Myles to Musgrave as CFO following a comprehensive recruitment process. As one of Europe’s leading family-owned businesses we are committed to delivering long-term sustainable growth. Given Myles’ experience in senior financial and business leadership roles he will be a fantastic asset in helping us achieve our ambitions. I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank Alan Cunningham for his significant and ongoing contribution as Acting CFO.”
Myles has been Group CFO at Bank of Ireland Group since October 2019. Prior to that he held senior roles at Citibank, Bord Gais and AIB Group. Myles is also a Non-Executive Director of New Ireland Assurance Company and is a Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants.
Dearbhla O’Brien, Philip Peake, Chief Executive Officer, Interim CEO, respectively
The Board of Greyhound Racing Ireland/Rásaíocht Con Éireann
The Board of Greyhound Racing Ireland (GRI)/Rásaíocht Con Éireann (RCÉ) has proposed the appointment of Dearbhla O’Brien to the position of Chief Executive Officer. The appointment will now be submitted to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for approval.
Ms. O’Brien is currently CEO of WorkandTravel.ie and was formerly Managing Director and CEO of USIT Ireland. She will take up her position in January 2022.
The Board has also approved the appointment of Philip Peake, Deputy CEO as Interim CEO until Ms. O’Brien takes up the position.
Dearbhla O’Brien is a seasoned CEO and Managing Director with extensive experience across multiple sectors to drive business growth and transformation. She was promoted to Managing Director/CEO of USIT Ireland in 2010 following success as Commercial and Marketing Director over a 7-year period. In 2019, Ms. O’Brien established Workandtravel.ie and guided the business to gain a 30% market share of the S J1 market in the first year of trading.
Announcing Ms. O’Brien’s appointment, Frank Nyhan, Chairperson of the Board of GRI, said, “On behalf of the staff and Board of GRI, I am pleased to announce that Dearbhla O’Brien has, following an extensive recruitment process, accepted the position as our new CEO.”
Mr. Nyhan continued, “Dearbhla’s organisational values, vision, communication skills, and commercial and marketing knowledge makes her an excellent choice as CEO as we look to build on the significant progress made in several key areas in recent years, including greyhound welfare, traceability and the overall strengthening of the sector following a difficult operating environment brought about by the pandemic.”
Mr. Nyhan acknowledged outgoing CEO Gerard Dollard “for his contribution to GRI over the past four years.”
“Gerard has led the organisation through a turbulent period, and he has successfully concluded many changes and innovations for the greater good of the greyhound community. We wish him every success in his future endeavours,” he stated. “Together with the Board, I also want to thank Philip for stepping into the Interim role and I wish him the very best during the next three months.”
Commenting on her appointment, Ms. O’Brien said, “I’m delighted to be appointed CEO of Greyhound Racing Ireland and I look forward to working with my new colleagues and the vibrant and committed greyhound racing community in the years ahead, which are full of both challenges and opportunities.”
“I will use my strategic and operational planning, corporate governance and commercial strategy experience to further strengthen the greyhound racing industry by fostering the working relationship between the GRI and owners and trainers, as well as developing a strategy towards restoring attendance levels at race meetings closer to pre-pandemic levels.
“I will place a strong emphasis on the need to continually develop and invest in new and existing care and welfare initiatives, such as the provision of care and foster care centres, the inspection programme for greyhound establishments and the operation of a Greyhound Injuries Support Scheme,” concluded Ms. O’Brien.
Michael Forry, Director,
NOW
Pictured: Michael Forry, Director, Now
Michael Forry has been appointed Director of NOW, Ireland’s leading streaming service.
Since joining NOW in 2016, Michael has been responsible for launching the NOW brand in Ireland and subsequently driving the growth of the business. NOW enables Irish customers to stream the world’s best content from critically acclaimed shows, new and exclusive movies, and unmissable sport through the various Memberships available; Entertainment, Cinema, Sports, Sports Extra and hayu.
Prior to joining NOW, Michael spent eight years leading digital performance marketing activity within Paddy Power, as Head of Digital Advertising & Partnerships.
