Pictured: Siobhán Meaney, Managing Director of Catering & Retail, dnata.
This week sees new and notable appointments at dnata, McCann FitzGerald, Advise, OSSM, Devexperts, The Sunday Times, Citi, NovaUCD, and O’Flynn Exhams LLP.
Siobhán Meaney, Managing Director of Catering & Retail
dnata
Siobhán Meaney has been appointed Managing Director (MD) of dnata’s Catering and Retail business. dnata is a leader in global air travel and a service provider. The company provides inflight catering and retail services to seven international airlines across three airports in Ireland.
Before joining dnata, Meaney was an Associate Director at CPL Group plc. In her new position, she will oversee the Catering and Retail operations in Ireland, as well as the company’s people, customers, operations, and continued growth in the market.
Commenting on her appointment, Siobhán Meaney, MD of Catering & Retail, dnata, said, “I’m incredibly proud to take on this role and lead our talented team in Ireland. Having been part of the business and its development over the years, I’ve seen first-hand the passion and expertise our people bring to our customers every day. We have built a strong operation in Ireland, and there is plenty more we want to achieve. I look forward to working with our teams, customers and partners as we continue strengthening our business, developing our capabilities and delivering exceptional experiences for airline customers and their passengers.”
Sarah McCague, Partner
McCann FitzGerald
Pictured (L-R): Catherine Austin (Consultant), Eleanor Cunningham (Partner, Head of Pensions and Incentives), Sarah McCague (Partner), Stephen Holst (Managing Partner).
McCann FitzGerald has announced the appointment of Sarah McCague as Partner in its Litigation & Dispute Resolution Group.
She brings extensive experience advising trustees, employers and other stakeholders across the public and private sectors on complex regulatory and governance matters. Her expertise spans scheme governance, compliance, restructuring and liability management, as well as employee benefits issues arising in corporate transactions.
A past Chair of the Association of Pensions Lawyers in Ireland, McCague is a recognised leader in the field and a regular speaker on pensions and charity law.
Speaking on her appointment, Sarah McCague, Partner, McCann FitzGerald, said, “I am delighted to join McCann FitzGerald and become part of such an already established and highly regarded practice. I look forward to working with clients on the complex issues affecting pension schemes, employers and trustees, and contributing to the continued success of the firm.”
Stephen Holst, Managing Partner at McCann FitzGerald LLP, added, “We are delighted to welcome Sarah to McCann FitzGerald. She is a highly regarded pensions lawyer with an outstanding reputation in the market. Sarah’s arrival further strengthens our expertise in this area and enhances our ability to support clients across a broad range of regulatory, governance and pensions-related matters. We look forward to the contribution she will make to the firm and our clients.“
Matthew Peat, Chief Category & Growth Officer
Advise
Matthew Peat has been appointed as Advise’s Chief Category & Growth Officer. Advise developed AI-powered Saas platforms that enable manufacturers in the fast-moving consumer goods market to grow their revenues and margins by driving better pricing strategies.
Peat joins the role with over 25 years of FMCG experience. He has also been a member of Advise’s advisory board for the last 3 years. Before that, he spent a decade with Richmond Marketing, most recently holding the position of Director of Strategy and Insight. There, he played a key role in building the company’s insights function from the ground up, leveraging cutting-edge technology and embedding insight-led decision-making into organisational culture.
“The FMCG industry is going through a period of significant change. Businesses are facing rising costs, growing expectations and more data than ever, but the amount of time available to act on it hasn’t changed,” he said.
“For me, the real opportunity with technology and AI is about freeing people up to spend more time where they can create value. Insight teams are a great example of this. If we can reduce the amount of time spent preparing, manipulating and reporting data, we can create far more space for teams to influence decisions, understand consumers and shoppers, identify growth opportunities and lead stronger category thinking.”
Leslie Cyrus, Senior Support Consultant
OSSM
He brings two decades of experience in enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation and service delivery management to his new role. Leslie Cyrus will work closely with customers to understand their business objectives, deliver ERP systems aligned with these goals, and provide proactive support and guidance.
Commenting on his appointment, he said, “It’s an exciting time in the expansion of OSSM, particularly in the UK market. I plan to leverage my deep experience with NetSuite solutions and services to continue to support the company’s growing customer base across transformative ERP project deliveries. I will also draw on my broad background working with businesses across a range of sectors in the UK as OSSM continues to expand its presence and grow brand recognition in the market.”
