O’REILLY HALL | 13 FEBRUARY 2020
O’REILLY HALL, 13 FEBRUARY 2020
Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of the Women in Leadership Organising Committee I am delighted to welcome you all here today to the fifth Women in Leadership Conference at University College Dublin (UCD). The concept for the Women in Leadership Conference came from a group of students and alumni, in an effort to promote female empowerment on campus and encourage confidence and courage in both women’s personal and professional lives. Over the last five years we have hosted over 2,500 delegates and learnt from 66 speakers. These have been as diverse as home grown entrepreneurs to international diplomats. We hope the takeaways over the last five years have helped empower all delegates, be they students beginning their careers, to leaders breaking onto boards. As the Arthur Cox UCD Women in Leadership Conference continues to grow we hope to help more individuals maximise their potential. The Women in Leadership Conference brings individuals of all genders, ages and backgrounds together to share their stories, advice, and experiences. We strive to provide each attendee with an inspirational experience through an esteemed set of keynote speakers, panel discussions, breakout sessions and networking opportunities. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Richard Butler of UCD Societies Council, UCD Alumni Relations in particular Nicole Black and her team including: Jennie Blake and Dearbhla Meaney, UCD Student Services, UCD Estates, UCD President’s Office, Michael Foley my deputy event organiser for today, the event committee and all our volunteers, as well as my friends and family. I would like to thank our sponsors today Abbott, Aldi, Bristol-Myers Squibb, ESB, Skoda, and especially our title sponsor Arthur Cox. Finally, I would like to thank my employers Abbott for supporting me in organising this conference. I hope that you enjoy the day and leave the conference inspired to push your boundaries forward. I would like to extend my appreciation to you for joining us and hope that you enjoy the Arthur Cox UCD Women in Leadership Conference.
Eimear O’Flynn Event Organiser and Founder UCD Women in Leadership
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To the women in leadership. Keep smashing stereotypes.
O’REILLY HALL, 13 FEBRUARY 2020
Timetable 07:45
Registration
Women in Technology Panel 3
13:45
Professor Orla Feely 08:45
Opening Address
Caroline Keeling Keynote Address
14:45
Caroline Casey 09:15
Keynote Address
Eimear O’Flynn Closing Address
15:30
Bristol-Myers Squibb Panel on Resilience 10:00
Panel 1
11:00
Break
Leading the Cultural Change 11:30
Panel 2
Breakout Sessions
*
12:30
Lunch and Breakout Sessions*
Professor Niamh Brennan
(Getting on the Board)
Mary Collins (Networking)
Louise Ryan
(Returning to Work)
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O’REILLY HALL, 13 FEBRUARY 2020
Opening Address Professor Orla Feely Vice President for Research, Innovation and Impact, UCD Professor Feely is Vice President for Research, Innovation and Impact and a Professor of Electronic Engineering at University College Dublin. She holds a BE degree from University College Dublin and MS and PhD degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, where her PhD thesis won the DJ Sakrison Memorial Prize for outstanding and innovative research. While at UC Berkeley, she also won the Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award. Her research is in the area of nonlinear circuits and systems, and she has been awarded research grants and prizes from a number of national, international and industry sources. Professor Feely is a Member of the Royal Irish Academy and a Fellow of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), Engineers Ireland and the Irish Academy of Engineering. She has served as Chair of the Irish Research Council, the EU Advisory Group on Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions, and the IEEE Technical Committee on Nonlinear Circuits and Systems, and as a member of a number of Editorial Boards. Professor Feely is also Vice-President of Engineers Ireland and Vice-President for Resources and Treasurer of CESAER (the Conference of European Schools of Advanced Engineering Education and Research). She is a director of the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition and a member of the Higher Education Authority.
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O’REILLY HALL, 13 FEBRUARY 2020
Keynote Speaker Caroline Casey Social Entrepreneur and Founder of the Valuable 500 Caroline Casey is a disability activist, an award-winning social entrepreneur and founder of #valuable - a catalyst for an inclusion revolution that exists to position disability equally on the global business leadership agenda. Committed to building a global movement on inclusive business for the 1.3 billion people in the world with a disability, over the past two decades she has set up several organisations and initiatives centred on disability business inclusion. Her latest initiative, The Valuable 500, is an ambitious year-long campaign to get 500 businesses to commit to put disability inclusion on their leadership agendas. Launched at this year’s World Economic Forum Annual Summit, Casey succeeded in bringing disability inclusion onto the main stage at DAVOS for the first time ever with the support of global business leaders. The Valuable 500 is supported by a host of global leaders including Sir Richard Branson, and Paul Polman, and global brands including Virgin Media and Omnicom. Casey is also a TED speaker, Ashoka Fellow, Eisenhower Fellow, a past advisor for the Clinton Global Initiative, a One Young World Counsellor and is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum.
