By Business & Finance 
Pictured: Samantha McConnell, Independent Director of Aon plc.
This week, there were new and notable appointments at Aon plc, BT Ireland, Fuzion Communications, Ipsen Ireland and Matheson.
Samantha McConnell, Independent Director,
Aon plc
Aon plc, a global professional services firm, announced that Samantha McConnell had been appointed as an Independent Director to the Aon Ireland MasterTrust DAC Board.
With 25 years experience in the investment industry in Ireland, as well as over 14 years experience as Chief Information Officer for a MiFID regulated entity, McConnell’s appointment will enhance the work of the Board in offering governance and operational oversight of the Aon Ireland Master Trust, a professionally managed, multi-employer trust-based pension scheme, which harnesses Aon’s expertise in Defined Contribution schemes within Ireland and around the world.
As the Irish pension and retirement landscape evolves, many employers and trustees are today choosing to transition from their ‘own trust’ scheme to a Master Trust. A Master Trust can help employers better manage their scheme performance and governance while supporting them in fulfilling rapidly emerging monitoring and reporting requirements.
McConnell’s appointment to the MasterTrust DAC will add to Aon’s expertise and decision-making in the pension and investment sector, helping to ensure that the Aon Master Trust continues to be best positioned to unlock value and capital for clients. McConnell joins existing Board members Rachael Ingle, Head of Wealth EMEA, John Cremin, Aon senior consultant and Eamon Brady, an independent trustee on the Board.
Rachael Ingle, Head of Aon Ireland and Head of Wealth, EMEA and fellow member of the Trustee Board, said: I’m very pleased to welcome Samantha McConnell as a fellow member of The Aon Master Trustee DAC Board. This is a critical time in the transformation of Irish pension provision, with regulatory change, demographic shifts and an uncertain economic outlook creating an increasingly complex retirement and investment landscape.”
Paul Byrne, Business Sales Director,
BT Ireland
BT Ireland, one of Ireland’s communications services providers, has announced the appointment of Paul Byrne as its new Business Sales Director. In his new role, Byrne will lead a team of sales, marketing and contract management professionals.
Paul Byrne has experience in the international communications and technology industry, having worked in the sector for close to 30 years serving as a Sales & Marketing Director and Operations Director for industry leaders. Byrne joined BT Ireland in 2013 and previously served as Head of Wholesale and Partner Channel.
Commenting on his appointment, Paul Byrne said: “As one of the world’s leading and most trusted global communications services providers, with a very strong local Irish presence with over 650 employees here, I look forward to continuing on our mission to support and enable Irish and global customers to securely and confidently navigate their digital and cloud transformation journeys. I will continue to build on our trusted partnerships and focus on what matters most to clients, whether it’s strengthening global networks and security, innovating with technology, or designing, developing and managing digital solutions.”
Emily Scott, Senior Graphic Designer,
Fuzion Communications
Pictured: Emily Scott, Senior Graphic Designer of Fuzion Communications.
Fuzion Communications announced Emily Scott’s appointment to the Senior Graphic Designer role at the award-winning communications and creative agency.
Scott joins the creative team at Fuzion and, in doing so, brings a wealth of experience in visual communications. A native of Minneapolis in the US, Scott has gained agency and in-house experience working on various projects with SMEs to large US brands, including retail giant Target, where she held the position of Art Director within Target Creative, Target’s in-house creative agency.
Commenting on her appointment, Ms Scott said: “I am delighted to join the Fuzion design team who have a long track record of delivering successful creative design solutions for clients. I am very much looking forward to working with my new colleagues, bringing my own experience to the team and adding to this success for our clients.”
Liza O’Brien, Deputy HR VP, Technical Operations,
Ipsen Ireland
Global biopharmaceutical company Ipsen announced the promotion of the current HR Director for Ipsen Ireland, Liza O’Brien, to the position of Deputy HR VP, Technical Operations across the global business. This appointment follows O’Brien’s six-year term with Ipsen, a speciality-driven company which delivers innovative medical treatments for patients with life-limiting and underserved medical conditions.
In her new role, O’Brien will be a strategic HR partner to the Technical Operations division in Ipsen, supporting the development and implementation of a divisional HR strategy. She will also be responsible for divisional HR projects.
During her time with the company, Ipsen Ireland has been awarded the SME Pharma Company of the Year for four consecutive years. It is a testament to the work, culture and shared commitment of Ipsen’s Blanchardstown-based team to innovate for a better quality of life across its key therapeutic areas.
Tim Shanahan, VP of Manufacturing and General Manager of Ipsen Ireland, commented: “I am delighted to announce Liza as our new Deputy HR VP, Technical Operations and am confident that she will continue to drive the growth and success of our HR function to help our employees thrive. She has achieved a lot since she joined Ipsen Ireland and has been integral to the introduction of some pivotal policies at our Dublin site – policies which have created a more sustainable, diverse, and people-focused culture. We look forward to Liza applying her expertise from the Irish market to our wider network to support the continued improvement of our international human resource function.”
Inari Friedmann, Innovation & Legal Technology Graduate,
Matheson
Pictured from left to right: Inari Friedmann, Innovation and Legal Technology Graduate, Jennifer Ryan, Senior Graduate Talent and Development Manager, and Kyle Gribben, Head of Digital Services, Matheson.
Matheson, one of Ireland’s law firms, has appointed Inari Friedmann as Ireland’s first ever dedicated Innovation and Legal Technology graduate employee following the conclusion of a nationwide graduate recruitment process.
Kyle Gribben, Head of Matheson’s Digital Services Group, said: “The Matheson Innovation and Legal Technology Graduate Scheme for 2022 is the first of its kind in Ireland. As a firm, we are strongly committed to the use of legal technology and innovative ways of working for the benefit of our clients. Given the growth of our Digital Services Group it made sense to start training legal technologists in-house, so we were delighted to have received such a large number of high-quality applications. The quality of candidate was exemplary and we are delighted to have appointed Inari.”
The newly-created role was advertised on Matheson’s website and social media platforms, as well as at Matheson’s virtual “Future of Law” event for graduates, where details of the programme were shared. Having received over 120 applications from recent graduates of universities in Ireland and abroad from a diverse range of disciplines, including technology, software engineering and business, Matheson’s recruitment team managed a process involving video submissions and initial interviews before creating a shortlist of 8 finalists.
