A Degree of Influence

Orna Ní Chionna plays a key role in the corporate governance of major UK PLCs, private companies and charities, bringing a rigorous analytical approach to boardroom decisions. Her extensive experience in both engineering and business management makes her a vital asset in navigating complex corporate landscapes and driving strategic initiatives at Burberry. Orna is also Chair of the Eden Trust.

As CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland, Paul Sweetman plays a pivotal role in fostering US-Ireland business relations. With a diverse background that includes leadership roles at Ibec and public affairs consultancy, Instinctif Partners, Paul brings a wealth of experience in strategic advocacy and business development. His engineering background provides a strong foundation for strategic thinking and problem-solving, essential in his leadership role.

Sandymount Technologies, a successful membrane filtration technology business co-founded by engineer Ronan McGovern, was sold to Alfa Laval in 2020. The entrepreneur’s new start-up Trelis Research is currently focused on building tools and tutorials for training AI models at Trelis.com and YouTube.com/@TrelisResearch. Ronan also enjoys sharing his experience and thinking about investing, which he shares at Arraig.com, offering practical lessons through his YouTube channel and providing a quarterly briefing for paying members.

Róisín Quinn, Director of Asset Operations at National Grid UK was awarded an OBE in 2022 in the honorary awards to foreign nationals as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours, for her services to the electricity system, energy security, and decarbonisation. She joined National Grid UK as a graduate and has held several key roles at the multinational including Head of National Control and Chief Engineer. In Róisín’s previous role she was responsible for connecting energy projects to the national transmission system, a crucial role in advancing the UK’s renewable energy goals.

James Mountjoy is a Director in PwC’s R&D Incentives Group, which supports companies in claiming incentives such as the R&D tax credit and RD&I grants. James uses his engineering experience to specialise in incentives in the technology sector. R&D incentives play a key role in driving foreign direct investment into Ireland as well as supporting the growth of Irish companies.

Romy Lynch leads product development at Keychain, focusing on blockchain technology and cybersecurity. Romy is also a co-founder of the start-up Unflow, launched in 2019, with the aim to make mobile app development smooth and easy using low-code templates for screens, new features and updates and which raised over $2.1m from prominent VCs. Romy presented at the Web Summit in 2021.

David Regan leads Concern Worldwide, a major humanitarian organisation. He started in Concern as a volunteer civil engineer in Ethiopia in 1985 before a 34-year career at Accenture. David’s approach to humanitarian work is influenced by his engineering training, which emphasises systematic problem-solving and innovation.

Dr Antonia Trotta is Principal R&D Engineer in Medtronic, the global leader in medical technology, services and solutions, which employs more than 4,000 people in Ireland. Prior to joining Medtronic in 2020, Antonia graduated with a BSc and MSc in Biomedical Engineering from Politecnico di Milano and in 2015 moved to Ireland to start a PhD at UCD in the area of biomechanics, focusing on mechanical characterisation of skin tissue and head impact biomechanics.

Fraud detection company Inscribe uses AI to detect fraud in documents that are supplied to insurers and lenders. The risk intelligence company – founded by Irish brothers Conor Burke (CTO) and Ronan Burke (CEO) along with Oisín Moran and James Eggers – uses a combination of natural language processing and computer vision to scan documents and look for potential fraud. Inscribe recently raised $25m in Series B funding for expansion and hiring plans, while developing its fraud detection software.

Siofra Herr is a Solar Array and Battery Engineer at SpaceX, the company founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the goal of reducing space transportation costs and ultimately developing a sustainable colony on Mars. Siofra provides analytics, modelling and engineering expertise to enable better integration of distributed energy sources.

Director and former deputy chair at Arup Group, Dervilla Mitchell was awarded a DBE in the King’s 2024 Birthday Honours for her services to engineering, having been awarded a CBE in 2014. Dervilla leads major construction projects, bringing engineering excellence to infrastructure and urban development.

AS CFO of DCC Energy, Conor Murphy applies his engineering skills to oversee financial strategy and operations in the energy sector. His role involves managing financial risk, optimising resources and supporting sustainable initiatives. Conor’s engineering training provided a strong analytic foundation, essential for strategic decision-making in a dynamic industry.

Jonathan Ruddy, who holds a PhD in Offshore Wind Integration, is responsible for all technical project management aspects of the Greenlink Interconnector in Ireland and Wales. Jonathan oversees the HVDC Converter Station, HVDC underground cable, HVDC submarine and HVAC substation, as well as grid integration, grid code compliance testing and commissioning of the Greenlink Interconnector.

Eoin Tuohy founded start-up Sports Impact Technologies to tackle the problem of undetected concussion. Inspired by his previous work on advanced space technologies at the European Astronaut Centre and the European Space Agency, he developed a miniaturised device to fit behind the ear that can record the impact of head collisions during rugby, Gaelic football and soccer games, transmitting the data off-field so decisions to take players off can be made without delay.

Aine Denari serves as President of the Brunswick Boat Group, a position she has held since 2020. She joined Brunswick Corporation, a global leader in marine recreation, after spending 20 years in a variety of roles in the automotive industry and leadership positions at major global consulting firms. As well as her degree from UCD, Aine has an MBA from Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern University), completed the Stanford Executive Program, and holds advanced engineering degrees from Purdue University and University of Detroit Mercy.

Aidan Ryan is VP, Operations at Allegion International PLC, a global provider of security systems with more than 120 branches in 35 countries and over 8,000 employees. Aidan is a business leader in operations, product development and marketing, identifying growth opportunities, diagnosing business issues and implementing practical solutions. Prior to his current role, Aidan has led functions and business units in Europe, the USA and Asia in the industrial machinery, commercial electronics and consumer products industries and has led the development of strategy and execution of business programmes.

Shauna Higgins leads initiatives in the green economy, promoting sustainable engineering practices. Her role involves driving the adoption of green technologies and practices across various sectors, helping to build a more sustainable and resilient economy.

Chris Enright joined FSI in January 2018 and, since then, his focus has been on building on the recent progress made towards a continuously evolving forensic organisation, working to effectively use the most advanced methods in the investigation of crime.

Mark completed his Chemical Engineering undergraduate, PhD and post-doctoral studies from UCD’s School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering. In 2011, he and Professor Brian Glennon co-founded APC to disrupt the pharma and biotech industries with a hyper-focused, accelerated approach to drug process development. APC has grown organically to become a global powerhouse in process development, partnering with companies large and small to bring medicines to market at unprecedented speed. APC now employs over 250 scientists, engineers and pharmaceutical professionals across Ireland and the US and aims to double in size in the coming three years.

Matthew Coffey and Katie Farrell met at UCD where they both studied engineering and co-founded SQUID straight out of college. Their loyalty technology platform allows users to keep all their loyalty cards in one app. SQUID is used in over 1,000 businesses across Ireland in mainly independently owned and small chains across the café, hospitality and salon industries. The business recently secured funding, adding investors like Colm Lyon and Sequoia Capital to its cap table.

Helen McBreen is a partner at Atlantic Bridge, a venture capital firm investing in high-potential tech start-ups. Her engineering background provides deep insights into technology trends and innovations, helping to identify and support ground-breaking startups. Helen’s ability to understand complex technologies and their market potential is key to her success in venture capital. “As an engineer and problem solver, I have a bias to overcoming hurdles and getting things done. This can take a fair degree of resilience, determination, and persuasiveness, all qualities that were embedded in me during my time at UCD.”