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UCD WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
UCD Societies UCD Societies are delighted to continue to support the UCD Women in Leadership Conference. UCD Societies worked with the founder, Eimear, to support and develop the conference from inception to where we are now, five years later. What began as an idea between a group of students and recent graduates has gained huge momentum over the last number of years and we are exceptionally proud of the team behind it. This year we have a number of new student groups focused on female development and empowerment including the Women in STEM Society, The Women in Business arm of the Investors and Entrepreneurs Society and specific events run by the Commerce and Economics Society. This complements the strong diversity seen across all UCD Student Societies. We hope you enjoy the day, for more information about UCD Societies please see: societies.ucd.ie
UCDsocieties
O’REILLY HALL, 13 FEBRUARY 2020
Keynote Speaker Caroline Keeling CEO & MD of Keelings Caroline Keeling is the CEO of Keelings. Keelings is a 100% Irish-owned family business which started producing fruits and salads on their farm in the 1930’s supplying produce to local Dublin markets. Keelings are focused on growing and sourcing the best fresh produce from around the world. The Company has expanded to its current size Retail, Keelings Select, Keelings International Keelings is headquartered in FoodCentral, Co. Dublin, Ireland but has UK, Europe, South & Central America and Asia. Keelings employs over
with 4 divisions – Keelings and Keelings Knowledge. operations in Ireland, the 2,000 people.
Keelings launched its branded range of produce into stores in 2010 and since then it has gone from strength to strength. Kantar Worldpanel recently disclosed the Top 100 FMCG brands in Ireland, ranking Keelings at #15. As well as the standard range of punnets, the brand has also released a number of innovative products including the family platter, the twin pack and the Snack Pot range. In 2019 Keelings launched the 1st residue free certified pineapples in the European market. As well as fresh produce, Keelings has developed produce-specific ERP software solutions, consultancy and management services. Keelings Knowledge supplies a suite of software and services that provides industry focused solutions in procurement, stock management, warehouse and production planning & management, as well as sales and quality assurance. Caroline has a BSc (Chem) & MSc in Food Science which she obtained from University College Dublin (UCD). Caroline started her career with Green Isle Foods, going on to join Keelings as Technical Manager in 1994; she became Group MD in 2006 and Group CEO in 2012. Caroline is a member of The Export Trade Council, Committee 2030, The Ifrah Foundation, Social Entrepreneurs Ireland and Valid Nutrition.
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Arthur Cox
Focusing on Gender Inclusion and Diversity At Arthur Cox, we have always been progressive in spirit, we have led the way in the legal field in Ireland for 100 years and built a firm that stands at the front of our industry. We are proud of our past achievements in shaping the legislative and corporate landscape in Ireland. We also are proud of our more recent achievements and as we celebrate our centenary in 2020, we look forward to our future ones. Our successes, our culture and our history are all built on our people. As a result, diversity and inclusion are integral to our business strategy. We are committed to developing a workplace that gives everyone the opportunity to achieve their full potential. We want our people to feel supported and to feel that they can bring their “full selves” to work, by creating a workplace where every person has equal access to a fulfilling career. Arthur Cox was one of the first Irish law firms to introduce a formal diversity and inclusion programme. Our Gender in the Firm initiative is over 10 years old and each year we continue to grow and evolve our approach to progressing gender equality in the firm. Today, 34% of our partners are women. With the drive for talent in the Irish market becoming increasingly challenging, diversity and inclusion is vital for firms, including Arthur Cox, as it ensures that the best talent is attracted, retained and promoted. Since the 2019 UCD Women in Leadership conference, the firm is proud to have been awarded Most Inclusive Law firm (Managing Partners’ Forum), Best National Firm for Minority Women Lawyers (Europe Women in Business Law Awards) and Best National Firm for Women in Business Law ( Europe Women in Business Law Awards). In September 2019, Arthur Cox was awarded the Bronze ‘Investors in Diversity’ Award by the Irish Centre for Diversity. In our centenary year, we are proud to be introducing a suite of new Diversity and Inclusion