Anton is long established on both radio and television and has proven himself to be a highly versatile broadcaster and, most importantly, a firm favourite with audiences across the country. His Savage Sunday show took that slot to its highest ever ratings with 110,000 listeners. Anton is Managing Director of The Communications Clinic, one of Ireland’s leading communications training and advisory companies which he co-founded in 2008.
Show more
Audrey leads the Talent and Organisation practice within Accenture’s Strategy and Management Consulting business in Ireland. Audrey has spent most of her career working on large scale business transformation programmes both in Ireland and the UK. Audrey works closely with our clients, particularly C-suite HR, helping them define and execute talent strategies, from talent acquisition and retention, rapid re-skilling and learning, organisation model design, future workforce planning and cultural change management and engagement. This includes setting and guiding a vision for how to reinvent work, reshape the workforce and prepare workers for a gen AI world, while building a resilient culture to navigate continuous waves of change.
Show more
Dawn Wynne is the Chief People Officer for Dalata Hotel Group plc, Ireland's largest hotel group, overseeing the people strategy for 57 hotels across the UK, Ireland, Dusseldorf, and Amsterdam. She has been with the company since 2008 and now leads a workforce of over 5,500 employees. Dawn focuses on creating a progressive HR strategy that emphasises continuous learning, development, and a diverse culture that nurtures and rewards talent. Her approach includes offering meaningful opportunities in the hospitality industry and a benefits structure that promotes employee ownership and career growth.
Dawn holds an MA from Glasgow University, Scotland, and is deeply committed to sustainable careers and promoting social mobility within her teams. In addition to her role at Dalata, she is a member of the Irish Low Pay Commission.
Geraldine Joanes (Gerry) is currently the People and Culture Director at Diageo Ireland
Gerry joined Diageo in 2004 in GB as HR Manager for the Global Travel business. Since then, she has had a rich HR career across multiple markets and various functional teams. Prior to her current role, she held the position of HR Director for Australia and New Zealand for almost seven years.
Within her role, Gerry provides real focus on building a high-performance culture, creating a more efficient, agile and purposeful organisation enabled through leadership development.
Her passion for inclusion and diversity has been instrumental in implementing progressive policies like the development and piloting of what is now our global Flex philosophy, addressing the Gender Superannuation Gap and development of the Reconciliation Action Plan.
Dr Grace Lordan has a PhD in Economics, and an undergraduate degree in computer science. Her research is focused on understanding why some individuals succeed in life and others don't. She is an expert on the effects of bias, discrimination and technology changes. Grace has published in top general journals of economics, as well as the broader social sciences. Her research has been covered by The Financial Times, The Guardian, The Times, BBC, The Telegraph, The Independent, City AM, Forbes, Wired and Bloomberg.
She is the Founding Director of The Inclusion Initiative (TII). Grace set this research center up at the LSE in 2020. TII aims to bring behavioural science insights to firms to allow them to enhance the inclusion of all talent, and simultaneously produce academically rigorous and relevant research that links directly to TII’s purpose. Currently TII has two hubs. The first dedicated to research into financial services firms in London, and the second focused on Growth and Governance through the measurement of inclusion.
Grace is the inaugural Director of the MSc in Behavioural Science at the LSE, and teaches corporate behaviour and decision making to executive MSc students at the LSE. Grace is the director of LSE’s Inclusive Organisations virtual course. Grace has a decade of experience teaching econometrics at the LSE.
Grace served as an expert advisor to the UK government sitting on their skills and productivity board. Grace is a is a member of the UK government’s BEIS social mobility taskforce and is on the Women in Finance Charter’s advisory board. Grace has also led consultancy projects for the Low Pay Commission and the European Commission, along with being an invited speaker to events convened by the Irish, British, French, Australian and US governments. Grace leads the £2 million ESRC funded Diversity and Productivity from Education to Work (DAPEW) project.
John has over 20 years experience across a broad range of HR and OD activities within the Irish public health service and civil service sectors.
Show more
Kieran Gilmurray is a real-world AI and Automation practitioner, with extensive board-level experience. He’s walked the walk in a variety of sectors notably education, law, insurance, publishing and technology. Kieran has a voracious appetite for learning and curiosity that translates itself back into how to make businesses the best they can be. Kieran is someone who’s dedicated to cutting through the hype and noise giving businesses tangible insights and practical strategies for AI, Automation, Cloud and Data.
Show more
Lee recently joined Novartis Ireland as the Country Head of People & Organization in 2023. Before joining Novartis, he held various roles at Accenture, acting as a talent partner and advisor to country and global leadership across multiple functions and industry groups, and leading both local and global HR teams.
Lee specialises in Talent Management, People Analytics, and is a champion of AI in HR. He is passionate about developing people, creating meaningful experiences, and supporting communities. Lee is committed to an agile, simplified, and data-driven approach to addressing evolving talent needs, ensuring a seamless experience across the associate lifecycle, and building strong relationships with senior executives.
