Business and Finance Class Acts

TARIQ ZAKI

BE Electrical Engineering 2010, MSc Business Analytics 2012

Commerce marketing start-up Shopbox raised €765,000 in seed funding from private investors in June 2021. Co- founded by Chief Technology Officer Tariq Zaki and Alan Gormley in 2020, investors include Gerry Rogers, former senior executive at Nike and Ikea, and Paul Kealy from pram and nursery retailer Tony Kealys. Zaki was previously a member of the leadership teams at SAS, Popertree and Red Sift.

JOE HENEGHAN

Diploma Governance and Risk 2015

In June 2021, Joe Heneghan, CEO of Revolut Ireland, was appointed to the new role of CEO for Europe, overseeing Revolut’s further expansion in the European Economic Area (EEA). As CEO of Revolut Ireland since October 2020, Heneghan led the rapid growth of Revolut’s Irish business to 1.5m customers. He has more than 25 years’ experience in financial services, including senior leadership positions at Ulster Bank and Permanent TSB.

LUCY MCPHAIL

MA History 2008

In April 2021, Lucy McPhail was appointed Head of Buying at luxury department store Liberty London. McPhail moved to London in 2019 to work on a project for Harrods. An experienced buyer, McPhail began her career in Dublin as an assistant buyer at Arnotts, and as a buyer at Lifestyle Sports. McPhail is also director and founder of online beauty boutique Fetch Beauty, which she launched in 2017. Fetch Beauty offers personalised beauty and skincare products.

NORAH WALSH

MAcc 2005

In October 2020, Norah Walsh was promoted to the role of Partner/Principal in the subservice line of International Tax and Transaction Services at EY in New York. Walsh first joined Ernst & Young (now EY) in 2005 as a Tax Manager on the Irish tax desk in Dublin. After receiving her master's degree in accounting from UCD in 2005, Walsh became a qualified accountant at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ireland and a chartered tax consultant at the Irish Taxation Institute in 2008.

CATHERINE GUBBINS

MAcc 1997

In May 2021, Catherine Gubbins became Group Chief Financial Officer of state airports company, the DAA. In this position, she is responsible for overall group finance function as well as playing a key role in managing the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. She is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland and is a former Chairperson of the Leinster Society of Chartered Accountants.

RÓISÍN HENNERTY

BA English and German 1988

In February 2021, Róisín Hennerty, Managing Director of Ornua Foods, spoke at UCD’s Women in Leadership Conference. In 2019, Hennerty and her team made history by growing Kerrygold retail sales to €1 billion annually, cementing it as Ireland’s most successful food brand. In September 2020, she was named Irish Times Business Person of the Year due to the company’s reported record sales and profit for 2020.

TERENCE O’ROURKE

BA History and Economics 1975

Terence O’Rourke, a retired Managing Partner and Board Member of KPMG Ireland, became Chair of the ESB in November 2020. O’Rourke is a Fellow and former President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland. He is Chair of Enactus Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, and a member of the boards of the Irish Management Institute, the Hugh Lane Gallery, the Irish Film Institute, Rethink Ireland, and Dublin Theatre Festival.

ALICE DELAHUNTY

BE Electrical Engineering 2003, MMgtSc 2005

In December 2020, Alice Delahunty became President, Electricity Transmission at National Grid UK, a utility focused on the transmission and distribution of electricity and gas. Prior to this she was Head of Network Optimisation, leading a team of more than 300 engineers and technical specialists. Delahunty is a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

WILL QUINN MCMAHON

BSc Economics and Finance 2012

British nutrition company Kendamil, led by Commercial Director Will Quinn McMahon was recognised by the Financial Times as one of the 1,000 fastest-growing companies in Europe for 2020. Kendamil was also honoured with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2020 for its 360 per cent growth in global exports of infant formulas and baby cereals over a period of three years. Quinn McMahon also has an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

MARTINA FITZGERALD

BA History & Politics 1995

In November 2020, Martina Fitzgerald became CEO of Scale Ireland, an organisation to promote Irish tech start-ups and scale-ups. She is a member of the National Screening Advisory Committee and a board member of Dóchas, a network to connect, inspire and represent people and organisations working for global justice. Its platform provides a data-driven approach to diversity and inclusion. Fitzgerald spoke at UCD’s Women in Leadership Conference 2021.

DALTON PHILIPS

BA Geography & Classics 1990

In October 2020, UCD Alumni Awardee Dalton Philips, CEO of the Dublin Airport Authority, was appointed Chairman at Rethink Ireland, previously Social Innovation Fund Ireland, which provides supports to charities and social enterprises to achieve social change. In 2020, Dublin Airport saw fewer than 7.5 million passengers pass through its doors, less than a quarter of the record 32.9 million in 2019. Philips believes Rethink Ireland will play a pivotal role in Ireland’s pandemic recovery.

CATHAL MARLEY

BA English & Geography 1988, Diploma Advanced Management 2002, MBA International Executive 2003

Ervia, formerly known as Bord Gáis, appointed Cathal Marley as CEO in September 2020, overseeing the semi-state company and subsidiaries Gas Networks Ireland and Irish Water. The Donegal native previously had a 20-year career with the ESB and held senior positions at the World Bank and Ernst & Young LLP. He is a member of the Irish Management Institute (IMI) and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.