programmes. We have recently launched a new career management and development programme, Accelerate, which is aimed at supporting our female professional staff to manage their careers and to progress to senior positions in the firm. In January, we announced our new paternity leave policy, which allows any employee (irrespective of gender) whose partner has a baby or who becomes a parent through adoption or surrogacy to take up to 12 weeks’ fully paid leave at any time during the first 18 months. We believe that a progressive paternity leave policy is a significant benefit which promotes equality in the workplace. Within the coming months, the firm plans to launch a formal sponsorship programme, whereby senior partners will sponsor rising women in the firm. In addition to our Gender in the Firm initiative, we are committed to LGBT+ inclusion and have an active and successful LGBT+ and Allies network, alliance. Our Diversity and Inclusion programme also includes initiatives and programmes on health and ability, with a particular focus on mental health. In 2020, we will expand our programme to include a greater focus on ethnic minorities. With the appointment in 2019 of the firm’s first female Chair, Orla O’Connor and our new Managing Partner, Geoff Moore and under the leadership of our Diversity Partners, Grainne Hennessy and Simon Hannigan, we look forward to continuing on our journey to becoming a more inclusive firm for everyone. We know that by establishing an inclusive work environment it will ultimately make us a stronger and better firm. For further information on diversity and inclusion in Arthur Cox, please contact: Grainne Hennessy
Simon Hannigan
Partner, Finance and Diversity Partner
Partner, Property and Diversity Partner
grainne.hennessy@arthurcox.com
simon.hannigan@arthurcox.com
Move forward with a forwardthinking firm At Arthur Cox, we’ve always been progressive in spirit. Ours is a 100 year history of looking forward. Of setting and bettering standards. Of cutting through increasing complexity with clear routes forward. We’re proud of our differences and the experiences we deliver. Both for clients and for each other. Bright, open minds have lit and led the way to where we are today, starting with our spirited founder a century ago. And those minds are what will keep us leading into the future. If you are looking to embrace new opportunities and push your career forward, then you need a firm that can give you the support to do so. So whether you’re finding your feet or forging your next step, we want to know one thing: Where will you take us?
arthurcox.com
O’REILLY HALL, 13 FEBRUARY 2020
Bristol-Myers Squibb Panel on Resilience Grainne Humphreys
Festival Director, Dublin International Film Festival Grainne Humphreys is Festival Director of the Dublin International Film Festival. She started her career working with young audiences with the Junior Dublin Film Festival in 1994 and she has worked in film programming for over twenty years. In 1995, she joined the IFI as Education Officer and expanded her role to include special seasons including a focus on the film work of diverse figures such as Andy Warhol, Agnes Varda and Harold Pinter. She was director of both the Stranger Than Fiction Documentary Festival and the Dublin French Film Festival from 2002 - 2007. Among other projects, she co-edited Ireland into Film, a series of publications on a number of key Irish films. Grainne is based in Dublin and travels extensively to international festivals, she has served as a jury member on a number of film festivals including Sydney, Vilnius and Les Arcs and has coordinated a number of Irish film seasons at international events. She is a Board Member of the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris.
Adrian McMorrow
Divisional Vice President, European Operations, Abbott Diabetes Care Adrian McMorrow is Divisional Vice President, European Operations at Abbott’s diabetes care division. He holds a BSc in Quality Management from Institute of Technology in Sligo and an MBA from Henley Business School at University of Reading. Adrian joined Abbott as a process engineer in 1996, primarily working on technology transfers between manufacturing sites and process optimisation. Since then, he has held roles of increasing responsibility across multiples sites, gaining experience in quality, technical, engineering and operations functions. In 2014, Adrian and his family relocated to California where he spent three years working on new product introductions and associated programmes. In 2017, Adrian and family returned to Ireland where he assumed the role of Site Director, at the company’s diabetes facility in Donegal. During this time, Adrian led the site through a significant capacity expansion programme. Now serving as Divisional Vice President, he is responsible for Abbott’s diabetes care manufacturing operations across Europe.
