Business and Finance Class Acts

CAROLAN LENNON

BSc Information Technology 1988

In March 2022, Carolan Lennon was appointed Country Leader of Salesforce Ireland following her departure as CEO of Eir. Lennon will lead the European headquarters based in Dublin. Lennon is a patron of Chapter Zero Ireland, a community of non-executive directors focused on leading boardroom discussions surrounding the impacts of climate change. She joined the board of Flutter in July 2022.

RONAN GLYNN

BSc Physiotherapy 2002, MPH 2015

In May 2022, following his resignation from the position of Deputy Chief Medical Offcer, it was announced that Dr Ronan Glynn, who is a qualified physiotherapist and medical doctor and holds a PhD in surgical oncology, is leaving the public sector to join consultants EY on their health advisory team. Dr Glynn was acting Chief Medical Officer on two occasions during 2020-2021 while fellow UCD alumnus Dr Tony Holohan was on compassionate leave.

LORNA MARTYN

MBS 1997

Lorna Martyn was appointed Regional Chair of financial services firm Fidelity Investments Ireland in April 2022 and now leads 1,400 associates. She has been with the company for 18 years and was promoted from Head of Technology in Ireland. She previously worked for Bank of Ireland and Saville Systems and has over three decades of experience in the financial services and telecommunications industries. She is also Chair of Technology Ireland.

CHRISTINA CAREY DUNLEAVY

MBA 2010

In April 2021, US-born Christina Carey Dunleavy was appointed Vice-President of Disney CreativeWorks and Multicultural and Inclusive Marketing (MC&I). In her role, she drives diversity and inclusion through creating authentic brand solutions. After her degree, she worked for RTÉ, NBC Universal Media, ESPN, and Viacom before joining Disney from Discovery Inc.

GALVEA KELLY

BBLS 2006, MBS 2008

Galvea Kelly was named among the Top 25 Women Leaders in Financial Technology by the Financial Technology Report in August 2021. She was also named as one of Aspioneer magazine’s 10 Disruptive Women Leaders in Fintech 2021. Kelly is the Chief Marketing Officer of Collective, an online concierge financial platform designed to handle financial back office paperwork for the self-employed. She previously worked for LVMH.

CONOR GALVIN

BSc Human Physiology 1996, PhD Cell Biology 2001, MBA 2009

Conor Galvin was appointed CEO of Cork-based Dairygold Co-Operative Society, Ireland’s largest dairy co-operative, in October 2021. A native of Co. Westmeath, Galvin joined Dairygold in 2014, serving in various key positions in its senior leadership team and leading the strategic and commercial growth of the business. Previously, he worked as Finance Director at DCC plc, and was a finance manager at both Diageo Ireland and Procter & Gamble.

GERARD DWYER

BComm 1990, MBS Management Information Systems 1997

In May 2021, Gerard Dwyer, who grew up in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, was appointed Vice-President of Business Finance at Rivian, the California-based electric vehicle automaker and automotive technology start-up that has raised more than $13 billion from investors including Amazon, Ford Motor Co, and Fidelity, making this the sixth-biggest IPO of all time. After starting his career at Telecom Eireann, Dwyer was previously Chief Financial Officer at Waymo LLC and spent ten years at Google.

EAMONN FORBES

MBA 2004

Eamonn Forbes was appointed Senior Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer at international aircraft leasing firm, Titan Aviation Leasing, in August 2021. He directs all sales and marketing activities and leads the global sales team based in Dublin. He has over 15 years of aviation leasing, legal and finance experience. He serves on the advisory board of LIFT, a non-profit promoting values leadership. Previously he worked at FPG Amentum Ltd and at SMBC Aviation Capital.

EUNICE OREOLUWA FASAN

MSc Business Analytics 2021

In September 2021, Eunice OreOluwa Fasan was announced as one of three winners of the Universitas 21/ PwC Innovation Challenge Competition 2021 for her initiative for skills bargaining in the workplace to improve shared prosperity of employees and reduce skills gaps. She was a finalist in the NovaUCD Student Enterprise Competition 2021 and was awarded an Intel Women in Technology scholarship in 2015. She is currently a data and analytics graduate trainee at AIB.

