By Business & Finance 
Pictured: Helen Dooley, Special Advisor at Interpath.
This week sees new and notable appointments at Interpath, Viatel Technology Group, Arachas Corporate Brokers, A&L Goodbody, McCann FitzGerald LLP, AvAir, Matheson LLP, Wholebake, and Aviva Life & Pensions Ireland DAC.
By Héloïse Chaudot
Helen Dooley, Special Advisor
Interpath
Interpath has announced the appointment of Helen Dooley as Special Advisor.
Dooley brings over 30 years of experience and has held a wide range of roles, including banking and regulatory advisory, corporate governance, company secretarial, and complaints management.
Previously, Helen Dooley held the role of Group General Counsel at AIB, where she was a member of the Bank’s Executive Leadership team.
Commenting on her new role, Helen Dooley said, “The financial services sector continues to face significant regulatory, governance, and strategic challenges, and I look forward to bringing my experience to help Interpath’s clients address these complexities. With such a high-calibre team, as well as its forward-thinking, multidisciplinary approach and international reach, Interpath is uniquely positioned to support organisations across Ireland as they adapt and thrive in a rapidly evolving market.”
Kieran Wallace, Head of Interpath in Ireland, added, “Helen’s track record speaks volumes. She has advised at the highest levels of the financial services industry and understands the regulatory, governance, and risk landscape inside out. Her experience in steering major institutions through complex challenges will be a remarkable asset to our clients, particularly as they navigate an environment of increasing regulatory scrutiny and market change.”
Ciarán Dack, Head of Mergers & Acquisitions
Viatel Technology Group
Ciarán Dack has been appointed Head of Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) at Viatel Technology Group.
Dack brings experience from previous roles at Version 1, where he progressed from M&A Associate to M&A Senior Manager
Commenting on his appointment, Ciarán Dack said, “I’m thrilled to join Viatel at such an exciting time. The company’s appetite for growth and its clear vision for the future make this an incredible opportunity. I look forward to leveraging my experience to help deliver on Viatel’s ambitious plans and shape the next chapter of its success.”
Julie Galbraith, General Counsel & Chief Business Officer
Arachas Corporate Brokers
Pictured: Joey Wynne, CEO of Arachas, and Julie Galbraith, General Counsel & Chief Business Officer, Arachas.
Arachas Corporate Brokers has announced the appointment of Julie Galbraith as General Counsel & Chief Business Officer.
In her new role, Galbraith will oversee the company’s Legal, Human Resources, and Marketing & Communications functions.
She joins the company from joins the company from Eversheds Sutherland, where she was a partner and served as Head of the Employment Law Department.
Following her appointment, Julie Galbraith said, “I am delighted to join Arachas at such an exciting stage of the company’s growth. Having worked with the business for many years, I look forward to contributing to its continued success. We have grown our team from 200 staff a few years ago to over 780 today. I will support our teams in delivering outstanding outcomes for our people, our clients and our communities nationwide.”
Joey Wynne, CEO of Arachas, added, “The appointment of Julie is a significant senior hire and investment from the company. Her unique skillset, combining both legal and business expertise, will be beneficial for both our employees and customers.”
Eoin O Connor & Eimear O’Brien, Partners
A&L Goodbody
Photo (L-R): Eimear O’Brien, Partner; David Widger, Managing Partner; Eoin O Connor, Partner.
A&L Goodbody has announced the appointment of two new partners, Eoin O Connor and Eimear O’Brien.
O Connor and O’Brien, together with Senior AssociateBill Laffan and Associate Hannah Vero, bring additional capability and expertise to the breadth of experience A&L Goodbody already has in the group. The firm’s existing practice includes partners Patrick Brandt and Louise Hogan, supported by a team of four other lawyers.
The enhanced team will be led by Eoin O Connor. It now has four partners and, alongside ALG’s dedicated Regulatory Investigations Group, provides a unique market offering combining advisory and contentious regulatory experience for regulated financial services clients.
Commenting on the appointment, David Widger, Managing Partner at ALG, said, “We’ve seen significant demand from clients for advisory services in financial regulation and investigations. As part of our strategy to grow our business to meet client demand, we are investing in our Financial Regulation Advisory Group. I’m delighted to welcome Eoin, Eimear, Bill and Hannah to our market-leading team, and their addition really sets us apart in the market.”
Stephen Holst, Managing Partner
McCann FitzGerald LLP
McCann FitzGerald LLP has announced the re-election of Stephen Holst as Managing Partner.
Stephen Holst’s current term concludes on 30 April this year and will renew for a further three years, from 1 May 2026 to 30 April 2029.