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societies.ucd.ie ucdsocieties
O’REILLY HALL, 13 FEBRUARY 2020
Mairead Looby
Director, Manufacturing Science and Technology, Bristol-Myers Squibb Dr. Mairead Looby is Site Head for the Manufacturing Science and Technology (MS&T) department at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) state of the art commercial campus, Cruiserath, in Ireland. Mairead leads the tech transfer of mammalian cell culture processes into the new $1Billion biologics facility in Dublin 15, along with tech transfer, commercialization and process characterisation of next generation processes. In addition, Mairead’s department also provides technical support for ongoing manufacture of some of BMS’s blockbuster products. Prior to joining BMS, Mairead was Principal Scientist/Manager at Pfizer, Ireland where she worked for 14 years in the process development/MS&T organisation involved in commercialisation, process characterisation and robustness for new processes for both mammalian cell culture and glyco-conjugate vaccine processes. Mairead is a member of the B-NOW Bristol-Myers Squibb network of women Irish chapter, which supports the mission of driving business performance by embracing gender diversity. She is also a member of Pharma-Chem Ireland and the leading driver of strategic scientific R&D relationships for BMS Ireland, including the UCD strategic partnership, NIBRT and DCU. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in engineering and Masters in Bioprocessing both from University College London. Mairead also holds a BSc in Biotechnology from Dublin City University.
Jennifer Jennings Director, This is Pop Baby
Jennifer Jennings is a theatre and festivals maker based in Dublin. She is co-Director of pop culture outfit THISISPOPBABY, best known for international smash-hit show RIOT, electro-pop musical Alice in Funderland, the Where We Live programme around St Patrick’s Festival and their notorious POPTENT arena at Electric Picnic from 2008-2010. Jennifer has previously been Arts Director of Neon Lights Festival (Singapore), Arts Programme Director of Harvest Festival (Australia), Programme Director for Dublin Fringe Festival and Marketing Director for the Festival of World Cultures. Jennifer is a UCD Creative Fellow.
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UCD WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
Leading the Cultural Change Ebun Joseph Race relations consultant and Lecturer Black Studies Dr Ebun Joseph is Lecturer and module Coordinator of Black Studies and critical race theory in Education at UCD; lecturer in Trinity College’s Race, ethnicity and identity; MPhil in race, ethnicity and conflict. She holds the position of Career Development Consultant at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and worked with Business in the Community Ireland for over nine years as Training and Employment Officer. Dr Joseph completed her PhD on ‘Racial Stratification in the Irish Labour Market’ in UCD School of Social Justice, she has an M.Ed. in Adult Guidance from Maynooth University and an IACP accredited diploma in Professional Counselling. Ebun is the author of two books; TV panellist, Columnist for the Dublin Inquirer on race, Chairperson of African Scholars Association Ireland (AfSAI) and an equality activist. She is presently working on her book, Racial stratification in Ireland: A critical race theory of labour market inequality with Manchester University press and a co-authored book, Challenging Perceptions of Africa in Schools: Critical Approaches to Global Justice Education, with Routledge.
Margot Slattery
Global Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Sodexo Group As the Global Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer for the Sodexo Group, the worldwide leader in on-site services that improve quality of life, Margot Slattery has responsibility for the strategic direction, implementation and alignment of the Group’s integrated global diversity and inclusion initiatives. Limerick-born Margot joined Sodexo in the early 1990’s and became country president for Ireland and Northern Ireland in 2015. She took on her present full-time role in September 2019 and even though this now takes her all over the world, Margot will continue to be based in Ireland. Margot has won numerous awards for her role in supporting diversity and inclusion and women in business, including the Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite and has appeared on the Financial Times’ Top 100 list of OUTstanding LGBT Business Leaders since 2015. She won FM Leader of the Year at the 2018 Facilities Management Awards and the Business Leader Award at the 2018 WXN 25 Most Powerful Women in Ireland Awards. She holds a degree in Hotel & Catering Management from the Technological University Dublin, and a MSc in Management Practice from the Irish Management Institute. Margot also holds the Diploma in Corporate Governance from the Institute of Directors in Ireland. Outside Sodexo, she is chair of the OUTstanding Ireland Steering Committee, a member of the Irish Advisory board for the Women’s Executive Network and president of the France Ireland Chamber of Commerce. Her board memberships include Business in the Community Ireland, Out and Equal Workplace Advocates, the Dublin Chamber of Commerce and Sofinsod Insurance DAC, among others.