Rainer Fuchsluger, Global Group Chief Executive Officer
Devexperts
Devexperts has announced the appointment of its new CEO, Rainer Fuchsluger, effective immediately.
Fuchsluger joins as Devexperts approaches its 25th anniversary in 2027. The company has more than 800 employees across 10 offices globally, with deep technical domain expertise in capital markets, serving hundreds of clients worldwide. His mandate is to extend Devexperts’ value chain across the full investment and trade lifecycle and deliver greater value to clients through advanced technologies such as cloud computing and AI across its portfolio. He will also accelerate the company’s international growth strategy.
The appointment follows the departure of Ben Hurley, who has decided to leave Devexperts to pursue new opportunities. Hurley spent more than four years with the company, including the past two as CEO.
Fuchsluger’s global leadership experience spans financial software, market data, exchange technology and critical market infrastructure, alongside extensive expertise in AI. His career includes senior leadership roles at LSEG, Wolters Kluwer, SS&C and Thomson Reuters. In addition, he served on the Group’s Global Sustainability Governance Board at Wolters Kluwer. He has lived and worked in London, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and Switzerland during his 25 years in the industry.
“Devexperts has always been built on exceptional engineering, advanced technology and long-standing, trusted client relationships. I would like to thank Ben for his leadership and commitment over the past four years and welcome Rainer at an important time for the company,” said Michael Babushkin, Founder of Devexperts. “His deep knowledge of global financial markets, combined with a proven track record of scaling technology businesses across major financial centres, will help us build on our strengths and realise our ambitions for international growth.”
“Devexperts has built something very special over nearly 25 years, combining deep capital markets expertise, advanced technology and exceptional people with strong client relationships, including banks, brokerages, exchanges and wealth managers,” said Rainer Fuchsluger, Global Group CEO of Devexperts. “I’m grateful to Michael and the Board for their confidence in me and excited to build on the company’s achievements.”
Kirstie McDermott & Róisín Healy, Deputy Features Editor and Features Editor
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times has announced two senior appointments.
Prior to joining The Sunday Times, she spent seven years with Irish Country Magazine, where she progressed from Features Writer to Deputy Editor. She began her career as a Staff Writer with VIP Publishing Group, working across a number of titles including STELLAR, Kiss and TV Now Magazine.
As Features Editor, Healy will lead the features team, curating a diverse range of compelling content and working closely with the wider editorial team to deliver insightful, high-quality journalism across print and digital.
Commenting on her appointment, she said, “I am looking forward to taking on the role of Features Editor and to continue building on the work we’ve done over the past few years. Features journalism gives us the opportunity to tell fascinating stories, introduce readers to new ideas and people, and explore the issues and subjects that matter to them. I’m looking forward to working with Kirstie and the wider editorial team as we continue to develop a distinctive and ambitious features offering across The Sunday Times.”
In her new role, McDermott will work closely with the team to identify and develop story ideas and oversee features from initial concept through to publication across print and digital. She will also play a key role in shaping the team’s editorial offering and identifying opportunities for original, thought-provoking features and interviews.
Kirstie McDermott has extensive experience across lifestyle, culture and consumer journalism. She is the co-founder of Ireland’s first beauty blog, Beaut.ie, and has held senior editorial positions at a number of leading Irish media titles, including Content Studio Editor at The Irish Times, Editorial Director of House & Home Magazine, Deputy Editor of STELLAR, and Beauty Editor at the Irish Examiner and IMAGE magazine.
More recently, she worked as Senior Content Manager at Amply, a conversational AI recruitment platform, where she managed content schedules across its global publishing network and developed content and marketing assets for international publishers and brands.
Speaking about her new appointment, Kirstie said, “I’m delighted to be joining The Sunday Times as Deputy Features Editor and to be working alongside Róisín and the wider features team. The opportunity to contribute to such a well-established title and to develop original, engaging features across lifestyle, culture and human interest is very exciting. I’m looking forward to bringing my experience across print and digital to the role and working with the team to create journalism that informs, engages and has a real impact on readers.”
Michael Zezas, Global Head of Research
Citi
Zezas joins from Morgan Stanley, where he spent nearly two decades, most recently as Managing Director and Deputy Global Head of Research. During that time, he held a series of senior leadership roles, culminating in responsibility for both Equity and Fixed Income Research globally.