Commenting on Michael’s appointment, JD Buckley, CEO of Sky Ireland, said, “Michael’s vast experience and what he has achieved with the NOW brand in Ireland, is a great asset to the NOW business. He has led the team through a recent rebrand and has leveraged our world class entertainment portfolio to attract new customers. I have no doubt that with Michael at the helm of NOW, the brand will continue to disrupt the competitive streaming market. I wish him every success in his new role”.
In his new position, Michael will be responsible for defining and mapping the NOW brand’s long term growth strategy in an increasingly competitive market. NOW continues to scale up in Ireland, giving customers premium content at their disposal anywhere, anytime.
Commenting on his appointment, Michael Forry said, “I am thrilled to be appointed Director of NOW in Ireland. NOW has experienced exceptional growth over the past two years and we continue to bring the best and most exciting content to our customers, which they can access on their terms. It is an exciting time for the brand – in the past 12-months, we became sponsor of dublinbikes and launched a successful rebrand, with a fresh premium look and feel. I look forward to leading the brilliant team at NOW Ireland and driving continued growth.”
Michael Gaughan, Head of Strategic Growth – Risk Solutions,
Gamma
Pictured: Michael Gaughan, Head of Strategic Growth – Risk Solutions, Gamma
Gamma, the cloud-hosted location intelligence systems and services company, announced the appointment of Michael Gaughan as its Head of Strategic Growth – Risk Solutions.
Michael will be responsible for leading the international expansion of Gamma’s insurance offering. In particular, he will be overseeing the vertical growth strategy for Perilfinder™ – the company’s leading risk assessment, exposure management and reporting solution – across the insurance, MGA and mortgage lending industries in the UK.
Having spent 35 years in a variety of roles spanning underwriting, marketing, business development, corporate strategy and general management, Michael is perfectly suited to the demands of the role. In addition, his international experience in the insurance sector in Ireland, the UK and the US will be invaluable.
In addition to his role at Gamma, Michael is a Director at Insurecore Ltd and Chair of the Board of Trustees at Headway Sussex.
Speaking about the latest addition to the Gamma team, CEO Feargal O’Neill said, “With an impressive background in the insurance sector, Michael has a comprehensive understanding of the complex issues and challenges facing insurers, brokers, MGAs and service providers.
“He also has a proven track record in accelerating the transformation and growth of businesses within the insurance sector; as such, he is exactly the person we need to grow our insurance offering in the UK market and continue our international expansion.”
Marco Liardo, Luca Bertacchi, Managing Director,
Charles Monat
Charles Monat Associates (CMA) is expanding its operations in Switzerland. In addition to the recent appointment of Marco Liardo as Managing Director of the Swiss Operation, the Team in Zurich is broadening its capabilities even further with three senior executive hires. At the same time, CMA is launching a domestic business in the EU and creating a private placement life insurance (PPLI) practice group. Luca Bertacchi is joining CMA in Liechtenstein to build and lead the newly established team. The new hires and ambitious expansion strategy demonstrate CMA’s commitment to growing its business across Switzerland and Europe.
Marco Liardo joins as the Managing Director of Switzerland for CMA. Based in Zurich, his role involves developing, leading, and managing sales consultants in Switzerland as well as tailoring bespoke solutions to clients’ liquidity planning needs. Marco has many years of experience in wealth advisory for international clients, having successfully developed and managed the Swiss hub for an international life insurance broker. Previously, he served as Head of Financial Analysis and Senior Merger & Acquisition Manager for a global insurance group as well as Vice President, Private Banking Life Insurance for an international Swiss private bank.
As part of CMA’s expansion in Europe, a new PPLI practice group has been created strengthening the Liechtenstein broker entity and creating a centre of competence for the full Group of CMA. Luca Bertacchi has been appointed to lead the new team, bringing with him 25 years of experience and expertise in the Industrial and Financial Sector. Previously, Luca was Global Director of Lombard International Assurance SA, working his way up from Head of Switzerland and Regional Director Central & Southern Europe. Prior to this, Luca was involved in various positions at UniCredit. Joining Marco and Luca in Europe and strengthening the team’s expertise further are three additional senior hires.
