By Business & Finance 
Pictured (from l-r): James Burrows, Tax Partner; Niall May, Managing Partner and Paddy Stapleton, Head of Tax, RSM Ireland
This week sees new and notable appointments at RSM Ireland, CLOWD9, Transpoco, Laya Healthcare, IPS, Respond and CNH.
James Burrows, Tax Partner,
RSM Ireland
RSM Ireland has appointed James Burrows as Tax Partner, further strengthening its tax advisory team as the firm continues to grow.
James brings extensive expertise in tax planning and structuring for foreign direct investment, as well as leveraging technology solutions to enhance corporate tax compliance processes. He has worked in practice and industry and his experience spans advising national and multinational clients across the life sciences, technology, and retail sectors. He joins RSM Ireland from EY, where he was focussed on advising national and multinational groups on Irish and international tax matters, and previously spent two and a half years in New York leading EY’s Irish Tax Desk.
Paddy Stapleton, Head of Tax, RSM Ireland said:”James is a prominent tax professional and joins RSM Ireland at an exciting time for the firm. His international tax expertise and deep understanding of multinational business needs will be invaluable as we continue to support our clients through an evolving tax and regulatory landscape. James’ appointment reinforces our commitment to providing best-in-class tax advisory services, helping middle market businesses grow.”
James Burrows, Tax Partner, RSM Ireland said: “With an expanding team and a strong global network, RSM is uniquely positioned to support businesses navigating an increasingly complex tax environment. I look forward to working with my new colleagues and clients to drive innovative tax solutions and deliver exceptional service.”
Patrick Butler, Head of Risk and Governance,
CLOWD9
CLOWD9 has announced the appointment of Patrick Butler as its new Head of Risk and Governance.
Patrick Butler brings over two decades of expertise in banking operations, risk and culture management within regulated industries. He has held senior roles at HSBC, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and Barclays in customer facing, operations and compliance roles. As the founder of Calitor; a consultancy focused on aligning purpose-driven strategy with regulatory environment, Butler has advised global institutions such as Barclays, NatWest, Natixis and Total Energies to implement cutting edge strategy frameworks that create lasting value from innovative risk management, while pioneering data-driven approaches to enhance operational resilience and ethical decision-making.
In his new role, Patrick Butler will lead CLOWD9’s risk strategy, governance framework and sustainability initiatives, ensuring alignment with the company’s B Corp values of transparency, accountability, and environmental stewardship.
Suresh Vaghjiani, CEO of CLOWD9, remarked: “Patrick’s deep expertise in risk management and ethical governance is pivotal as we scale our platform globally. As an issuer processor, we operate at the highest levels of data security and resilience providing financial technology to regulated entities and it is paramount that we manage risk and governance as if we too are regulated. CLOWD9 will continue to set industry benchmarks for technology and social responsibility.”
Patrick Butler added: “Joining CLOWD9 at this transformative stage is a tremendous opportunity. The company’s global cloud-native model not only disrupts legacy systems but does so with a commitment to environmental and social impact. I look forward to bringing a similarly innovative approach to risk and operational management that supports our clients’ own success while upholding the highest standards of governance, embedding sustainability in the business model and driving lasting value creation.”
Olwyn McWeeney, Director of Medical Services,
Laya Healthcare
Laya Healthcare is part of AXA Group, Europe’s No.1 health insurer and a global leader in healthcare.
Jack Manning, Chief Executive Officer,
Transpoco
Transpoco has announced the appointment of Jack Manning as its new Chief Executive Officer.
Manning brings a wealth of experience in the fleet sector, most recently serving as CEO of AI fleet safety solutions provider, Safely.
Manning succeeds Andrew Fleury, who co-founded Transpoco 20 years ago. During his tenure, Fleury also oversaw several significant innovation milestones for the company. This included the successful spin-out of Safely, but also Luna Systems, a leading provider of AI-Powered Advanced Rider Assistance Systems (ARAS) for powered two-wheelers and bicycles. Fleury now moves full-time to Luna to fulfill its mission of reducing fatalities across consumer vehicles.
“From its startup beginnings as a university project over 20 years ago, Transpoco has grown into a global company,” commented Fleury. “Alongside my co-founders, Barry Cronin and John Harrington, we are extremely proud of the team we have built and are excited to see its continued evolution with Jack at the helm. Jack is now the ideal leader to take the company to its next stage of growth and advancement—evident from his work with Safely, which has delivered truly transformative innovation to the driver safety market,” he concluded.
“Andrew’s leadership and vision were instrumental to Transpoco’s success and to solidifying its leading position in the industry,” said Barry Cronin, Co-founder of Transpoco. “We are deeply grateful for his leadership and wish him every success at Luna Systems. We are thrilled to welcome Jack to Transpoco. His deep expertise and passion for fleet safety, coupled with Safely’s technology, make him the perfect leader to push the company into its next stage of growth and innovation,” Cronin added.
