Stephen Kinsella is Full Professor of Economics and Head of the Department of Economics at the University of Limerick. He is Economic Advisor to An Taoiseach agus An Tánaiste, with a focus on Trade. He is Co-Director of UL's Immersive Software Engineering programme and a member of the team that designed UL's latest Immersive Bioscience and Biotherapeutics degree, which will take its first students in September 2026.
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A native of Connemara, Breda joined IDA Ireland 22 years ago after spending much of her career in the UK and holds a master’s degree in strategic human resource management from Manchester Metropolitan University. Breda joined IDA Ireland as the Global Head of HR&OD, moved into Regional Business Development and Client Operations. Breda is currently heading up a department for IDA developing Ireland’s proposition on talent and digitalisation to support client transformation. Breda’s team works with IDA Ireland client companies on innovation, talent development, digitalisation, and sustainability. Her team is responsible for the development of supports and services in these areas to drive transformation across Irish sites and works closely with stakeholders across Ireland like BioPharmChem Ireland, to provide some of these supports to client companies.
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John is currently employed as the Director of Training Alliances & Innovation at the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training, Dublin, Ireland (NIBRT). As a member of NIBRT’s senior management team he works with colleagues to drive new business and initiatives in the area of training, workforce readiness and skills development. As an Adjunct Lecturer, he also currently delivers modules in Biopharmaceutical Science & Engineering within the Higher Education Sector in Ireland.
John completed his PhD in Biochemistry at University College Dublin specialising in molecular enzymology. He has over 25+ yrs experience in the development and manufacture of biopharmaceutical products. Within the biopharmaceutical industry he has been employed in technical operations and client engagement roles. Within GMP manufacturing facilities he has had roles in process development, process scale-up, tech transfer and regulatory engagement.
Dr Kara McGann is Head of Skills & Social Policy at Ibec, Ireland’s largest business representative group. Her role involves regular analysis of social and educational policy issues for a business audience, and as a strategic advisor to employers providing support on skills, labour market, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and social sustainability policy and practice.
She is a member of the National Skills Council and Chair of its NTF working group, a member of the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, a board member of the Open Doors Initiative, she represents Irish business on the Employment, Labour and Social Affairs Committee of Business at the OECD (BIAC), on the Social Affairs Committee at Business Europe and is Chair of their Employment Working Group, and is a member of the Labour Market Advisory Council.
Prior to joining Ibec in 2008, Kara held roles in industry as a Career Development Manager, Organisational Psychologist, and lectured at undergraduate, postgraduate and executive level.
Justin is a Development Advisor in Network Development with Skillnet Ireland where he manages a portfolio of Skillnet Business networks across a range of networks including, BioPharmaChem, Medtech, Engineering, Greentech, Sustainable Enterprise, Space, Connected Health, First Polymer and Industry 4.0.
With over 25 years’ experience, Justin has a strong track record in supporting and mentoring networks and companies. Justin has extensive experience and understanding of the development and training needs of companies at various stages of their development working with Skillnet Ireland and Enterprise Ireland. Justin holds a BA in Economics and a Masters in Marketing and Management from University College Dublin.
Dr Rabah Mouras is the Centre Research Manager at the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Technology Centre (PMTC), where he leads and oversees all research initiatives, shaping and executing the Centre’s strategic research agenda.
Rabah is an accomplished research leader with over two decades of expertise in the development and implementation of non-contact, non-destructive characterisation techniques and rapid analytical tools for in-line and online real-time process monitoring. These techniques have broad applications across the biopharmaceutical and MedTech sectors, consistently demonstrating their value as Process Analytical Technologies (PAT).
Rabah holds a PhD in Materials Science and an Executive MBA from the Kemmy Business School, blending deep scientific and technical insight with strategic business acumen.
Orla is the Managing Director at Innopharma Education, where she leads the senior management team in developing innovative education & training programmes and strategic partnerships across the life sciences and technology sectors. She collaborates closely with industry, government bodies, and training providers to drive initiatives in workforce readiness, upskilling, and skills policy design. As an active participant in national working groups, Orla often advises on best practice for funding models and skills development, ensuring that training solutions are aligned with Ireland’s economic and innovation agendas.
Orla has accumulated over 30 years’ experience at the intersection of further & higher education, workforce training, and skills strategy. Her career includes designing and scaling large-scale training programmes for the biopharmaceutical, manufacturing, and digital sectors, with a strong focus on public-private collaboration. She has also significant lecturing experience and has held roles overseeing accreditation, curriculum innovation, employer engagement, and compliance within highly regulated learning environments.
Paul Deasy is a seasoned leader with over 28 years of experience in the medical device and biopharmaceutical industries, where he has played a pivotal role in developing and advancing Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine. Throughout his career, Paul has consistently championed excellence in Learning and Development, designing and delivering impactful strategies that empower individuals and teams across the sector.
As a Site Learning and Development Manager, Paul brings a deep understanding of operational excellence, talent development, and organizational agility. His work has spanned global initiatives, cross-functional collaboration, and future-focused workforce planning. Paul is passionate about investing in people and future-proofing the workforce—ensuring teams are not only equipped for today’s challenges but are also agile and ready for tomorrow’s opportunities.
Driven by a belief that continuous lifelong learning is the cornerstone of innovation, Paul inspires others to embrace change, build resilience, and unlock their full potential in an ever-evolving industry landscape and believes Learning and Development is everyone’s business.
Paula is Site Learning Lead at Takeda Grange Castle; a Japanese Global Pharmaceutical company. Grange Castle has two plants which encompass API, High Potency. With over 30 years of experience in the Pharmaceutical industry, she is responsible for developing and delivering the Site Learning Strategy to deliver the operational competency requirements for a GxP regulated, manufacturing environment across multiple functions and for implementing the learning strategy based on site needs and business objectives.
The L&D team promote an active learning culture by encouraging our employees to embark on new learning opportunities. They are committed to building skills for a digital future to make learning a competitive advantage for all colleagues. They share many resources to develop the skills and knowledge of employees to increase efficiency and create a continuous learning culture.
Helen McMahon leads on skills policy and strategic partnerships at Enterprise Ireland, where she works directly with senior leaders across Government Departments, national agencies, and key stakeholders to address the evolving skills and talent needs of Irish enterprises. Her role is pivotal in informing stakeholders about the challenges and opportunities impacting the growth of Enterprise Ireland’s client companies, while influencing the development of responsive skills policies and forging strategic partnerships to support sustainable business growth.
Prior to joining Enterprise Ireland, Helen lead on Business and Enterprise Skills Development at Screen Training Ireland (Screen Ireland). With over 26 years’ experience in the screen industries, she has been instrumental in driving sectoral development and growth. Helen brings deep expertise in strategic company development and possesses a comprehensive understanding of the screen sector, having worked across film, television, animation, sales, distribution, exhibition, VFX, and games.
Dr Sarah Hayes is the Chief Operations Officer at SSPC, the Research Ireland Centre for Pharmaceuticals, based at the University of Limerick, Ireland. SSPC is a world-leading hub of Irish research expertise developing innovative technologies to address key challenges facing the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industry.
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