Unlocking
Innovation,
Through Talent.

Niall Collins T.D. is Minister of State with responsibility for Skills and Further Education at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. Before his election as a T.D in Limerick in 2007, Niall served as a member of Limerick County Council for the Bruff Local electoral area. A qualified accountant, he has worked with Ernst & Young and as a part-time lecturer at Limerick Institute of Technology. He has also served as deputy CEO of the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board.

Paul is a respected commentator in the arena of talent development and business innovation, having operated at an executive level in commercial environments for over 20 years. His areas of expertise include: Education and Labour Market Policy, Human Resource Development and Corporate Governance. Prior to his appointment as Chief Executive of Skillnet Ireland, Paul had responsibility for Organisational Development and Talent for a large multinational company. Paul is a member of National Training Fund Industry Steering Group, the EU Commission Skills for Industry 2030 Policy Group and the European Digital SME Alliance.

Brendan McGinty is a leading national voice in people strategy, employment relations and policy, change management, dispute resolution and public affairs. Having worked previously as the executive director with leadership responsibility for IR/HR services with Ibec, Brendan founded Stratis Consulting where he is Managing Partner. Stratis offers supports to organisations who want to inspire, lead and drive change in critical areas of strategic employment relations, people strategy and workplace innovation. As an effective influencer, advocate and communicator, he engages with enterprise, trade unions, government and other stakeholders.

‘Futurist’ Mark Stevenson is a strategic advisor to governments, NGOs and corporates. He helps organisations change the way they feel, think, invest and operate in order to be future-ready. He is a best-selling author and Futurist Without Borders for Medicines Sans Frontiers (UK), Global Ambassador for Client Earth and strategic advisor of climate change to the UK Ministry of Defence.

Keynote Speech: The Future and What To Do About It

Áine Kerr is co-founder and COO of Kinzen and an award-winning journalist. Earlier in her career, Áine led global journalism partnerships at Facebook and was also a key part of the leadership team at Storyful prior to the company’s acquisition by News Corporation. Áine is a Fellow of Columbia University’s Sulzberger Leadership Programme and a regular contributor to RTÉ Radio 1 as host of ‘Reignite’ and guest host of ‘The Business.’

Keynote Speech: Shaping Ireland’s Digital Economy Through Talent

Sebastiano Toffaletti is Secretary General of the European DIGITAL SME Alliance – Europe’s largest network of SMEs from the ICT sector. The association represents over 45,000 enterprises and covers EU initiatives, legislation and policies related to cybersecurity, IoT, Artificial Intelligence and blockchain. Sebastiano is chair of the Working Group on SMEs at the European Cybersecurity Organisation and board member of the ETSI.

Expert Interview: Digitalisation and the Competitiveness of Business

Tara Rodgers is President of Sligo Chamber. She has held numerous senior leadership roles for Bank of Ireland in the Northwest region before taking up her current position as Manager of EBS in Sligo. Tara possesses an in-depth knowledge of driving economic growth within the SME sector. As Chamber president, she works with members to tackle the financial and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Panel Discussion: Leadership for the Next Normal

Lorna Martyn is a global technology leader with almost 30 years’ experience in financial services, consulting and telecommunications. As Head of Technology and Regional Co-Lead at Fidelity Ireland, Lorna leads over 1,000 technologists who develop super quality innovative technology solutions for the Fidelity business. Lorna is chairperson of Technology Ireland, board member of the Irish American Partnership and is a recognised advocate for female representation in technology.

Panel Discussion: Leadership for the Next Normal

Dr. Colm Foster is Director of Executive Education at IMI. He leverages his twenty-plus years’ experience in leading multiple strategic projects and change programmes to help organisations and their leadership teams to optimise growth and capitalise on business opportunities. Colm is a board member of Cork University Business School and co-author of Amazon top 10 business book for 2014 Step Up; Lead in Six Moments that Matter.

Panel Discussion: Leadership for the Next Normal

Founder and Managing Director of Bradley Brand, Andrew Bradley was one of the founders of the Design Skillnet and was Promoter of Design Skillnet from 2017 to 2021. An influential figure in Ireland’s design sector, in 2020 he chaired the Steering Group that developed “Together for Design: The Roadmap for Development of the Irish Design Sector” for the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs. In early 2021, An Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, also appointed Andrew as Chair of the Board of Design & Crafts Council Ireland.

Panel Discussion: Leadership for the Next Normal

Richard Curran is a journalist, broadcaster, author, and host of ‘The Business’ on RTÉ Radio One. In his 27-year career in journalism, he has held the position of deputy editor of The Sunday Business Post, assistant editor of The Sunday Tribune and business editor of the Irish Independent. He has co-authored two books and brings a wealth of knowledge across a wide variety of business, economic and social issues.