MARGARET GRIBBEN

BA English and Philosophy 1993

In September 2021, Margaret Gribben was selected for the 2021 HERoes Future Female Leaders list, which celebrates 100 inspirational women who are making a significant contribution to gender diversity at work. Gribben is the Head of Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at Irish Life. She leads several gender equality initiatives at Irish Life, and has successfully instigated gender balance targets at the company.

GERARDINE DOYLE

BSc Pharmacology 1985

Professor Gerardine Doyle, Director of the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, was named on the 2021 HERoes Future Female Leaders List, which celebrates 100 inspirational women who are making a significant contribution to gender diversity at work. Professor Doyle has championed a series of initiatives to increase female participation across MBA and MSc programmes at the Smurfit School.

MELÍOSA O’CAOIMH

BA Politics and Economics 1985

Melíosa O’Caoimh was selected for the 2021 HERoes Top 100 Women Executives list, which showcases 100 women driving change to increase gender diversity in the workplace. As Country Head for Northern Trust Ireland, O’Caoimh has developed programmes to remove biases from the employment lifecycle. She is Chair of the 30% Club in Ireland, part of a global initiative aimed at achieving gender balance at board level.

SUZANNE RICE

MBS 1990

US-based Suzanne Rice, originally from Co. Longford, was appointed Head of Privacy and Data Practices at Meta in October 2021. She was previously in a global business planning and operations role at Facebook. She has also held senior positions in Apple, Cisco, and Intel. Rice also leads the board of a project offering early learning to low-income families in California. Rice was selected as one of the 100 outstanding Silicon Valley professionals in the 2020 Class of Women of Influence by Silicon Valley Business Journal.

LYN MARKEY

MBA 2018

In November 2021, Dr Lyn Markey was presented with the One to Watch Award at Enterprise Ireland’s Big Ideas showcase for her pitch as co-founder of medtech company XTremedy Medical. Founded in 2020, XTremedy makes surgical devices to address deep tissue and bone infections. Dr Markey is also a researcher at NUI Galway. Prior to co-founding XTremedy Medical, she was a chemist at Henkel and Bristol-Myers Squibb, and an innovation manager at EIT Health.

RYAN MC DONNELL

BComm International 1998

Ryan McDonnell was appointed CEO of Lidl GB to lead its expansion plans in the UK and to meet its target of 1,000 stores by the end of 2025, in November 2021. Lidl GB has over 26,000 employees, more than 800 stores, and sources two-thirds of its products from British suppliers. McDonnell joined Lidl’s graduate scheme in 2000 and went on to set up the company’s buying and marketing divisions. His 21- year career at Lidl includes stints as CCO of Lidl Ireland and NI and CCO of Lidl GB

LORNA CONN

BComm 2001, MAcc 2002

In December 2021, Lorna Conn was announced as the new CEO of Cpl, after fellow UCD alumna and founder of the company Anne Heraty stepped down, following the sale of the talent solutions company to a Japanese firm for €318 million. Previously, Conn served as Deputy CEO and CFO of previously listed Cpl. Prior to joining Cpl, she started her career in Deloitte and is a Chartered Accountant, before holding Chief Financial Officer positions within NTR plc, ISS plc and Mediahuis.

RUTH FARRELL

BE 1996, MBA 2002

In April 2022, Ruth Farrell became General Manager of global speciality materials company Eastman’s Textiles business. She previously served as Global Marketing Director for the company. She is heavily invested in sustainability and innovation in the textile industry and in leading the production of fabrics produced from wood pulp and recycled plastics at a commercial scale. Farrell previously held senior marketing positions in DuPont and Eir.

MARK SPAIN

BComm 1990, DipPrAcc 1991

Mark Spain was appointed Group Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director of Bank of Ireland in March 2022. He was previously Chief Strategy Officer at Bank of Ireland, having joined the group in 1998 as a client advisory director at IBI Corporate Finance, before becoming Director of Group Investor Relations in 2013, followed by Director of Group Finance in 2016. He has previously worked for Diageo and KPMG.