“Michael’s appointment reflects our commitment to investing in a world-class Research franchise,” said David Livingstone, Chief Client Officer, Citi. “His deep market expertise, global leadership experience and client-focused approach make him exceptionally well positioned to lead the business. As our clients continue to navigate capital markets, we will keep investing in top talent, strengthening our capabilities, leveraging new technologies and delivering timely, differentiated insights that help clients make informed decisions.”
Ciaran McCourt & Dr Eoin O’Cearbhaill, Entrepreneur in Residence & Engineer in Residence
NovaUCD
Pictured (L-R): Ciaran McCourt, NovaUCD Entrepreneur in Residence and Dr Eoin O’Cearbhaill, NovaUCD Engineer in Residence.
NovaUCD, the hub of innovation and start-up activities at University College Dublin (UCD), has today named Ciaran McCourt, a leading healthcare entrepreneur, CEO and investor with a strong focus on US market entry, growth and strategic exit, as Entrepreneur in Residence (EiR).
The focus of the NovaUCD in-residence programme is to actively engage with seasoned and experienced executives with deep domain expertise in commercial and engineering sectors who can provide advice and support to members of the UCD entrepreneurial and research communities, along with staff and students at the University.
McCourt has over 30 years of experience building, financing, scaling and exiting healthcare technology companies in Ireland, the UK, across Europe and the US. His experience spans start-ups, university and industry spin-outs and publicly listed companies across medical devices, digital health, diagnostics, software and connected care. He has deep expertise in taking healthcare technologies from concept through commercialisation, with a strong focus on US market entry, growth and strategic exit.
Commenting on his appointment, he said, “I am delighted to return to UCD in this unique capacity and to have the opportunity to work with its researchers, students and entrepreneurs. UCD has an extraordinary depth of ideas and technical expertise. I hope to bring my experience building healthcare technology businesses in Europe and the US to help turn promising ideas into successful companies with global potential.”
Additionally, NovaUCD has named Dr Eoin O’Cearbhaill as Engineer in Residence (EnGiR). His research spans medical device design, therapeutic delivery and microneedles, additive manufacturing, soft robotics, and the biomechanics of the gastrointestinal tract and vasculature. The group’s work has contributed to three UCD spin-out companies (LaNua Medical, Latch Medical and Lia EyeCare), more than a dozen patent filings, and over €8 million in competitive research funding.
Laoise Kelleher, Associate
O’Flynn Exhams LLP
Pictured (L-R): Laoise Kelleher, Associate, and Micheál Ó Mulláin, Managing Partner, O’Flynn Exhams LLP.
Laoise Kelleher has been appointed as an Associate at the firm’s Corporate Commercial & Regulatory team.
Originally from Cobh, Kelleher graduated from University College Cork with a degree in Law and French. She subsequently trained in Dublin before qualifying as a solicitor in 2025.
She also spent a year in Australia, where she worked with the regulator responsible for employee health and safety. She now joins the Corporate, Commercial and Regulatory team at O’Flynn Exhams, where she will advise clients from a range of industries and sectors.
Welcoming the appointment, Micheál Ó Mulláin, Managing Partner at O’Flynn Exhams, said, “As our Corporate, Commercial and Regulatory practice continues to develop, we continue to invest in the calibre and breadth of expertise within the team. Laoise brings a strong academic background as well as invaluable experience and insights from her past experience. These are important strengths in supporting our clients as they navigate an increasingly complex commercial and regulatory environment.”
Laoise Kelleher added, “Joining O’Flynn Exhams is an exciting opportunity to build my career in Cork and to work alongside an excellent team of professionals. The team has an excellent reputation, and I look forward to supporting clients across the practice.”
|
Business & Finance, Appointments In association with
|
Celebrate your team with One4all Gift Cards. Through the BIK, businesses can reward their staff up to €1,500 each free of tax, USC or PRSI. Save up to €1,991.11 when you gift up to €1,500 per employee. Learn more at www.one4allrewards.ie. |
Read more appointments:
New and notable appointments in association with One4all Rewards: Expleo, L&G, Lisney, and more
New and notable appointments in association with One4all Rewards: OpenAI, Pinterest, and more