Appointments

New and notable appointments at STW, Slalom, Esri, Quilter Cheviot, Ecclesiastical Insurance, CleverCards and Paragon

By Business & Finance
20 April 2023
Pictured (L–R): Ronan Phelan, Managing Director and Michael Tallon, Execeutive Chairman, Scott Tallon Walker

There were new and notable appointments this week at Scott Talon Walker, Slalom Ireland, Esri Ireland, Quilter Cheviot Europe, Ecclesiastical Insurance, CleverCards and Paragon.


Michael Tallon, Executive Chairman and Ronan Phelan, Managing Director,
Scott Tallon Walker

Scott Tallon Walker Architects (STW) has announced the appointment of Michael Tallon as Executive Chairman of its Board of Directors. Tallon will be succeeded as Managing Director by Ronan Phelan.

Tallon, who has served as Managing Director since 1989, will continue to provide oversight and stewardship of the business in his role as Executive Chairman.

Phelan, who joined STW in 1997 and is on the board of Directors since 2008, brings a wealth of experience to the role of Managing Director. He will focus on delivering innovation and sustainable design solutions across all sectors within the Scott Tallon Walker business.

Michael Tallon commented: “I am delighted to take on the role of Executive Chairman and to continue to work with an exceptional team to drive innovation, growth and excellence in architecture, design and urban planning. Together with Ronan and the wider team, our commitment is to deliver exceptional outcomes for our clients and partners.”

“I am delighted that Ronan is succeeding me as Managing Director. He brings a wealth of experience, and his appointment reflects our ambition to continue to grow our position as a progressive  design leader across multiple sectors.”

Ronan Phelan said, “It is a privilege to take on this role and I look forward to working alongside all of our talented teams, building on our tradition of delivering sustainable and innovative design solutions that meet the evolving needs of our clients.”

“On behalf of the Directors and entire Scott Tallon Walker team, I would like to pay tribute to Michael’s exceptional leadership of the practice over the last 33 years and look forward to continuing the growth and development of our business with his guidance in the years ahead.”


Jane Dawson-Howe, Country Leader,
Slalom Ireland

Slalom, a global business and technology consulting company recently announced the appointment of Jane Dawson-Howe as Country Leader of Slalom Ireland.

Dawson-Howe will oversee the launch and growth of Slalom’s new Dublin team and office while building relationships with clients across Ireland and Europe.

With more than 30 years’ experience working both within and outside consulting, Dawson-Howe has the modern leadership skills needed to lead large teams of sales and consulting professional across multiple markets. Her expertise can be used to build deep client relationships and implement new go-to-market solutions.

Originally launched in Seattle in 2001, Slalom has since grown organically to 44 markets and now eight countries, with Ireland its latest target for international expansion.

“I am honoured and delighted to have been appointed as Country Leader for Slalom Ireland,” said Dawson-Howe. “As a proud Irishwoman, I am passionate about investing in people, in our community and in our clients’ success, both in our local market and beyond.”

Commenting on Jane Dawson-Howe’s appointment, Dave Williams, President, Slalom UK & Ireland said:

“Slalom Ireland has a brilliant and considerate leader in Jane, and we can’t wait to see how she brings her consultancy and people skills to the business — she matches Slalom’s purpose-focus and people-first culture to a tee.”


Michael Byrne, Head of Customer Engagment,
Esri Ireland

Esri Ireland, a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) company, recently announced the appointment of Michael Byrne as Head of Customer Engagement. He brings 30 years of experience in technology and customer-focused roles to the position.

In his new role, Byrne will be responsible for the continuous development of Esri Ireland’s customer engagement principles and practices to deliver a consistent experience for customers. He will shape and evolve the company’s customer engagement strategy, collaborating with teams across all areas of the business to design, implement, reinforce and review best practices to continue to drive value.

Byrne joined Esri Ireland as Head of Professional Services in 2002 and from here, held a number of senior customer-centric roles within the business. He most recently held the position of Market Engagement Manager where he was responsible for the management of a number of key accounts. During this time, he also drove sector-wide engagement and national initiatives with a primary focus on the Republic of Ireland.

Prior to joining Esri Ireland, Byrne was Head of Content and Mapping at Mapflow, where he ran the data collection and data quality unit for mapping and address-based products. He was also previously GIS and Database Manager at An Post, leading the data collection teams and supporting the sales and marketing effort for GeoDirectory, Ireland’s national address database.

Byrne holds a bachelor’s degree in Geology from Trinity College Dublin, a higher diploma in Psychology and a professional diploma in Executive Coaching.

