Des Ryan B.L. is a practising barrister in the Law Library, where he has been specialising exclusively in Employment Law since 2006, and is a CEDR-accredited Mediator. He is also called to the Bars of England and Wales and Northern Ireland. Des advises on all aspects of Employment Law and appears very regularly before the Workplace Relations Commission, the Labour Court, and the Superior Courts.
Des is an Associate Professor and Fellow at Trinity College Dublin where he lectures Employment Law and Tort Law. He is a founding member and current Committee Member of the Irish Employment Law Association. He is a member of the Government of Ireland’s Employment Law Review Group
Fiona is a graduate of Dublin City University having obtained a Bachelor of Business (BBS) specialising in corporate law before qualifying as a solicitor in 2007. Fiona advises members on both contentious and non-contentious employment law matters. Prior to joining the Employment Law Services team in Ibec, Fiona spent time both in private practice and in-house advising a wide range of employers across a number of sectors. Fiona has extensive experience in defending employers before the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) and the Labour Court. Fiona is also an accredited Mediator, has specialised in the area of workplace mediation and applies a practical solutions-based approach to resolving workplace conflict.
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Harry joined the Ibec Employment Law Services Unit from the medical device sector. He is a graduate of NUI Galway, where he obtained Bachelor of Industrial Engineering and Bachelor of Laws degrees, and a Masters in Law, Technology & Governance. Harry qualified as a solicitor in 2013 and worked extensively in private practice as a specialist employment law solicitor. Prior to qualifying as a solicitor Harry built up ten years industry experience working as an engineer across a variety of sectors and for a number of leading multinational companies, and brings this considerable experience to bear in the management of complex workplace and organisational issues.
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A native of Kilkenny, Kieran trained and qualified as a solicitor before moving into journalism. Having spent a number of years working as a reporter across the schedule in Newstalk, in 2017 he began presenting his own show every Sunday morning. From there, Kieran spent two years presenting the Breakfast show with Shane Coleman. Since September 2020, Kieran has been presenting The Hard Shoulder every afternoon on Newstalk between 4pm and 7pm. Kieran will also take over as presenter of The Tonight Show on Virgin Media television in March of this year.
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“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.
Nichola Harkin is a graduate of University College Dublin, where she obtained a Bachelor of Civil Laws (BCL) (International) degree and the London School of Economics where she obtained a Masters of Law (LLM) (Employment Law). She qualified as a solicitor in 2013. Prior to joining Ibec, she worked in private practice for a number of years. Nichola joined Ibec’s Employment Law Services Unit in 2015 and was appointed Head of Employment Law Services in January 2022.
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Pauline O’Hare is a graduate of University College Dublin, where she obtained a Bachelor of Civil Laws degree and a Masters in Commercial Law, before qualifying as a solicitor in February 2006. Pauline previously worked in private practice before joining Ibec’s Employment Law Services Unit in February 2008, where she advises employers on both contentious and non-contentious matters. Pauline specialises in employment law and industrial relations and engages with key stakeholders on policy matters at both a national and EU level.
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Peter Cosgrove is the founder of Futurewise, a future of work insights company which researches and publishes articles on the workplace of the future. He is an author, media commentator and regular conference speaker. He is a much sought-after speaker on the topics of the future of work, the hybrid & remote working challenges, how jobs are being both created and destroyed by technology and A.I. He also works with companies about engaging their male workforce on the subject of gender diversity.
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Sinéad is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin where she obtained a law degree (LLB) and Leiden University in the Netherlands where she obtained a Masters of Law (LLM) in European Law. She qualified as a solicitor in 2016. Sinead previously worked in private practice for a number of years advising on both contentious and non-contentious employment law issues across a range of sectors. Sinead joined Ibec’s Employment Law Services Unit in 2020.
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Tom Hayes is the Executive Director of BEERG, which he founded in 2002. With a career in industrial relations since 1972, he has worked as a trade union official, personnel director, and consultant. Since the early 1990s, he has specialised in European Works Councils, advising multinational companies on EWC agreements and employee relations strategy. Tom holds a B.A. from University College Dublin and has lectured on industrial relations. He is co-editor of Practical Employment Law and co-author of several publications on dismissal law, EWCs, and global collective bargaining.
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