Business Class Acts - UCD Connections

SINEAD BAILEY

Exec MBA 2011

Sinead Bailey has been appointed Country Lead, Ireland, at global biopharma company Bristol Myers Squibb, having been with the company for more than a decade. Previously, Bailey worked in the FMCG sector with Nestlé, but a longstanding interest in improving human health saw her make the switch to the pharmaceutical industry. Though Bailey has a primary degree in industrial biochemistry, most of the roles she has held in pharma have been in sales and marketing.

SEÁN FARRELL

BAgrSc 1998, MSc Business (Leadership & Management Practice) 2021

Seán Farrell has taken up the role of Head of Business Banking at PTSB. Farrell will lead the bank’s ambitious growth strategy for the SME lending market, and aims to build on the platform established by its purchase of €165m performing micro-SME loans and the entire Lombard asset finance business from Ulster Bank earlier this year. Farrell previously held roles with the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland, Bank of Ireland, and ACCBank and is a specialist in SME lending.

NIAMH BRENNAN

BSc 1976, MSc Business and Executive Coaching 2021

Professor Niamh Brennan, the Michael MacCormac Professor of Management at UCD College of Business and the founder of UCD Centre for Corporate Governance, has been honoured by AACSB International – the world’s largest business education alliance – as one of the 2024 Class of Influential Leaders. The annual initiative recognises notable alumni and faculty whose work inspires positive change in the business world and society at large.

HUGH MC GUIRE

BSc 1990, MScAgr 1992

Hugh McGuire has taken up the role of Chief Executive Officer at nutrition group Glanbia plc. He has also joined the Glanbia Board as an Executive Director. McGuire originally joined Glanbia in 2003 and held a range of senior leadership roles across the group, residing in the US for nine years during the course of his career with the company. Most recently he was CEO of the company’s Glanbia Performance Nutrition division.

CHARLIE GLEESON

BComm 2019

Taxi and multi-mobility company FREENOW has appointed Charlie Gleeson as new General Manager of the Irish market. Previously, Gleeson was the CEO and founder of Irish micro mobility start-up Zipp Mobility, until it was acquired by Zeus Scooters earlier this year. In his new role, Gleeson will lead a team of over 35 people in Ireland, and oversee the rollout and expansion of the company’s services, including the delivery of new micro mobility options.

JOANIE HUGHES

BSc 1997

Joanie Hughes has joined Aviva Insurance Ireland as Managing Director and Chief Underwriting Officer of Personal Lines, its consumer businesses. Hughes was previously CEO of FNZ Europe and prior to that held a number of senior roles with Bank of Ireland (Head of Transformation, MD of insurance services and retail lead for strategic partnerships, and senior manager for mortgages). She has wide experience across the banking, technology, wealth, and insurance industries.

RICHARD BALL

MAcc 2003

Cairn Homes plc has announced the appointment of Richard Ball, a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland, as Chief Financial Officer. Ball joined the company in April 2024, and was then appointed to the board as an Executive Director. Ball has over 18 years’ experience in the Irish property market, with extensive expertise in finance, capital markets, sustainability and investment. Most recently he worked with Urbeo Residential; before that, he was Chief Investment Officer at Hibernia REIT plc.

TARA FOLEY

BA Psychology 1991, MA Psychology 1995

Tara Foley has been appointed CEO of insurance company AXA UK and Ireland, which recently purchased Irish health insurance provider Laya. Prior to her appointment, she was CEO of AXA UK’s retail business. Before joining AXA in 2020, Foley worked mainly in the banking sector, in a variety of different roles with Lloyds Banking Group and Deutsche Bank. Foley’s primary degree was in psychology and she began her career as a consultant with Accenture.

SIOBHAN O’SHEA

BComm 1995

Siobhan O’Shea has been appointed President of Dublin Chamber. In the role she has put the spotlight on Dublin’s vulnerabilities, including housing, infrastructure, and the skills crisis, and cautioned against the danger of delaying Dublin’s growth by not addressing these crucial areas effectively. As Director of Scaled Business Success (EMEA/APAC) at Indeed, O’Shea leads a team of Global Directors to exceed revenue targets in markets including UK, Ireland, India, and Australia.

ASHLEY MC DONNELL

MSc International Management 2016

Based in Paris, PwC Businesswoman of the Year Ashley McDonnell has been appointed Global Consumer Acceleration Director with Puig. McDonnell works as a digital marketer within the world’s leading tech and luxury groups, describing her work as data-driven and strategy-focused. She is a board member of multiple start-ups and of Digital Business Ireland, and is the host of the podcast, Tech Powered Luxury.

COLIN RYAN

BCL 1997, HDipBS 1998

Colin Ryan has been appointed Chief Strategy & Corporate Development Officer at tech company Qualcomm Incorporated. In his role, Ryan will have oversight of strategic planning, M&A, Qualcomm Ventures, and corporate business development. Ryan reports directly to Cristiano Amon, President and CEO of Qualcomm Incorporated. Prior to joining Qualcomm, Ryan spent more than 25 years at Goldman Sachs advising clients across the technology, media and telecom industries on strategy, corporate finance and M&A. In 2019 he was a UCD Alumni Awardee in Law.