O’REILLY HALL, 13 FEBRUARY 2020
Paul Franey, Inspector, Strategic Planning, An Garda Síochána Paul Franey is the Inspector in charge of the Strategic Planning Unit in An Garda Síochána. He is currently responsible for the development of corporate plans and strategies and related performance reporting. Having commenced his career in 2000 he has worked in response, community policing, human resources and management roles. In 2007 Paul founded G-Force, the Garda LGBT employee network. He has worked for over a decade to improve the situation for LGBT Gardaí and building trust and credibility with LGBT organisations and the wider community. Paul was the Vice-President of the European LGBT Police Association for six years where he forged relationships with the Council of Europe, developing and delivering Hate-Crime training for police officers on behalf of the Council. Paul has a Degree in Sociology and Politics, a Masters Degree in Public Management, a Postgraduate Certificate in Governance and is a qualified life coach and career coach. In recent years Paul has developed a bespoke value-focused career planning seminar for employees in An Garda Síochána, a project he uses as a fundraising vehicle for LGBT charities.
Sarah Claxton, Organisation Development Manager, ESB Sarah Claxton is ESB’s Organisation Development Manager. Her work is focussed on delivering an employee experience which facilitates and supports alignment of employee behaviours with the strategic direction of the business, to enable individual and organisational performance. ESB has redefined its business strategy in the context of the societal need to address climate change and the central role electricity will play in realising a clean energy future. Through her role, Sarah has worked on the development of this strategy, which was carried out through the lens of purpose, and in the subsequent organisation redesign to enable ESB deliver on this ambitious strategy. The need for a values-led and inclusive culture enabling diversity and ultimately successful delivery of the business strategy is key to this. Sarah holds a primary degree in Mechanical Engineering from DIT Bolton Street and a Master of Science in Work and Organisational Behaviour from DCU Business School. She joined ESB in 1998 as a graduate engineer. Initially working in technical roles, she gravitated to line management, which led to her keen interest in understanding motivation, culture and the role of purpose in the workplace.
Martina Fitzgerald, Author and Journalist Martina Fitzgerald has almost twenty years senior level communications experience as a leading political journalist and author of the best-selling book ‘Madam Politician’ based on the experiences of Ireland’s female government ministers. She was a Visiting Fellow at Columbia University in New York in the autumn of 2019 having worked earlier in the year as a mentor on empowerment and communications to preuniversity women in Laos and Washington. Prior to 2019, Martina was Political Correspondent with RTÉ News & Current Affairs where she reported on all major political stories including several general elections and the referendums on marriage equality and the Eighth Amendment. An advocate for diversity and inclusion – and a highly regarded speaker on the role of women in public life (most recently in Beijing, Brussels and Washington) – Martina is a member of the recently established Independent National Screening Advisory Committee, which is responsible for advising on health screening programmes using internationally accepted criteria. Martina is a History and Politics graduate of UCD.
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UCD WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
Breakouts Getting on Boards Professor Niamh Brennan Professor of Management, UCD and Founder/Academic Director of the UCD Centre for Corporate Governance Niamh Brennan is Michael MacCormac Professor of Management at University College Dublin and Founder/Academic Director of the UCD Centre for Corporate Governance. A first-class honours, first in class UCD Science (Microbiology and Biochemistry) graduate, Prof Niamh Brennan qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG, holds a PhD from the University of Warwick and is a Chartered Director of the Institute of Directors (London). In recognition of her research, she received the 2018 British Accounting & Finance Association Distinguished Academic Award. In 2019, she was inducted into the Accounting Auditing & Accountability Journal Interdisciplinary Accounting Research Hall of Fame. Former chair of the National College of Art & Design and of the Dublin Docklands Development Authority, she holds/has held non-executive directorships with the Children’s Hospital Ireland, the Health Service Executive, Ulster Bank, Co-operation Ireland, Coillte (State forestry company), Lifetime Assurance (Bank of Ireland’s life assurance subsidiary) and several private companies. She chaired the Irish Government’s Commission on Financial Management and Control Systems in the Health Services and was Vice-Chair of the Irish Government’s Review Group on Auditing. Niamh is an inaugural honorary fellow of the Institute of Directors in Ireland and an honorary fellow of the Society of Actuaries in Ireland.