SUZANNE EADE

BA 1988

In November 2021, Suzanne Eade was appointed CEO of Horse Racing Ireland. She is only the second person to be appointed CEO of the semi-state body, and is the first woman in the role. She previously served as CFO. In October 2021, Eade was named as one of the 50 Women of Influence in Irish Sport 2021 by Sport for Business. She has previously had directorial and managerial roles at Boots Ireland and P&G Ireland.

OLIVER LOOMES

BComm 1991, MBS 1992

Oliver Loomes succeeded fellow UCD alumna Carolan Lennon as CEO of Eir in February 2022. He previously spent 21 years at Diageo Ireland, most recently as Managing Director and Chairman. He was previously a board member of Ibec and the founder and Chair of the Open Doors Initiative, which creates pathways of employment for youths from disadvantaged backgrounds, people with disabilities, refugees and asylum seekers.

MARTIN TORMEY

BComm 1995, MBS Finance 1996

In September 2021, Martin Tormey was appointed CEO of Goodbody, Ireland’s longest-established stockbroking firm. He has spent over 25 years at the company working in a variety of senior roles, mainly in capital markets. He became Director of Strategic Business Development in 2014, following his position as Head of Equity Trading for 13 years. His appointment was made at the same time that AIB completed its acquisition of the firm for an enterprise value of €89 million.

PATRICK HAYES

BE 1986, MEngSc 1991

Paddy Hayes was appointed CEO of ESB Networks in August 2021, succeeding fellow UCD alumnus Pat O’Doherty. Key objectives include developing decarbonised electricity and investment in infrastructure. Hayes joined the company from British Steel in 1999 to lead the Synergen joint venture between the ESB and Statoil and has held various senior positions at the company including Managing Director of ESB Networks. He has an MBA from the University of Warwick.

JIM MINTERN

BComm 1987, DipPrAcc 1988

In June 2021, Jim Mintern was appointed Group Finance Director at CRH and joined the board of directors. Prior to this appointment, he was Chief of Staff to CEO Albert Manifold. A chartered accountant, he has over 30 years’ experience in the building materials industry and has spent almost 20 years at CRH. Prior to joining CRH, Mintern was Finance Director and Controller at Barlo Group Plc and a senior auditor at Arthur Andersen

CAROLAN LENNON

RONAN GLYNN

LORNA MARTYN

CHRISTINA CAREY DUNLEAVY

GALVEA KELLY

CONOR GALVIN

GERARD DWYER

EAMONN FORBES

EUNICE OREOLUWA FASAN

MARGARET GRIBBEN

GERARDINE DOYLE

MELÍOSA O’CAOIMH

SUZANNE RICE

LYN MARKEY

RYAN MC DONNELL

LORNA CONN

RUTH FARRELL

MARK SPAIN

SUZANNE EADE

OLIVER LOOMES

MARTIN TORMEY

PATRICK HAYES

JIM MINTERN

CAROLAN LENNON

BSc Information Technology 1988

RONAN GLYNN

BSc Physiotherapy 2002, MPH 2015

LORNA MARTYN

MBS 1997

CHRISTINA CAREY DUNLEAVY

MBA 2010

GALVEA KELLY

BBLS 2006, MBS 2008

CONOR GALVIN

BSc Human Physiology 1996, PhD Cell Biology 2001, MBA 2009

GERARD DWYER

BComm 1990, MBS Management Information Systems 1997

EAMONN FORBES

MBA 2004

EUNICE OREOLUWA FASAN

MSc Business Analytics 2021

MARGARET GRIBBEN

BA English and Philosophy 1993

GERARDINE DOYLE

BSc Pharmacology 1985

MELÍOSA O’CAOIMH

BA Politics and Economics 1985

SUZANNE RICE

MBS 1990

LYN MARKEY

MBA 2018

RYAN MC DONNELL

BComm International 1998

LORNA CONN

BComm 2001, MAcc 2002

RUTH FARRELL

BE 1996, MBA 2002

MARK SPAIN

BComm 1990, DipPrAcc 1991

SUZANNE EADE

BA 1988

OLIVER LOOMES

BComm 1991, MBS 1992

MARTIN TORMEY

BComm 1995, MBS Finance 1996

PATRICK HAYES

BE 1986, MEngSc 1991

JIM MINTERN

BComm 1987, DipPrAcc 1988

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