New and notable appointments at NAA Ltd, Connelly Partners, Principal Connections and MedoSync

Pictured (from l-r): Conor Hickey, Senan Edwards, Laragh Hickey, Luke Hickey and Allen Paul

This week sees new and notable appointments at NAA Ltd, Connelly Partners, Principal Connections and MedoSync

Luke Hickey, Managing Director
NAA Ltd

Laragh Hickey, Managing Director
NAA Appliances

N.A.A Ltd, a distributor to the Irish furniture, kitchen, woodworking and packaging industries, has announced the formation of a new senior management team with Luke Hickey assuming the role of Managing Director of N.A.A Ltd and Laragh Hickey becoming Managing Director of N.A.A Appliances.

Luke Hickey takes over as Managing Director of N.A.A Ltd and Laragh Hickey as Managing Director of N.A.A Appliances from Conor Hickey, who remains a Director of N.A.A and will continue to be involved on a day-to-day basis. Completing the new senior management team are Allen Paul, Sales Director of N.A.A Ltd, and Senan Edwards, Sales Director of N.A.A Appliances.

“It’s a huge honour for Laragh and myself to assume the leadership of the family business and we look forward to stewarding N.A.A through the years ahead as we continue working towards becoming Ireland’s number one distributor to the woodworking and furniture industries,” said Luke Hickey.

“As one of the longest-standing distributors in the industry, we have a vast bank of experience that will ensure a seamless transition for clients,” Mr Hickey said. “We also have one of the most knowledgeable teams in the business, who embody our culture of excellence and understand the very precise needs of the industries we work with.

“As a fourth-generation family business, our management team is also lucky enough to be able to draw on the experience of my father Conor, who will remain heavily involved on the client side,” he added.

Founded by James Hickey in 1923, Dublin-based N.A.A Ltd is today one of the most respected names in the furniture, kitchen, woodworking, and packaging industries. The company is synonymous with quality and works with some of the world’s premium brands including Hettich, Liebherr, and H.B. Fuller among many others.

Eoin Walsh, Creative Director,
Connelly Partners 

Independent full-service creative agency Connelly Partners has announced that they have appointed Eoin Welsh as Creative Director of Connelly Partners Dublin. He will drive the agency’s ongoing vision of becoming one of Dublin’s most highly-regarded creative agencies, with particular focus on work inspired by genuine human insights. Eoin is part of the Global Creative Opportunity Team, led by Chief Creative Officer Alyssa Toro, to support global integration and creative ideation for clients across offices.

Born in Dublin, Eoin has worked in South Africa for the last 30 years for advertising agencies such as Ogilvy, TBWA and Havas Worldwide where he was their Chief Creative Officer. A recipient of Cannes Lions, Loerie and AMASA Media awards, Eoin has also served on a number of international juries including Cannes Lions and The New York Festivals.

Speaking about the appointment, founder and President Steve Connelly: “Eoin is a rockstar hire for us. It’s not just his creative work and credentials which are impressive, he totally embraces our ‘Defiantly Human’ approach and ego-free culture. He’s all about creating empathy over entertainment, and building deep lasting connections for his clients with their customers. We did a global search and found one of the very best in the world. Eoin will be an amazing asset and resource for our clients in Dublin, Boston, and around the world. I am excited to work with him.”

Eoin Welsh added: “It’s great to join the team here at Connelly Partners. The ad industry in Ireland is buzzing and energised and the chance to become part of it proved irresistible. Connelly Partners’ “Defiantly Human” ethos was also a major drawcard. Regardless of all the latest industry developments, we should never lose sight of the fact that we are people talking to people. People feel – that’s what defines us. So, we use everything at our disposal to help us master the art of making people think and feel.”

Eoin’s announcement reinforces the agency’s integration between global offices. As part of this work, Vaunnie McDermott has taken on the role of Managing Director in Dublin, while Mary McMahon and Ronan Doyle have taken on roles for the Connelly Partners global network as Group Strategy Director and Global Art Director, respectively.

Eilish Devine, Practice Leader – Executive Search,
Principal Connections

Principal Connections — executive search, part of Agilium Worldwide LLC, has announced the appointment of Eilish Devine as Practice Leader – Executive Search.

Having initiated her career in the human capital management industry in 2006, Ms. Devine will focus her time on Board, CEO and Senior Executive appointments, partnering with private and public companies as well as government bodies and not-for-profit entities to support their strategic objectives.

Prior to joining Principal Connections – executive search, Ms. Devine was a Partner with a market leading executive search firm based in Australia where she worked for close to 10 years. On returning to Ireland, Ms. Devine spent a number of years leading the delivery of senior executive and leadership appointments on behalf of an international recruitment firm. During her earlier career, Ms. Devine held a number of HR positions across education, government/public-sector and mining.

Ms. Devine has a particular interest in increasing the general diversity and specifically gender balance at decision-making levels in organisations. She is a graduate of University College Dublin.

Commenting on the appointment, Pat O’Donnell, Managing Partner said: “Eilish is an excellent addition to our team, bringing extensive experience of advising clients across a range of sectors from technology and financial services through to consumer goods, professional services, manufacturing and government. We look forward to the contributions she will make to our clients and our firm.”

Commenting on the appointment, Eilish Devine said: “I’m delighted to take up this position at Principal Connections – executive search. I‘ve long admired Principal Connections’ as a firm and its reputation as one of Ireland’s top executive search houses with global reach, as part of the Agilium Worldwide family. I’m looking forward to bringing further firepower to the team and to advising clients across multiple sectors on C-suite and leadership talent.”

Riko Scandelius, Advisory Board Member,
MedoSync

Irish MedTech start-up MedoSync has announced the appointment of former Bupa UK Insurance director Riko Scandelius to its advisory board. MedoSync provides a secure platform that integrates hospital and insurer systems enabling accurate, efficient and real-time medical billing. Since its launch in 2021, its proven solution has been used to submit more than 100,000 claims, valued at over €20 million.

Mr Scandelius brings a wealth of experience of medical insurance and healthcare payments as Bupa UK Insurance’s former Director of Operations, Director of Healthcare Payments and Head of Benefits Management. He has also served as Non-Executive Director of Healthcode Ltd, and as Board Member and Chair of CCSD (Clinical Coding and Schedule Development Group, which sets industry standard codes for medical billing for the UK independent health market). He holds an MSc in Chemical Engineering and an MBA from Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University.

Welcoming the appointment, MedoSync CEO Dr. Martin Rochford said:“As MedoSync continues to accelerate our growth, the depth of insurance insights Riko will bring to our advisory board will prove invaluable. MedoSync aims to provide a solution that benefits both providers and payers, and through his insights and expertise of transforming the digital function of claims, Riko will assist us in further developing our solutions to address the issues that matter to insurers, here in Ireland and abroad.”

Commenting on the appointment, Riko Scandelius said: ”I’m really pleased to be joining MedoSync’s advisory board as the company continues to scale its solution to address what is a real pain point for many providers, payers and the public. The depth of the talent here and the elegance of their solution means that there is a real opportunity for rapid and sustainable growth for MedoSync – I’m excited to be part of this journey.”