ANNE HERATY

BA Maths and Politics 1984

In January 2021, Ireland’s leading employment services company, CPL Resources, was sold to Japanese company Outsourcing Inc for €318m. Anne Heraty co-founded the company in 1989 and in 1992 became sole shareholder. In 1999, Heraty became the first female CEO of an Irish company floated on the stock exchange. She was appointed to the global Board of Directors of Outsourcing Inc following the completion of the acquisition of CPL.

BARRY O’SULLIVAN

BA Geography 1995, Executive MBA 2008

Barry O’Sullivan succeeded fellow UCD alumnus Oliver Loomes as Managing Director of Diageo Ireland in June 2021. O’Sullivan joined Diageo Ireland after a 13-year career in which he held various roles, including Managing Director of Mars Petcare in Australia and New Zealand. O’Sullivan is also an alumnus of London Business School Global Business Consortium and Harvard Business School.

GARETH LAMBE

BComm 1995

In January 2021, Gareth Lambe, Head of Facebook Ireland, was inaugurated President of the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland. Lambe has been on the board of directors since 2016. He is also VP International Business Planning and Operations at Facebook Ireland, responsible for the health and success of Facebook’s International Headquarters in Ireland. He is a member of Facebook’s board of directors.

ASHLEY MCDONNELL

CEMS MIM 2016

In January 2021, Ashley McDonnell was appointed Global Digital Media and e-Commerce Manager at Geneva-based fashion and fragrance house, Puig, after working for Google and the LVMH Group. Puig’s brands include Jean-Paul Gaultier, Paco Rabanne, Carolina Herrera, Dries Van Noten and Charlotte Tilbury. McDonnell won the Next Generation Award at the Digital Business Ireland Awards 2020, and was a keynote speaker on innovation and sustainability at the 2019 Vogue Business Conference.

DES MCCARTHY

BA Economics 1986, MBS 1989

In May 2021, Des McCarthy was appointed CEO of Microfinance Ireland, a company which provides loans to newly established and growing micro-enterprises. McCarthy has over 20 years’ experience in the finance sector, having held a number of roles, including Chief Financial Officer at KBC Bank. He is a non-executive director at Cluid Housing, the largest approved not-for-profit housing association in Ireland, and also a non-executive director and council member at the Institute of Banking.

MICAELA CONNERY

MBA 2017

In February 2021, social entrepreneur Micaela Connery, founder and CEO of The Kelsey, was selected as one of 25 business school graduates honoured by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the world’s largest business alliance, as the 2021 Class of Influential Leaders. The alliance recognises notable graduates from AACSB- accredited business schools across the world. Connery’s organisation, The Kelsey, pioneers disability-forward affordable housing solutions.

DENIS O’BRIEN

BA History and Politics 1980

In June 2021, Denis O’Brien exited the Irish media market when he sold Communicorp, including Newstalk and Today FM stations, which he founded in 1989, to the German media conglomerate, Bauer Media Audio, reportedly for over €100m. Communicorp is Ireland’s largest commercial radio group with a weekly audience of more than 1.75m listeners and has been at the forefront of Ireland’s media industry for over 30 years.

TARIQ ZAKI

JOE HENEGHAN

LUCY MCPHAIL

NORAH WALSH

CATHERINE GUBBINS

RÓISÍN HENNERTY

TERENCE O’ROURKE

ALICE DELAHUNTY

WILL QUINN MCMAHON

MARTINA FITZGERALD

DALTON PHILIPS

CATHAL MARLEY

ANNE HERATY

BARRY O’SULLIVAN

GARETH LAMBE

ASHLEY MCDONNELL

DES MCCARTHY

MICAELA CONNERY

DENIS O’BRIEN

TARIQ ZAKI

BE Electrical Engineering 2010, MSc Business Analytics 2012

JOE HENEGHAN

Diploma Governance and Risk 2015

LUCY MCPHAIL

MA History 2008

NORAH WALSH

MAcc 2005

CATHERINE GUBBINS

MAcc 1997

RÓISÍN HENNERTY

BA English and German 1988

TERENCE O’ROURKE

BA History and Economics 1975

ALICE DELAHUNTY

BE Electrical Engineering 2003, MMgtSc 2005

WILL QUINN MCMAHON

BSc Economics and Finance 2012

MARTINA FITZGERALD

BA History & Politics 1995

DALTON PHILIPS

BA Geography & Classics 1990

CATHAL MARLEY

BA English & Geography 1988, Diploma Advanced Management 2002, MBA International Executive 2003

ANNE HERATY

BA Maths and Politics 1984

BARRY O’SULLIVAN

BA Geography 1995, Executive MBA 2008

GARETH LAMBE

BComm 1995

ASHLEY MCDONNELL

CEMS MIM 2016

DES MCCARTHY

BA Economics 1986, MBS 1989

MICAELA CONNERY

MBA 2017

DENIS O’BRIEN

BA History and Politics 1980

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