Lucy created Disruptive HR after having held senior-level HR roles in a variety of sectors, most recently at the BBC where she was the HR Director on the Executive Board during one of that organisation’s most turbulent periods. In just five years the BBC had four CEOs, opened the new BBC in the North of England and the largest multi-media newsroom in Europe, became ever more digital across its news and television output, delivered significant financial reductions and managed numerous crises. Lucy was at the heart of all of these and led many more.
Before joining the BBC Lucy was Group HR Director at Serco plc, a multi-national plc delivering large-scale government contracts across the world. She has led and delivered change in complex organisations for over 15 years.
During her time at the BBC, Lucy grew frustrated with the lack of innovation in the HR profession and wanted to find new ways of tackling old problems. She now runs the agency to help HR Directors and business leaders do things differently.
Lucy is also the author of “HR Disrupted”, a book packed with practical ways to innovate your approach to leading people in a disrupted world. To provide us with more informative and helpful tips to approach HR, the second edition of this book has been released just recently.
“Being open to different approaches and ways of thinking is critical in employer relations as the pace of change in our workplaces accelerates driven by new technology, increasing diversity and globalisation.”
Executive Director, Employer Relations (2015 to date). With Ibec since 2000 in senior positions including Head of Industrial Relations and Human Resources Traded Services, and Director of the North East Region. A graduate of Trinity College, prior to joining Ibec, Maeve McElwee worked with the World Bank in Washington DC.
Max is a globally recognised HR Strategy, Generative AI, and Business Performance expert. As the founder of the Blumberg Partnership, he helps ambitious organisations such as Nestle, the BBC, Nasdaq, Barclays Corporate, Lloyds Register, and Rentokil Initial leverage cutting-edge technologies to enhance productivity and drive strategic HR initiatives.
Max is passionate about aligning HR strategies with business outcomes, harnessing the power of Generative AI to transform the workplace and drive performance and profitability through data-driven insights. Alongside his consulting work, Max serves as a Visiting Professor at Leeds University Business School and a Visiting Researcher at the Universities of London and Southern California.
Michael is a Full Professor of Law, and former Head of the School of Law & Criminology, at Maynooth University. His expertise lies in the areas of Irish and EU employment and labour law, industrial relations, and social dialogue. He has published widely on all of these topics in international books and journals, has worked on a number of EU-wide projects on cross-border working terms and conditions, and is a member of several European research networks looking at employment and labour law and policy in the EU. He chaired the Irish Government’s High-Level Group on Collective Bargaining, which reported in 2022, making several recommendations for reform of the Irish industrial relations system.
Show more
With approaching 25 years’ experience across Irish Life Group, Oisin has worked across many areas including Pricing & Product Development, Marketing, Finance & Actuarial.
Appointed Managing Director of Irish Life Corporate Business in 2020 and Managing Director of Employer Solutions at Irish Life since the start of 2024, Oisin has led the largest provider of employee benefits in Ireland, helping employees build better futures. Improving our customers’ health, wellness, financial security, and retirement outcomes has been the core goal over this period.
A member of the Society of Actuaries and the IAPF. A graduate of UCD, the IMI and more recently Harvard Business School's Executive Leadership Program.
Orla Keady-Giblin is Director of Human Resources at Boston Scientific in Galway, where she oversees the development and implementation of human resources strategies and initiatives aligned with the overall business strategy. With over 25 years of experience in human resources, Orla has held senior roles at several companies including Ingersoll Rand/Trane Technologies and Hollister.
Orla specialises in talent management, organizational design, employee relations, and strategic HR planning. She is known for her expertise in fostering inclusive workplaces and driving cultural transformation. Throughout her career, Orla has successfully led numerous HR initiatives that have resulted in increased employee engagement and enhanced organizational performance. She has been instrumental in implementing significant change initiatives and culture programs at Boston Scientific, Galway including the implementation of a new HR Operating Model in Ireland. Orla is passionate about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I), and has been a champion for creating an equitable workplace environment where all employees feel valued. Dedicated to workforce development, Orla has led initiatives aimed at enhancing employee skills and career growth, thereby strengthening the overall talent pool for Boston Scientific, Galway.
Orla holds a Master’s in Human Resources Management from the University of Limerick, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources Management from the National College of Ireland. She also has a Diploma in Project Management (IIPM), a Diploma in Coaching from Kingstown College and is a chartered member of the CIPD.
Outside of work, Orla enjoys traveling, jogging, and mentoring HR professionals to achieve their potential. She is also committed to fostering a more compassionate society and is passionate about engaging in local community, schools, and charity initiatives in Galway.
For the past 24 years, Richard has been a Director of the consulting firm, Stokes & Jolly Ltd, with offices in the US and the UK. He is currently a full-time Associate Clinical Professor of Management and Organisations at Kellogg.
