By Business & Finance 
Pictured (L-R): Appointees at RSM Ireland – Seán McCarthy, Tax Director, Liam Kenny, Tax Partner, Alison Hodgson, Consulting Partner, Niall May, Managing Partner, Ronan Gilmartin, Audit Partner, Simon Rattigan, Consulting Director, Sunil Adhikary, Audit Director. Photographer: Jason Clarke Photography
This week sees new and notable appointments at RSM Ireland, Schneider Electric Ireland, and Social Finance Foundation
Gilmartin, Ronan, Audit Partner,
Adhikary, Sunil, Audit Director,
Hodgson, Alison, Consulting Partner,
Rattigan, Simon, Director,
Kenny, Liam, Tax Partner,
McCarthy, Seán, Tax Director,
RSM Ireland
RSM Ireland has announced the appointment of three partners and three directors.
Ronan Gilmartin joins as an audit partner and will play a lead role in developing the firm’s services to its technology and media clients. Prior to joining RSM, Gilmartin worked at KPMG for over 15 years in providing audit and related assurance services to domestic, international, and publicly listed companies. Sunil Adhikary joins as an audit director from Deloitte and has with 15 years of experience providing audit and advisory services to publicly listed companies, multinationals, and SMEs in Ireland, Asia, and Australia.
Consulting partner Alison Hodgson has over 20 years’ experience in delivering significant HR transformation and change programmes across a wide range of industries. In her new role, Hodgson will lead the delivery of these solutions to RSM’s growing consulting practice. In addition, director Simon Rattigan joins the consulting practice from EY and has over 15 years’ experience and provides specialist forensic services including accounting support for commercial claims and disputes, and investigation into financial issues, fraudulent accounting and misconduct.
Liam Kenny joins RSM as a tax partner from Grant Thornton where he spent nearly 20 years working with high-growth domestic businesses, family offices, and private equity-backed enterprises. He advises on M&A transactions, succession planning, share reorganisations, and personal and corporate tax for Irish businesses and their owners. Kenny also has extensive experience in market-leading trade and private equity sales. Seán McCarthy rejoins the firm from PWC as a tax director and has over 12 years’ experience of providing corporate tax advisory services to a wide range of domestic and international clients. McCarthy’s primary practice area is the provision of corporate tax advisory services for FDI businesses across a broad range of industries, particularly technology and life science companies.
These latest appointments highlight RSM’s commitment to delivering premium tax, audit, and consulting services across a wide range of industries. By providing comprehensive and insightful advice, RSM continues to empower clients to navigate their challenges and achieve sustainable growth.
These appointments follow the strategic investment made by RSM UK in RSM Ireland in November 2023 and the recent announcement of the proposed merger between RSM US and RSM UK. The proposed transatlantic merger would establish the first partner-owned multinational organisation spanning locations across the UK, the US, Canada, Ireland, India and El Salvador, supported by 23,000 professionals, with combined annual revenues of $5 billion (USD).
Commenting on the appointments, Niall May, managing partner at RSM Ireland said: “I am delighted to welcome Ronan, Alison, Liam, Seán, Simon and Sunil to the team. Their extensive experience, expertise, and knowledge will play a key role in supporting our clients to grow in an ever-evolving business landscape. I look forward to working with our new partners and directors, as we continue to grow and expand our business whilst driving competition in the professional services sector.”
Alison Hodgson, consulting partner for transformation, HR, and change said: “I am delighted to join RSM during such an exciting period of growth for the company. This is a pivotal moment for the firm, and I look forward to contributing to its continued success.”
Ronan Gilmartin, audit partner, commented: “RSM is the adviser of choice for the middle market, both locally and globally. I’m excited to join the leadership team and contribute to driving continued growth.”
Liam Kenny, tax partner, added: “RSM Ireland has an extensive network through the RSM global network. I am excited to join the tax team and build on the success they’ve achieved over the years. Together, we will continue to grow our tax practice, supporting clients on all domestic and international tax matters, and assisting companies in establishing their presence in Ireland.”
Monot, Manon, Country CFO,
Schneider Electric Ireland
Schneider Electric has appointed Manon Monot as Country CFO for Ireland. Monot will be responsible for driving the company’s financial performance and strategic direction, while working in close collaboration with management and operations to maintain growth and innovation in the Irish market.
Schneider Electric Ireland helps organisations to develop and execute sustainable strategies to reduce energy waste and lower CO2 emissions through a combination of electrical systems, digital technologies and specialist consultancy. Since 2018, Schneider Electric has helped customers to avoid 553 million tonnes of CO2 globally. In Ireland, the company is active in driving energy efficiencies and the transition to renewable energy across key industry segments, including data centres, life sciences, pharmaceuticals and manufacturing.