Speaking on his appointment, Michael Byrne said:

“I am delighted to be appointed as Head of Customer Engagement at Esri Ireland. Throughout my time with the company, I have been responsible for developing and leading strategic plans with customers and ensuring our internal operations align with that customer focus.”


Andrew Fahy, CEO,
Quilter Cheviot Europe

Quilter Cheviot Europe (QCE), the Irish subsidiary of discretionary wealth manager Quilter Cheviot, has announced Andrew Fahy as Chief Executive Officer of the business.

Fahy joined the business as Head of Financial Planning in Ireland at the beginning of 2022 to help establish QCE’s financial planning capability. He had previously worked at Brewin Dolphin Ireland where he was head of tax & financial planning. Prior to that, he held a similar position at Investec Wealth & Investment.

As part of QCE’s growth strategy, the firm is evolving its proposition to reflect the growing demand from clients who are increasingly looking for an integrated wealth management offering.

Fahy takes over the role from Brian Weber who left the business at the end of last year.

Andrew McGlone, Chief Executive, Quilter Cheviot said:

“I am pleased to announce Andrew’s appointment to Chief Executive Officer in Ireland. We see being able to offer an integrated wealth management offering (comprising of both investment management and financial planning) to our European clients as a key enabler to QCE’s growth strategy in the years to come and given Andrew’s prior experience, we believe he is the right person to drive this forward.”

“I would like to thank Brian for all that he has done for the business, and we wish him the very best for the future.”

Andrew Fahy, Chief Executive Officer, Quilter Cheviot Europe, added:

“I am delighted to have been asked to take responsibility for QCE. Over the past year, I have helped to broaden the company’s wealth management capabilities, and in my new role I look forward to pursuing this further and helping to grow the business while ensuring that we continue to provide top-class discretionary investment management and strong support for the external intermediary market.”


Graham Hohn; Brian Moran; Donna Rave; Dylan Barry; Lisa Killeen; Ciarán Daly and Audrey Hannon, Various
Ecclesiastical Insurance

Ecclesiastical Insurance has continued expansion of its team in Ireland with a number of new appointments. Over the recent months, the insurer appointed a number of key people within Underwriting, Claims, Risk Management and Business Development teams, all designed to deliver on its service promise and to position the company for the future.

Ecclesiastical Insurance is a specialist insurer of the faith, heritage, fine art, charities, education and private client sectors. Owned by a registered charity, the company gives back all its available profits to charity.

Graham Hohn (CIP CII) is taking up the role of Strategic Account Manager.

Hohn will help shape the delivery of the firm’s value proposition to brokers as well as leading the development of the Charity and Education sectors. He previously worked for LHK as Operations Director.

Prior to that, he led the successful growth of Lewis Hohn Williams. Hohn has worked in a number of broker-facing roles in RSA and brings a wealth of experience to the business.


Brian Moran (ACII) has been appointed to the new role of Technical Underwriter (Property).

Moran is an ACII Chartered Insurer and has over 30 years’ experience in underwriting commercial property and casualty risks.

Before joining the team at Ecclesiastical, he was a Business Underwriter at Zurich Insurance with a particular focus on complex property risks.


Donna Rave (CIP CDIP LA) has been appointed to the position of Technical Claim Specialist.

Within the Claim department, Rave has a varied role dealing with Casualty and Property claims as well as being a client relationship manager.

Prior to joining Ecclesiastical, Rave worked for FBD Insurance, Aviva and Irish Public Bodies.


Dylan Barry (ACII) is taking up the role of Underwriter. Barry is an experienced Underwriter and joins Ecclesiastical Insurance from Murphy Sheehy Insurances where he worked as a Commercial Broker.

Prior to that, he worked for over five years as an Underwriter in the commercial combined area of Aviva.


Lisa Killeen (CIP) has been appointed to the role of Senior Underwriter.

In her new role, Killeen will be responsible for handling complex existing business renewals and alterations across all niches.

She has twenty years’ underwriting experience, including fourteen years at Allianz where she was previously Senior Underwriter within their Religious & Education team.


Ciarán Daly (CDipLA, HDipSHWW, DipConTech) joins the company as Risk Management Surveyor.

In his new role, Daly is responsible for completing material damage and casualty surveys and property valuations for customers of Ecclesiastical Insurance in Ireland. He has over twelve years’ experience in risk management roles and previously worked for Zurich and Aviva.


Audrey Hannon (ACII) has been appointed to the new role of Change Manager.

Hannon previously worked at Allianz Insurance. She brings a wealth of experience in change management and transformation, as well as operational management and underwriting.