He coaches senior leaders, facilitates senior group processes, delivers keynote addresses, runs senior development programs, and works on a diverse set of consulting assignments.
His clients are located in a broad range of geographies and industries, and he has consulted with leading companies in 41 countries. His main focus is working with professional and financial services firms, family-owned businesses and family offices, technology firms, and creative industries on external projects around more effective client relationships and internal projects around strategy, leadership, culture, resilience, organisational change and succession management.
Recent assignments include:
Being the trusted advisor to a large insure-tech firm, advising the CEO on strategy, structure and culture and facilitating the senior team.
Coaching three contiguous global heads of a magic circle law firm over 15 years, facilitating Exco meetings and delivering leadership and client relationship programs for partners.
Becoming the first non-family director of a large US consumer goods family business, advising the two families who own the business on how to continue momentum across the generations.
Designing and delivering a global client relationship program to help the most senior client leaders at a Big Four professional services firm build trusted advisor relationships.
Helping the leading commercial property firm in London to ensure a smooth transition from the founder to the next generation of leaders, including the selection of the new CEO and the retention and development of the entire senior team.
Working with the internal diversity team at a US law firm to embed inclusion and equity into the culture and working practices across the firm.
Working with the leading UK wealth management firm to develop its Exco team members, clarify the behaviours needed to drive success in the next phase of its growth and help the next level of leaders develop these capabilities.
Running an annual ‘Mini-MBA’ program for a global advertising agency to help its senior managers develop greater commercial awareness to build more strategic, embedded client relationships.
Working with the Exco of one of the largest global asset management firms to build more collaboration across boundaries within the firm.
Helping a private equity firm develop the capabilities of its emerging leaders at origination and board membership.
Facilitating the Exco of a Big Four accounting firm to explore the future of professional services and how they should evolve their business.
Running programs internationally for a global insurance firm to develop personal and organisational resilience amongst its executives at a time of major industry change.
Academic Role
Richard joined the full-time faculty at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University 3 years ago, where he lectures on leadership, power and politics, and organisational change. He was a core faculty member at the London Business School (LBS) for 22 years during which time he was consistently one of its highest-rated, most innovative and award-winning teachers. He has taught for Columbia Business School for 13 years and over 20 other business schools around the world.
Across his time in academia, he has taught core organisational behaviour and leadership courses, electives on organisational change, power and politics, and inter-personal dynamics as well as flagship Executive Education open programs and custom programs for more than 90 Kellogg and LBS global clients in the UK and across Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, focusing on leadership, organisational change, culture, power and politics, team dynamics and building resilience.
Richard has also been identified as one of the most entrepreneurial course creators having created two, highly successful electives (‘Paths to Power’ and ‘Inter-Personal Dynamics’); student field trips to the UK, France, Peru and Mexico; and the London Core Application Practicum consulting program for technology, media and telecoms, and government, healthcare and the third sector. He has also designed, launched and co-directed two Executive Education open programs, ‘Professional Services: Strategic Client Relationships’ and ‘Leading Change’.
.png?rev=714e3a977b1644ee94df57301334c9f8)
Sinéad joined ESB in April 2022 as Executive Director, People and Sustainability. Prior to this, Sinéad was Chief People Officer with Bus Éireann, a position she held since 2018. Previously she held a number of senior leadership roles in Ireland and overseas including Vice President People Services at Etihad Aviation Group in Abu Dhabi, where her responsibility included leading major organisational change programmes. She also held senior HR roles in Ulster Bank and Intel Ireland. Sinéad has a B.Sc. (Management) and an MBA from Trinity College Dublin (TCD), is a Chartered Fellow with CIPD and a Board member of Self Help Africa.
Show more
Dr. Sarah Kieran is an Assistant Dean at the Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick with responsibility for Executive and Professional Education. She is an Associate Professor in Work and Employment Studies and lectures in Strategic HRM. Her research interests centre on organisational strategy and some key areas, which underpin strategic change such as Leadership, the Digital Transformation of Work and MNC Leadership/Management. Prior to her academic career Sarah spent 10 years in leadership roles in Telecoms and 5 years as a Management Consultant. She is founder of the KBS WorkFutures Lab, an industry/academic collaboration working to shape better workplaces and build more sustainable organisations.
Show more
Tom Hayes is the European Director of the Washington-based HR Policy Global. He has been involved in industrial relations since the early 1970s, first as an official with an Irish trade union, then as a HR manager but, since the 1980s, working as a consultant with major US multinationals. He specialises in European Works Councils. He writes extensively on labour and industrial relations issues.
Show more
Tom is a board level Human Resources Leader with proven capabilities leading global HR teams. Tom’s business acumen allows him to build impactful relationships with senior executives. He is passionate about creating enterprise cultures based on respect, feedback, enjoyment and diversity.
Show more