As an experienced senior executive with more than a decade’s experience in corporate finance, Monot previously held the position of Corporate Strategic Intelligence Director at Schneider Electric, where she was responsible for benchmarking the company’s performance against key competitors across a diverse spectrum of financial metrics. Monot will combine financial acumen with her strategic knowledge of the industry to help Schneider Electric Ireland successfully navigate market opportunities, manage compliance and achieve growth targets as it maintains its upward trajectory.
Commenting on the role, Manon Monot, said: “The role of Country CFO is about more than just finance. It’s about partnering with our operations teams to understand their requirements and helping them to succeed in this dynamic market. I will also be working closely with the c-suite to ensure that we have the financial strength to match our strategic vision to grow the Irish business and take full advantage of the unique opportunities and challenges that Ireland presents.”
“Manon brings a wealth of financial expertise to the role of country CFO, but she also has in-depth knowledge of the workings of our global business after holding a corporate strategic role within Schneider Electric,” said Chris Collins, Country President Ireland. “This combination will prove invaluable as we look to bolster our position in Ireland as more organisations adopt energy efficiencies and ramp up their investment in renewables. Manon will be hands-on and play a key role in aligning our financial strategy and investment decisions to suit the dynamics of the Irish market.”
Broderick, Karen; Dooley, Siobhán; Mannaing, Eithne, Directors,
Social Finance Foundation
The board of the Irish social finance organisation, Social Finance Foundation, has appointed three new directors: Karen Broderick, Siobhán Dooley and Eithne Manning.
Established at the initiative of the Irish Government in 2007, Social Finance Foundation sources finance to fund social lending organisations who, in turn, provide social finance directly to community and voluntary organisations including social enterprises who may have difficultly accessing finance from mainstream financial providers. Social Finance Foundation has to date facilitated over €225m in loan finance to be provided to over 2,000 community and voluntary groups and social enterprises across Ireland. In 2023 it lent €25.5 million to 253 community groups across all 26 counties in Ireland.
Commenting on the appointments, Chairperson of the Board Michael McLoughlin said: “We are delighted to welcome Karen Broderick, Siobhán Dooley, and Eithne Manning to the board of Social Finance Foundation. Each of these individuals brings a wealth of experience and expertise that will be invaluable as we continue to support community and voluntary organizations across Ireland.”
He added: “Their diverse backgrounds in financial services, banking, and corporate governance will strengthen our ability to provide social finance to those who need it most. We look forward to their contributions and are confident that their leadership will help us achieve our mission of facilitating social development through finance and financial expertise.”
Karen Broderick is an ACCA Accountant with 19 years’ experience in the financial services and banking industry. Broderick currently works as Senior Programme Lead in PTSB and is accountable for successful delivery of a number of Regulatory and Compliance programmes. Prior to her role in PTSB, Broderick spent 18 years in KBC Bank Ireland Plc and, during that time, she held a number of senior leadership roles across a wide range of areas including Retail, Business Banking, Risk and Credit. Most recently she held roles of Head of Credit Risk & Credit Quality Assurance and Head of Current Account Off Boarding as part of KBC’s exit from the Irish market. In addition to a B.Comm from NUIG, Broderick holds a Professional Diploma in Advanced Banking Risk Management and a Qualified Financial Advisor Designation.
Siobhán Dooley is the Group Chief Financial Officer for FRS, a farmer owned co-operative organisation established in 1980. Through growth and diversification the group now comprises co-ops and companies that provide a range of services to the public and private sectors. Dooley has over thirty-five years’ experience having trained and worked as an accountant with Irish Life, followed by roles in the pharmaceutical and public sectors before joining FRS as Financial Controller in 2004. She has experience of significant growth, transformation and change in her career. She is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and holds a MSc in Business (Leadership and Management Practice) from UCD Smurfit Business School.
Eithne Manning is a qualified finance and tax professional with over 30 years of experience working in the aircraft leasing, structured finance and banking sectors. She currently works as a Non-Executive Director. She has extensive experience on both the commercial and liability management sides of the business having held a variety of roles including, interim Chief Financial Officer, Head of Integration Management Office for a $6.7bn acquisition, Head of Funding, Finance and Tax, and Senior Vice President of Aircraft Trading at SMBC Aviation Capital. Prior to joining SMBC Aviation Capital, Manning held a variety of roles in structured finance and corporate banking. Manning holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) and a Masters in Accounting (Hons), both from University College Dublin and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland and the Irish Tax Institute. She has completed the Higher Diploma in Corporate Governance at UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School.