DAVID HALPIN

BE Mechanical 2000, MEngSc 2002

David Halpin was appointed Vice-President Quality and HSE Aerospace Procurement, at Rolls Royce, Birmingham, UK in May 2024. Responsible for manufacturing both the electronic intelligence in a jet engine and critical mechanical and hydraulic systems, Rolls Royce is recognised as one of the world’s leading producers of engines for civil and corporate aircraft.

ISABEL GARVEY

BComm Int 1998

Isabel Garvey has been appointed Chief Operating Officer of Warner Music UK. Garvey was most recently MD of London’s legendary Abbey Road Studios, where she expanded the studio and its brand, launching digital production services and establishing Europe’s first incubator for music tech innovation.

CONOR GALVIN

BSc Physiology 1996, PhD Zoology 2001, MBA 2009

Conor Galvin has been appointed CEO of Ornua, the Irish dairy co-operative that markets and sells dairy products on behalf of Ireland’s dairy processors. Headquartered in Dublin, Ornua is Ireland’s largest exporter of dairy products with annualised sales of over €3.4bn and a global workforce of 3,000 employees. Formerly Chief Executive of Dairygold Cooperative Society, Galvin, who is from a farming background, took up his role in May. He is a qualified accountant.

DONAL TIERNEY

BA Economics 1986, MBA 1993

Donal Tierney has been named Chair of NTR, the sustainable infrastructure investor and asset manager. He previously served as a director of NTR between 2000 and 2014. Tierney has 24 years’ experience as a CEO, and is current Chair of Bimeda, a global veterinary pharmaceuticals manufacturer and distributor. He also holds the role of Chair of Green Biofuels Ireland, operator of Ireland’s first and largest commercial-scale biodiesel processing plant.

LAM (LIAM) PHAM

MSc Project Management 2012

Lam (Liam) Pham has been named CEO of PC1 Australia, a new subsidiary of the PC1 Group. PC1 has a 60-year track record of success in Vietnam’s sustainable energy sector, and PC1 Australia offers a range of solutions – from steel products and electrical equipment, to design and project management services – for electrical grid and renewable energy projects to the Australian market. Pham is an expert in offshore wind supply in SE Asia with over 13 years’ experience in the sector in the region.

MATTHEW DOWLING

BComm 2002

Matthew Dowling has been appointed Chief Commercial Officer at Leinster Rugby. Dowling has over 20 years’ experience in sales and marketing and was most recently the Global Head of Creative and Digital Sales and Strategy at Novartis. Before that he worked at Amdocs, a global software and digital transformation company, as Head of Marketing for Western Europe. He is a lifelong Leinster supporter, and played competitively in school and in the AIL, with Terenure College.

SEÁN MOLLOY

BAgrSc 1994

Seán Molloy has been appointed CEO of Tirlán – formerly Glanbia – an independent, farmer-owned co-operative with over 2,300 employees making more than €2bn of milk and grain payouts annually. A director of Tirlán for the past 12 years, Molloy was previously Chief Ingredients and Agribusiness Officer, and has held a variety of roles within Glanbia since 2006. From a farming background, Molloy lives on the family farm in Co. Offaly.

SINEAD BAILEY

SEÁN FARRELL

NIAMH BRENNAN

HUGH MC GUIRE

CHARLIE GLEESON

JOANIE HUGHES

RICHARD BALL

TARA FOLEY

SIOBHAN O’SHEA

ASHLEY MC DONNELL

COLIN RYAN

DAVID HALPIN

ISABEL GARVEY

CONOR GALVIN

DONAL TIERNEY

LAM (LIAM) PHAM

MATTHEW DOWLING

SEÁN MOLLOY

SINEAD BAILEY

Exec MBA 2011

SEÁN FARRELL

BAgrSc 1998, MSc Business (Leadership & Management Practice) 2021

NIAMH BRENNAN

BSc 1976, MSc Business and Executive Coaching 2021

HUGH MC GUIRE

BSc 1990, MScAgr 1992

CHARLIE GLEESON

BComm 2019

JOANIE HUGHES

BSc 1997

RICHARD BALL

MAcc 2003

TARA FOLEY

BA Psychology 1991, MA Psychology 1995

SIOBHAN O’SHEA

BComm 1995

ASHLEY MC DONNELL

MSc International Management 2016

COLIN RYAN

BCL 1997, HDipBS 1998

DAVID HALPIN

BE Mechanical 2000, MEngSc 2002

ISABEL GARVEY

BComm Int 1998

CONOR GALVIN

BSc Physiology 1996, PhD Zoology 2001, MBA 2009

DONAL TIERNEY

BA Economics 1986, MBA 1993

LAM (LIAM) PHAM

MSc Project Management 2012

MATTHEW DOWLING

BComm 2002

SEÁN MOLLOY

BAgrSc 1994

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