As a result, CMA is able to bolster its International Business Division which include operations in Dubai, Geneva, Liechtenstein and Zurich. Both Marco and Luca report to Simon Lo, CEO of the International Business Division. This new structure allows CMA to offer more effective cross-border support, more efficient services and brings truly global solutions to clients. With the increased presence in the growth markets outside Asia, CMA respond to the client’s needs for international solutions as well as addressing the increase in relocation. As a unit, CMA is global and able to address both domestic and international insurance needs of HNWI.
Yves Guélat, Group CEO of Charles Monat Associates, is extremely thrilled about the new appointments, “Our new team members are subject matter experts when it comes to insurance solutions. With their significant experience in wealth planning and tremendous network of contacts, they provide a real value-add to our bank partners, family offices and clients in the region. By expanding the capabilities of our International Business Division in Switzerland and Europe, we can enhance international synergies to create ‘one CMA’.”
CMA opened its Swiss subsidiary in 2012 as part of its international business. Since then, this business has seen annual sales growth of 20% year-on-year, largely driven from Switzerland and the EU. “With a high concentration of high-net-worth individuals, Europe is critical to our business,” states Simon Lo, CEO of International Business at Charles Monat Associates. “For this reason, there is an increased need for new hires in Switzerland and Europe to service the growing number of banks’ clients and referral partners. By strengthening our International Business Team, we are able to support our clients more efficiently and offer an extensive suite of knowledge from the pool of expertise within our organisation.”
Global trends show that the number of high-net-worth individuals (HNWI) in Europe, along with China and APAC, is growing exponentially, a key driver for the life insurance industry. By expanding the Swiss business and establishing the PPLI practice group, CMA represents the first global HNW broker to offer a unique value proposition to the third-largest region globally in terms of number of HNWIs (5.4 million) and assets (US$17.5 trillion).
The company plans to continue expanding its offerings in the future, focusing on Universal Life insurance and solutions for protecting international assets abroad. “We want to expand our products across the region and create synergies with other regions in a more connected world,” says Guélat.
In Europe, which is highly developed in wealth planning and wealth advisory, CMA aims to meet the evolving needs of clients while offering international customised strategies. The major global leadership changes announced in June 2021 highlight CMA’s commitment to providing global access and options. The current expansion plans in Europe serve to further advance the company’s business growth strategy and build greater synergies across regions, asset classes and liquidity solutions.
Fergus Mac Devitt, Director of Food and Beverage,
The Montenotte Hotel
Pictured: Fergus Mac Devitt, Director of Food & Beverages, The Montenotte Hotel
The Montenotte Hotel is delighted to announce the appointment of Fergus Mac Devitt as the Director of Food and Beverage at the family-owned destination hotel in Cork.
With over 15 years of multicultural experience with leading global hotel brands, Fergus joins The Montenotte Hotel and Ireland with a wealth of experience in the area of Food & Beverage and has joined from The Pullman Tokyo Tamachi having previously worked in various Swissotel properties in Japan, China and Germany as well as The Fairmont in Singapore.
As the Director of Food and Beverage, Fergus will be responsible for creating a harmonic work environment for the team, leading operations and maintaining high standards of guest satisfaction across all of The Montenotte Hotel Food and Beverage departments which include the restaurant and terrace, Panorama Bistro and the new rooftop bar and terrace, The Glasshouse. As an international industry expert, Fergus brings an extensive level of knowledge with him as well as fluency in three languages, German, English and French with skills in Spanish and Japanese. As a leader he strongly believes in living and leading by example, engaging and empowering teams as the keys to success.
Fergus, who holds a diploma in Hospitality Management from Berlin, is thrilled to join the team at The Montenotte Hotel.
“I am looking forward to leading such a diverse and talented team of Food and Beverage specialists at The Montenotte Hotel. I love Ireland, and Cork is a great place to live, work and raise a family. The Montenotte was a clear choice for me, the service standards are aligned very closely with their mission and each employee is a brand ambassador for the hotel, and are all valued equally. Together with the team at The Montenotte Hotel, we will bring the experience for all our guests to a new level, that sets the hotel apart and will be recognised as the leading destination resort hotel in Ireland.”