He first assumed the Managing Partner role on 1 May 2022, during which time the partnership has grown by 21% and the Firm’s headcount by 23%, supported by strategic investments and hires across technology, knowledge, responsible business, and markets.
Commenting on Holst’s re-election, Mark White, Chair, McCann FitzGerald, said, “The Firm has enjoyed great success under Stephen’s leadership, and we are extremely fortunate to have someone of Stephen’s considerable talents and leadership qualities to guide the firm. We are delighted that Stephen will lead us for a further term as Managing Partner, and we look forward to continued growth under his leadership.”
Stephen Holst, Managing Partner at McCann FitzGerald LLP, added, “I feel very privileged to have been re-elected as Managing Partner of our Firm. My aim during my first term was to focus on our clients and our people, who are integral to our success. Our international strategy and relationships have also been a core pillar of our Firm’s success.”
Tyler Botthof, Chief Operating Officer
AvAir
Tyler Botthof has been appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO) at AvAir.
In his new role, Botthof will oversee AvAir’s global operations, driving scalability and strategic execution as the company continues to expand.
Botthof brings more than 24 years of experience, having started his career with the company in the warehouse before progressing through a variety of sales and operational roles. Most recently, he held the role of Vice President of Operations.
Commenting on his appointment, Tyler Botthof said, “Having grown with AvAir from the warehouse to the executive team, I’m proud of what we’ve built together and excited to continue working alongside our talented team to support our customers and drive the company forward.”
Various appointments
Matheson LLP
Pictured (L-R): Andrew Dixon; Rachel Barry; Anna Crowley; Laura James; Matheson Managing Partner, Darren Maher; Maeve Delargy; Mary Elizabeth Mahony; Shane Kennedy; Kathryn Rice and Paula Collins.
Matheson LLP has announced the appointment of nine new partners. The appointments – eight internal promotions and one external hire – bring the total number of partners and tax principals at the firm to 128, reflecting the firm’s continued investment in its client service capabilities.
Rachel Barry, Employmentind
Barry provides advisory, transactional, contentious and non-contentious advice to clients in relation to employment and equality law. She has extensive experience across a range of sectors, with particular expertise in the financial services, technology, life sciences, transport, agribusiness and energy sectors. She has extensive experience in crisis management with an employment, industrial relations or privacy dimension, including strategically significant litigation, complex transactional work, strategic advisory work and dealing with complex workplace investigations. Barry also leads Matheson’s corporate immigration practice.
Paula Collins, Healthcare
Collins’ expertise spans the full spectrum of healthcare litigation services, including clinical negligence, product liability, defamation, regulatory investigations, disciplinary and criminal investigations, and inquests. She regularly acts in high-value and complex clinical negligence claims before the Circuit Court, the High Court and the Court of Appeal, and has achieved a number of precedent-setting outcomes. Based in Matheson’s Cork office, Paula Collins also regularly acts for clinicians in complex regulatory investigations before the Medical and Dental Councils. Her experience also includes personal injuries and product liability litigation, and advising clients in respect of future-proofing their businesses against such claims, particularly in the healthcare and medical device sector.
Anna Crowley, Tax
Crowley advises multinational corporations doing business in and from Ireland, and has a particular interest in transfer pricing, cross-border tax planning and tax controversy matters. She advises on a broad range of tax issues relating to domestic and cross-border tax disputes, intellectual property structuring and advising on the application of EU State aid principles in the context of Irish taxation matters.
Maeve Delargy, Energy
Maeve Delargy specialises in planning, environmental and safety law and has advised on a wide variety of litigious and non-litigious planning and environmental matters. She advises clients on the full project lifecycle, anticipating regulatory challenges and aligning legal strategy with project goals. Recognised as a thought leader, with significant regulatory and transactional experience in identifying and mitigating planning and environmental risks, she is a regular speaker at public events on developments and trends in the environmental and planning areas.
Andrew Dixon, Finance and Capital Markets
Dixon is an Aviation Finance and Transportation Partner in the Finance and Capital Markets Department, advising on aviation, shipping, rail and other asset financing, trading and leasing matters. He has extensive experience acting for a range of aviation clients, including leasing companies, airlines, banks, and funds on a variety of financing and leasing products and structures, including operating and finance leases; sale and leasebacks; JOLCO structures; debt finance; joint ventures; capital market issuances; pre-delivery payment financing; Islamic financing; and export credit agency-supported financing.