O’REILLY HALL, 13 FEBRUARY 2020
Networking Dr. Mary Collins Senior Executive Development Specialist at RCSI Institute of Leadership Mary is a Coaching Psychologist who has been working in the Leadership Development/Talent Management field for over 15 years. Her current role as Senior Executive Development Specialist with RCSI Institute of Leadership involves working with senior leaders in the healthcare sector to develop their management and leadership capabilities through a range of executive development and academic approaches up to PhD level. Mary is passionate about leveraging the strengths of the Multigenerational Workplace and is a renowned keynote speaker on this topic. Her research interests are Women in Leadership and Emotional Intelligence and Leadership. Prior to joining RCSI, Mary was Head of Talent and Learning for Deloitte Ireland for 7 years. Mary is an Accredited Professional Executive Coach with the Association of Coaching (AC), a graduate member of the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) and a council member of Irish Institute of Training & Development. In 2019, Mary joined the committee of the Coaching Psychology Special Division for PSI. Mary’s doctoral research has been published as part of the book ‘Managing Professionals & other Smart People’ in 2015. Mary is also writing a book on ‘Recruiting Talented Professionals’ to be published in 2019 with Chartered Accountants Ireland.
Returning to Work Louise Ryan
Managing Director of The Gin Hub at Pernod Ricard Louise Ryan was appointed Managing Director of The Gin Hub at Pernod Ricard, based in London, in July 2018 where she leads the global development of Pernod Ricard’s portfolio of international gin brands – Beefeater, Plymouth & Malfy. Prior to this she was Managing Director (Ireland) at Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard, Ireland’s leading supplier of spirits, wines and champagne, and producer of the world’s most wellknown and successful Irish whiskeys. Prior to joining Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard, Louise spent 14 years with Mars Ireland where she held numerous roles including Marketing Director and Commercial Director. She left Mars in in 2009 following the birth of her third child, in order to spend more time with her young family, working on a consultancy basis with a number of clients in the FMCG, Drinks, Retail and Healthcare industries before joining Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard in 2012. Louise Ryan graduated in 1995 with a degree in Business Studies from Trinity College Dublin and completed an MBS in the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School the following year.
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UCD WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
Women in Technology Rob Corbet
Partner, Arthur Cox Rob Corbet is a partner and Head of Technology & Innovation in Arthur Cox where he leads the largest legal team in Ireland dedicated to specialist IT, data protection and Intellectual Property law. He is a leading external counsel to many of the world’s largest technology companies on GDPR and privacy issues. He is consistently ranked “Band 1” and a “top technology lawyer” by Chambers Europe and a “Leading Individual” in Ireland for both his Information Technology practice by The Legal 500: EMEA.
Ryan Shanks
Managing Director of The Dock, Accenture Ryan is the Managing Director of The Dock, Accenture’s global R&D Centre and its Flagship Innovation Centre in Europe. The Dock is a diverse team of over 300 creative problem-solvers – where design, technology and business meet under one roof. It is a crossroads where Accenture, its clients and partners connect to pioneer new ways to fulfil human needs using emerging technology. Ryan also chair’s Accenture Innovation Architecture Council, which drives the evolution of Accenture’s network of innovation capabilities. Ryan has been implementing new technologies, restructuring organisations and developing talent with global organisations for over 20 years. His experience ranges from corporate innovation and operating model design, to culture change and leadership development. Ryan leverages his experience across several industries including telecommunications, software, banking and the public sector to create tailored approaches for his clients. He is a thought-leader on corporate innovation, talent and organisation development who frequently presents at academic, governmental and business events. His recent publications are in the areas of the future home, future of work, responsible business and human/robot collaboration. Ryan is an American, Swedish and Irish national with international experience having been based for a number of years in Chicago, Stockholm and Dublin while managing projects across North America, Europe and Asia. Ryan’s has undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Communication, and Masters Degree in International Relations where he studied the role of multinational businesses in society.
O’REILLY HALL, 13 FEBRUARY 2020
Rachel Tobin
AGC EMEA & Global Privacy Counsel, Zendesk Rachel Tobin is Associate General Counsel EMEA & Global Privacy Counsel at Zendesk. Zendesk makes better experiences for agents, admins, and customers serving over 150,000 paid customer accounts and it has over 3,000 global employees. Rachel is based in Zendesk’s EMEA Headquarters in Dublin.
Sarah Cunningham
Vice President of Mastercard’s Dublin Technology Hub Sarah Cunningham is Vice President of Mastercard’s Dublin Technology Hub where she is focused on growing the impact of Mastercard’s Dublin operation. Over her 20-year career, Sarah has held various Strategy, Marketing, Innovation Management and Leadership positions in companies including Mastercard, Google, CapGemini and Accenture. Sarah is a staunch advocate for diversity and inclusion in the workplace and passionate about mentoring and coaching the future generation of up-and-coming talent. In her spare time, Sarah is an enjoys hiking with her husband. She has hiked in the Himalayas, Lesotho, Peru (the Inca Trail), Spain (a leg of the Camino) the Alps.