David Lane, Managing Director, Ecclesiastical Insurance Ireland commented on the new appointments:

“Through investing in and hiring the best people in the industry we’ve established ourselves as a leading specialist insurer. We pride ourselves on the extensive knowledge and experience we bring to the market, while also being able to make a positive impact on society by giving back all available profits to churches, charities and other good causes.”

“We are delighted to welcome Donna, Dylan, Lisa, Brian, Ciarán, Graham and Audrey to our team as we continue to strengthen our business forward. 2023 is going to be a very exciting time for us at Ecclesiastical and we are committed delivering the best service to our customers and brokers.”


Gaurav Khurana, Senior Vice President of Marketing,
Clever Cards

CleverCards, the global payments platform provider, has announced the appointment of Gaurav Khurana as the company’s Senior Vice President of Marketing. Khurana joins CleverCards at a period of growth and market expansion across Europe. The firm has hopes his appointment will accelerate the launch of the business into new regions.

Prior to joining CleverCards, Khurana served as EMEA Head of Commerce Payment Partnerships at Meta, where he was responsible for spearheading Strategic Payments Partnerships to drive the development and growth of commerce on the Tech Giant’s platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp and Messenger.

Khurana is a seasoned payments and technology industry veteran with over twenty three years of experience. He has worked as a CMO for one of the divisions of American Express along with working in other leadership roles in large finance and payments corporations including American Express and PayU. He will be responsible for driving demand and customer growth for the existing business as well as leading CleverCards’ expansion into new products and customer segments.

Speaking on the appointment, Kealan Lennon, CEO and Founder, CleverCards stated:

“At CleverCards, we have high standards for both organisational performance and strategic effect. Gaurav will play an important role in helping us accomplish our company vision of becoming the platform for any business wishing to improve their payment processes and making it possible for businesses to pay anyone, anywhere, anytime, instantly, by simply emailing configurable digital Mastercards to their employees.”

“This is a time of hyper-growth for the company, and we welcome Gaurav’s insight and experience to help us get to our ambition of having a CleverCard in every mobile phone in Europe.”

Speaking about his appointment, Gaurav Khurana said:

“I immediately recognised the clarity and the sharpness in CleverCard’s vision to create a unique platform that solves broken payment systems globally. The ability to build a product that is rooted in addressing the core challenges that businesses face has already seen CleverCards acquire over 2,000 business customers including some of the largest known enterprise businesses in less than 3 months since market launch.”


Jim Hartshorne, CEO,
Paragon UK, Ireland and Luxembourg

Paragon, a technology-enabled business services group, has announced the appointment of Jim Hartshorne as its new Chief Executive Officer in the UK, Ireland and Luxembourg.

Hartshorne joins Paragon from DHL Supply Chain, where he was Managing Director for the retail and consumer sectors as well as a UKI board member.

In his new role, Hartshorne will oversee the continued growth and diversification of Paragon across the region’s seven business lines: Consulting and Agency; Customer Communications; Lead Supply; Supply Chain Management; Business Process Outsourcing; Workplace Solutions and Print Solutions.

“I’m incredibly proud to have joined Paragon at such a pivotal point in the business’ journey as it repositions itself in the market,” said Hartshorne. “I believe that Paragon’s full potential is still to be unlocked as it scales and I hope to leverage the skills I’ve gained from my time in the B2B service sector to accelerate its growth trajectory.”

“My initial perception of Paragon was a business full of great people who are passionate about what they do, with clients that glow about the services it provides them. In fact, Paragon’s emphasis on understanding both its people and clients really stood out to me, as I fully believe in the mantra that if you look after your people, business performance will look after itself.”

Hartshorne will report to his predecessor Jeremy Walters, who has been promoted to CEO of Paragon across the four regions in which Paragon operates: Belgium and the Netherlands; DACH and CEE; Western Europe and the UK, Ireland and Luxembourg.

Walters commented on Hartshorne’s appointment:

“Jim has a great supply chain management background. While at DHL, he steered the business through the challenges of the pandemic and delivered transformational projects.”

“I look forward to working together with Jim and the other Paragon regional CEOs as we seek to get closer to our clients and provide them with exceptional business services.”


READ MORE

New and notable appointments at Deloitte Ireland and Sure Valley Ventures

New and notable appointments at Matheson LLP, ACCA, Community Finance Ireland, Irish Beverage Council, CarTrawler, Virgin Media Television and Azets Ireland

New and notable appointments at Monta, Delta Capita, Complete Laboratory Solutions, DLA Piper and Ubotica Technologies