Laura James, Commercial Real Estate
Laura James has over 10 years’ experience in commercial real estate law, advising clients on some of the largest and most complex real estate transactions in the Irish market. Recently named as a “Rising Star” in the Legal 500, she was described as “very efficient in her dealings with clients and particularly good with international clients who are not familiar with the market”. Based in Matheson’s Cork office, Laura James has particular expertise in advising owners and operators of data centres in Ireland and has advised on the acquisition, disposal and letting of such assets over the last 10 years.
Shane Kennedy, Asset Management
Shane Kennedy practices financial services law and advises many of the world’s leading financial institutions, investment banks and asset managers carrying on business through Irish fund vehicles (ICAVs, investment companies, unit trusts, CCFs and ILPs) and Irish domiciled management companies. He has extensive experience advising domestic and international clients on the structuring, establishment, marketing and sale of both UCITS and alternative investment funds in Ireland across the full range of investment strategies and asset classes.
Mary Liz Mahony, Construction
Mary Liz Mahony joins Matheson from another leading Irish / international law firm. Matheson’s Energy, Infrastructure and Construction Group. She brings over 15 years of experience acting for stakeholders in resolving challenges and mitigating risks through the full life cycle of construction projects.
Kathryn Rice, Restructuring / Insolvency
As a partner in Matheson’s Disputes and Investigations Group, Kathryn Rice provides specialist advice on all aspects of litigation with a particular focus on corporate restructuring and insolvency law. She has extensive experience advising financial institutions, creditor groups, receivers, examiners and companies on contentious and non-contentious corporate restructuring and insolvency matters, and regularly advises clients in relation to the enforcement of security, recovery of debt and enforcement options. Rice has significant experience in advising on both High Court and Commercial Court debt recovery and injunction proceedings.
John McMullen, CEO
Wholebake
Wholebake has announced the appointment of John McMullen as Chief Executive Officer.
McMullen brings experience from across the food industry, having held senior technical, operational, and general management roles in companies including Heinz, Princes, and Unilever.
Commenting on his appointment, John McMullen said, “I am delighted to have joined Wholebake at such a defining moment in its journey. The healthy snacking category continues to evolve at pace, with significant opportunities for growth across the UK, Europe and beyond. Wholebake has built a strong reputation for quality, innovation and partnership, and I am looking forward to working with the team to build on these strengths. Creating an environment where people feel trusted, empowered and proud of what they deliver will be central to how we achieve our ambitions.”
Declan Parker, Managing Director of IT Resourcing
Ergo
Declan Parker has been appointed Managing Director of IT Resourcing at Ergo.
In his new role, Parker will lead the development of Ergo’s IT Resourcing Services, focusing on establishing a more strategic, data-driven, and value-oriented resourcing model to promote growth and deliver value to clients.
Over the next 12 months, he will focus on enhancing market intelligence and skills analytics, strengthening capabilities across priority technology domains such as data, cloud, and digital transformation, and ensuring Ergo’s offering continues to meet evolving client needs.
Declan Parker brings almost three decades of experience in the IT industry. Prior to joining Ergo in September 2024, he spent 26 years at Fujitsu, holding a range of senior technical and leadership roles, including Chief Architect.
Commenting on the appointment, Paul McCann, CEO of Ergo, said, “Declan’s appointment is a strategic move for Ergo and our clients. His extensive experience, combined with his commitment to innovation and client success, makes him the ideal leader for IT Resourcing. We look forward to seeing the division thrive under his guidance as we continue to deliver exceptional outcomes for businesses across Ireland.”
Declan Parker added, “As Managing Director, my focus is to evolve our offering, introduce new innovations, and ensure IT Resourcing stays ahead of the curve, delivering real value for both our clients and the resources we support. I’m excited to lead this next phase of growth for the business.”
Trisha Gibbons, Director of Corporate Assurance & Governance
Aviva Life & Pensions Ireland DAC
Aviva Life & Pensions Ireland DAC has announced the appointment of Trisha Gibbons as Director of Corporate Assurance & Governance, a newly created role.
In her new role, Gibbons will be responsible for governance and assurance functions, strengthening risk and control frameworks, and supporting the sustainable growth of the business.
With more than 25 years of experience in the insurance and financial services sectors, Gibbons spent almost two decades at PwC Ireland, specialising in insurance and strategic advisory, remediation, business model and enterprise-wide change programmes, risk management, and regulatory compliance. Her collaborative approach has been instrumental in driving business growth and building robust governance foundations.
Following her appointment, Barry Cudmore, CEO at Aviva Life & Pensions Ireland DAC, said, “Trisha’s appointment reflects our commitment to strengthening our governance foundation, enabling us to deliver on our strategic priorities and provide excellent outcomes for our customers.”
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Business & Finance, Appointments
Business & Finance, Appointments
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