Dearbhaill Rossiter
Senior Communications Manager, RSA Insurance Irelan Dearbhaill is a seasoned communications professional with significant experience in both consultancy and in-house roles. Prior to joining RSA Insurance Ireland, Dearbhaill was Head of Corporate Affairs at eir, one of Ireland’s leading telecommunications companies. She is skilled in strategic counsel, brand building, media relations and crisis management and is widely recognised in her field for her expertise, results and outcomes . Dearbhaill has directed award-winning media campaigns and initiatives designed to reach investors, consumers, employees, industry analysts, customers, government agencies as well as other key stakeholders. Dearbhaill is a member of The Irish Jesuits Board of Management. The Board is responsible for the management and funding of the work of missionaries in Africa, the Far East and South America, specifically in relation to Social Justice, Human Rights, Education and Pastoral Works. Specifically, Dearbhaill assists with the development, execution and measurement of strategic communications strategies to promote the work of the organisation. She is passionate about Diversity and Inclusion and has been involved in numerous initiatives designed to create, promote and foster cultures which support and recognise women in business. Dearbhaill holds an Honours degree in History and Economics and is a graduate of University College Dublin.
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UCD WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
Crew Eimear O’Flynn
Event Founder and Organiser Eimear developed the idea of the Women in Leadership Conference while involved with events in UCD as she recognised a severe gap in activities to promote female empowerment within the University. Currently, Eimear is the Operational Excellence Manager for Abbott Nutrition’s Third-Party Manufacturing Group. Previous roles with Abbott include Contract Manufacturing Manager, Quality Engineer and Operations Shift Lead. Eimear also spent time in Northern India with Abbott’s established pharmaceutical division as part of completing the Abbott Professional Development Programme. Eimear graduated from UCD in 2014 with a BSc in Physiology. During her time in University she was Auditor of the UCD Musical Society as well as being involved in several other events on campus.
Michael Foley
Deputy Event Organiser Michael is currently a Senior Associate with the Deals Advisory, Transaction Services team in KPMG. Transactions Services is a specialist advisory team assisting clients in completing major market transactions. Michael graduated from UCD with a degree in Business and Law and following this gained a Masters in Accounting from the UCD Smurfit Business School. A past treasurer of the L&H, Michael was involved in a wide range of activities on campus as a student. He is delighted to be involved with the Women in Leadership Conference as it strives to impact real change.
Trisha Fitzpatrick Event MC
Trisha Fitzpatrick is a qualified financial advisor working at a boutique firm in Dublin and will be joining Accenture in the management consulting programme in 2020. She is passionate about keeping finance people focused and expanding financial education and empowerment for everyone. While studying politics and philosophy in University College Dublin, Trisha worked part time and gained her qualifications in finance at the same time she was involved in UCD society life with the L&H, Jailbreak and 100minds. Trisha’s interests include: start-ups, fundraising and volunteering for organisations she believes in. She has been involved in Women in Leadership since its inception in 2016.
O’REILLY HALL, 13 FEBRUARY 2020
Andrea Henry Committee Member
Andrea Henry is a campaign manager in eightytwenty. She has five years’ experience in managing digital media campaigns for some of Europe’s biggest brands. She is currently studying social media and media law part time in The Honorable Society of King’s Inns. Andrea graduated from UCD in 2014, with a joint major in Sociology and Geography. Having been involved in marketing teams for several societies during her time in UCD, Andrea made the move into the advertising industry shortly after graduation. As an attendee of the Women in Leadership conference since its conception, Andrea is delighted to be part of the team this year and hopes that all attendees acquire as much knowledge and inspiration as she has over the past five years.
Laura Hogan Committee Member
Laura is a final year BCL Law with Politics student in the UCD Sutherland School of Law. She is currently the coordinator of the student-led UCD free legal aid clinics where she manages a team of 86 volunteers. Laura previously worked for YouthLaw Aotearoa, a charity and community law centre that provides free legal advice to children and young people in New Zealand. In 2016, Laura was elected as Auditor of the 107th session of the UCD Law Society which is the largest student society in UCD.
Notes
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UCD WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
Notes
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