John Grogan, Darren Monaghan, Hugh Nealon, Mikey Ryan, Ruairi Ryan, Group Engineering Director, Associate Director, Operations, Associate Director, Operations, Associate Director, Operations, Associate Director, Operations, respectively,
Kirby Group Engineering
Pictured: John Grogan, Darren Monaghan, Hugh Nealon, Mikey Ryan, and Ruairi Ryan, Kirby Group Engineering
Kirby Group Engineering has announced a round of key appointments to its Senior Management Team. The development follows a period of strategic and sustainable growth, which has seen Kirby continually delivering operationally excellent mechanical and electrical engineering contracting services for national and international clients.
These strategic positions align with Kirby’s commitment to continuously build an effective management team. The appointments are:
John Grogan, Group Engineering Director
Darran Monaghan, Associate Director, Operations
Hugh Nealon, Associate Director, Operations
Mikey Ryan, Associate Director, Operations
Ruairi Ryan, Associate Director, Operations
Commenting on the appointments, Mark Flanagan, Kirby Group Managing Director, said, “Our success is attributed to the strength of our management team and all our employees. We are committed in developing and investing in our people, which is our primary core value. These appointments further enhance the leadership capability at Kirby and support our growing client base, as well as our expansion into new sectors and geographical regions.”
Kirby is a leading mechanical and electrical engineering contractor currently directly employing over 1,200 people with over 2,400 deployed across Ireland, the UK and Mainland Europe.
Barry Cahill, Business Development Manager,
Taxback.com
Pictured: Barry Cahill, Business Development Manager, Taxback.com
Taxback.com is delighted to announce the appointment of Barry Cahill to the position of Development Manager. He will be responsible for managing the Go-to-Market strategy of Taxback.com’s new Employee Financial Wellbeing proposition, as well as the acquisition of new Business Partners – from SME’s through to multi-nationals.
His previous positions include Business Development, Senior Manager at PwC, where he worked for three years, and Commercial Manager for GAA/Croke Park, for six years.
Barry Cahill is a former Dublin senior football player/captain. He is a GAA All Start and All Ireland winner (2011) with the Dublin senior football team.
Cahill is a finance graduate from UCD & Maynooth University. He is an executive MBA graduate from DCU Business School.
Regina O’Connor, Director of Public Affairs and Advocacy,
American Chamber of Commerce
Pictured: Regina O’Connor, Director of Public Affairs and Advocacy, American Chamber of Commerce
The American Chamber of Commerce, the representative body of over 800 US companies in Ireland and Irish MNCs with operations in the US, is delighted to announce the appointment of Regina O’Connor as its new Director of Public Affairs and Advocacy. Regina will lead the American Chamber’s ambitious policy, public affairs and advocacy agenda and drive its engagement with senior stakeholders.
Commenting on the appointment, Mark Redmond, Chief Executive Officer of the American Chamber of Commerce said, “ I am delighted to welcome Regina to our team to lead AmCham’s public affairs and advocacy work. Regina has an exceptional track record in policy and advocacy and brings extensive senior leadership experience from her previous roles in the multinational sector and policy and advocacy arena.”
He added, “Regina has already set an ambitious agenda to engage with senior stakeholders on a range of key issues for the multinational sector such Infrastructure, Taxation, Digitalisation & Data, Sustainability, Export Controls, Industry 4.0, Talent Development & Retention and the Future of Work. Her experience will be invaluable in advocating for our members and delivering on our key policy issues.”
Speaking following her appointment Regina O’Connor said, “I am delighted to be joining Ireland’s leading international businesses representative organisation. The American Chamber’s policy and advocacy positions are shaped by a diverse membership which includes global leaders in key industries. They range from the world’s largest ICT companies, operations engaged in life sciences, engineering and internationally traded services as well as emerging global leaders in sectors such as cyber-security and artificial intelligence. I look forward to working with our members, representing their views to key stakeholders, and supporting AmCham’s purpose to make Ireland a great place for companies to invest and for their staff to work and live.”
Regina joins AmCham from AXA XL, where she held the role of SVP, Global Head of Government Affairs & Regulatory Policy for over eight years. During her time at AXA XL, Regina was deeply involved in Group strategy including XL Group’s regulatory, policy, business and communications strategy and XL’s Brexit Steering Committee. A graduate of University College Cork (UCC), University College Dublin (UCD) and The College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium, Regina is a qualified solicitor who has also held senior positions across the EU including the European Parliament and Irish Permanent Representation Brussels for over eleven years