“I am excited to be joining Transpoco at such a pivotal time and look forward to getting to work for our customers,” added Manning. “Andrew has built a strong, trusted brand with a proven track record of delivering for customers, and I look forward to carrying on this legacy. We also see a major opportunity to really raise the bar on innovation in the telematics space, and this will be a central part of my mission to provide even more value to our customers. To achieve this, we have expanded our team to include a new head of product advancements, who will focus on delivering AI technology-enabled solutions, as well as a new product lead, who will advance our technical expertise in these areas. We are also increasing our development team to speed up the delivery of these solutions.”
Karl Page, Senior Director of Ireland,
IPS
IPS-Integrated Project Services, has announced the appointment of Karl Page as Senior Director of Ireland.
With over 20 years of leadership experience in the technology and life sciences sectors, Karl Page has successfully led complex EPCM projects across EMEA. His expertise in project execution, operational excellence, and strategic growth positions him to lead IPS’ expansion in Ireland and drive further momentum across the region.
“Karl’s appointment marks a pivotal moment for IPS as we scale our operations in response to increasing demand,” said Peter Higgins, EMEA Managing Director at IPS. “Ireland is at the heart of the global pharmaceutical supply chain, and we are committed to delivering world-class solutions that enable our clients to bring life-changing therapies to market.”
Karl Page shared said: “IPS has built a strong reputation for delivering complex, high-value projects for the world’s leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies. As Ireland continues to attract major investments in manufacturing, IPS is uniquely positioned to support this demand. I look forward to working with our exceptional teams in Cork and Dublin to strengthen our client partnerships and advance our impact across the region.”
Aoife Watters, Chief Executive Officer,
Respond
Respond has announced the appointment of Aoife Watters as its new Chief Executive Officer. Ms Watters, who will officially take up the role in April 2025, is set to become the organisation’s third CEO and the first female CEO in its 40 plus-year history. The Board has taken care to ensure a smooth and orderly transition, working with the current CEO and the Executive Management Team.
Currently serving as CEO of Dublin Cemeteries Trust, Ms Watters brings a wealth of experience from both the commercial and charity sectors. She has served as a Board Director and Chair with another Approved Housing Body, also chairing its Finance and Audit Board Subcommittee and she was Director of Finance and Corporate Services for a large cross-border housing and homelessness charity.
Aoife Watters has built a distinguished career, leading transformative change and driving organisational effectiveness in both the commercial and charity sectors with expertise in governance, strategic leadership, and financial stewardship. She has demonstrated a strong commitment to diversity, achieving gender balance on boards and driving initiatives that support inclusive and high-performing teams. Aoife is poised to continue Respond’s legacy of growth and impact.
Speaking about her appointment, Aoife Watters said:
“I am honoured to join Respond and to have the opportunity to lead this exceptional organisation. Respond’s values and guiding principles are very much aligned with my own. I have long admired Respond’s reputation for delivering high quality homes and embedding them in communities where people can build their lives. Its strong track record of growth, innovation and supporting communities has had a lasting impact around Ireland. Building on this foundation, and the important and wide reaching transformational work of my predecessor Declan Dunne, I am looking forward to working with the Board, team, and stakeholders to ensure a smooth leadership transition, driving the organisation’s next chapter of growth. Together, we will continue Respond’s vital work, delivering homes, supporting communities and making a meaningful difference in people’s lives.”
Outgoing CEO, Declan Dunne, shared his thoughts on the transition:
“It has been a privilege to serve as CEO of Respond for the past nine years. Working together with the skilled and expert teams, we have achieved so much, growing the organisation to support over 18,000 tenants and delivering high quality homes and services across the country. I am delighted to welcome Aoife Watters as my successor. I am confident that her leadership and drive will guide Respond to even greater success, ensuring the organisation continues to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those we serve.”
Respond Chair, Noel Kelly, welcomed the appointment, saying:
“We are delighted to welcome Aoife as CEO. Her leadership and vision will help Respond continue to do what we do best, deliver homes and services to those who need them most. As we transition to this new phase of leadership, we are confident that Aoife’s expertise and experience will ensure both continuity and new opportunities for growth. On behalf of the board, I would also like to extend our heartfelt thanks to outgoing CEO Declan Dunne, whose leadership has transformed Respond over the past nine years.”
Cameron Batten, Chief Communications Officer,
CNH
CNH has announced the appointment of Cameron Batten as Chief Communications Officer effective March 31, 2025. Mr. Batten will join the Company’s Global Leadership Team (GLT), which is empowered to carry out the fast and effective delivery of CNH’s strategic priorities for profitable long-term growth.
Cameron Batten has over 25 years of experience in communications across media and institutional/government relations, brand marketing, corporate reputation, employee engagement and social impact with top-tier consumer brands. Ahead of joining CNH, he served as Chief Communications Officer at Volkswagen Group of America. His past roles include Vice President of Brand Communications at Samsung Electronics America; Vice President of Card Communications at Capital One; Global Head of Workforce Communications at Johnson & Johnson; and Vice President of Communications at American Express.
“We have entered a new strategic chapter at CNH and that calls for a visionary storyteller who can harness the rich technology landscape to powerfully tell our story. In Cameron, CNH gains a wealth of expertise in communications and stakeholder engagement that will help us articulate our path, progress, and the positive impact we make everywhere, every day through our iconic brands,” said Gerrit Marx, Chief Executive Officer at CNH.
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