Elaine has over twenty years experience working in the area of Environment Health and Safety- including five years working in Ibec's Employer Relations Division and now in Ibec Academy as a Senior Commercial EHS Executive. She has particular interests in the cross-over between OSH and the Human Resources function, as well as EHS Management Systems and Corporate Sustainability.
She holds an MSc in Applied Environmental Sciences, a BSc in Environmental Health, a H Dip in Occupational Safety & Health and a Diploma in Employment Law.
Dr Katharine Murray is a veteran safety professional, who has worked in various roles over the last 26 years including as an inspector with the HSA, a safety manager for a major accident hazard site and also for An Post. She is currently the Head of Safety at Trinity College Dublin where she leads a team of professional safety specialists who advise and oversee the college on many diverse and unique hazards. She is a long serving member of the IBEC OHS policy committee, and an alternate member of the EU-OSHA Management Board.
Show moreTobba (Thorbjorg) Vigfusdottir, is the founder & CEO of Kara Connect (est. 2015), a customised mental and wellbeing platform for employees. Tobba has an M.Ed in Educational Psychology from the University of Washington in Seattle and a B.Ed. from the University of Iceland; both focused on cognitive psychology.
Tobba has, throughout her career, focused on the problem of access to help and support. Her experience as a local politician brought forward the systemic problems people face in getting the proper support to get better. Tobba established an online speech therapy company before establishing Kara Connect. She sits on the National Theatre board and the Science and Technology board appointed by the Minister of Innovation.
Before entrepreneurship, Tobba was an elected city councillor in Reykjavík for 12 years, a political Advisor to the Minister of Education and a project manager for a women’s entrepreneurial program.
Ed is a Chartered Physiotherapist with 25 years of clinical experience in the areas of occupational health, musculoskeletal injury and pain management. Ed’s expertise in the areas of health risk assessment and injury prevention made his clinic the ‘go to’ centre for many large corporates in the South West of Ireland.
Ed is the co-founder of Habitus Health, a company that has developed an exciting and disruptive technology to solve the serious yet underestimated effects of poor ergonomics and prolonged sitting for seated employees.
Patricia is the professional Senior Work and Organisational Psychologist inspector at the Health and Safety Authority (HSA). She directs and manages the national psychosocial Programme of Work. She designed, developed and leads the work-related stress and bullying portfolios and initiatives focused on increased employee well-being. She uses evidence-based behavioural science to inform targeted safety behavior change nationally across all industry sectors.
Patricia was the HSA nominee on the Govt. Task Force on Workplace Bullying Prevention and Govt. Expert Advisory Group. She has widely presented at national and international level: conferences, stakeholder meetings and research platforms on various aspects of workplace behavior and continues to provide expertise on behalf of the HSA, to various national and EU bodies.
Patricia gained a First Class Honour in Corporate Governance (2020, IPA) a PG Diploma in Data Analytics (2017, NCI) and a Masters in Psychoanalytic studies (2014, TCD) She is a Ministerial Appointee to the Advisory Board of the National Anti-Bullying Centre (ABC) at DCU and also lectures part-time in UCD, Trinity College and UCC.
Michael Gillen is Head of OSH in Member Services in Ibec, previously senior executive with PharmaChemical Ireland (PCI) and director of the Irish BioIndustry Association (IBIA). He worked as an inspector in the Hazardous Substances Assessment Unit within the Health and Safety Authority. Michael joined Ibec in 2000 and has worked in occupational health and safety, industrial relations/human resources and science and innovation.
Show moreMark Kidd is Co-Founder and Director of 365 Ventures, a technology company focused on shifting companies towards more proactive risk environments. Started in 2016 in the realm of health & safety and the proprietary product Safe365, 365Ventures now works in health & safety, airport safety, well-being and ESG.
Before Safe365 Mark worked globally with businesses building high performing teams and cultures using world class proprietary cloud based talent management software and a framework developed by Mark and his team. Mark has had executive roles in HR, Finance, Strategy, Business Development and General Management specifically in Banking, IT, Travel, Transportation and Central Government and a consulting career spanning all sectors of the economy.
Nathan Hight is Co-Founder and Director of 365 Ventures, a technology company focused on shifting companies towards more proactive risk environments. Started in 2016 with Safe365 focused on quantifying the value of health & safety culture, 365 Ventures now has products in airport safety, workplace wellbeing and tourism ESG.
Nathan is a certified professional risk manager, certified company director, a national-level manager with Surf Life Saving in both New Zealand and Australia and an active volunteer surf life safer at Whangamata Surf Club, his home in NZ.
Aoife is a Senior Associate in the Technology & Innovation Group. She advises a wide range of public and private sector clients on technology relates matters with a particular focus on data protection. She advises clients on data protection compliance programmes, regulatory engagement, data subject rights requests as well as data transfers.
Show moreA Board member and Fellow of the Institute of Engineering Design and Chartered Engineering Professional. Wayne has a proven track record of strategic and operational achievement at national, regional, and international level.
Wayne has held numerous board and director level industry roles in the defence and aerospace sector in engineering, partnering and international market development.
Wayne will provide an insight into what buyers need to consider when procuring Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) and Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) Software.
B.Sc. (Hons), C.Eng, FIED
Sally has worked in most industry sectors in Ireland, UK and internationally. A multi skilled Chartered Health and Safety Practitioner with extensive experience of health, safety, quality, and environmental consulting.
She has a wide range of both academic and industrial experience and is also a qualified Registered General Nurse RGN (Nursing) and CIEH Trainer.
Sally has a M.Sc. in Occupational Health and Safety Management and a B.Sc. (Hons) in Disaster Management and has consulted on numerous international disaster and mitigation projects.