Andy Cronin was appointed Avolon’s Chief Executive Officer in October 2022 and is a globally recognised leader within the aviation industry, having held a range of senior roles across the sector for more than 20 years.
As part of the founding team and serving as Avolon’s CFO from 2010 to 2022, Andy has played a central role in building the company to the industry-leading position it holds today. He has successfully led Finance and Capital Market teams through numerous capital raises, corporate acquisitions, and most notably Avolon’s listing on the NYSE.
Prior to joining Avolon, Andy served as SVP Investor Markets at RBS Aviation Capital with responsibility for disposal, financing and debt syndication of operating lease and structured debt products to a wide pool of investors and banking communities. Before working at RBS Aviation Capital, Andy worked in numerous commercial and operational roles at FLS Aerospace.
Andy has a Bachelor of Engineering degree and a Master of Industrial Engineering degree, both with First Class Honours from University College Dublin.
Anne O’Leary joined Meta in September 2022 as the Vice President of Mid-Market Global Business Group in EMEA. In May 2023, Anne was appointed Head of Meta Ireland to oversee the community and culture across three locations; Meta’s HQ in Ballsbridge Dublin, Clonee Data Centre in Meath and Reality Labs in Cork. Anne is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, a commitment mirrored in Meta's workforce in Ireland, which comprises 80 teams representing over 110 nationalities.
In her day-to-day capacity, Anne collaborates closely with business leaders across the EMEA region, empowering them to harness the potential of Meta's apps to expand their reach and engage new customers.
Beyond her role at Meta, Anne also serves as the Vice President of IBEC and will take up the role of President in September 2024. She also holds seats on the boards of ERSI and Greencore. Anne previously spent 9 years as CEO in Vodafone Ireland, as well as spending time in BT Ireland as Managing Director and Esat Telecom as Regional Director.
In her spare time, Anne loves to swim in the Irish sea, run, cycle, do yoga and enjoys socialising with friends and family.
Conor Galvin is the Chief Executive Officer of Ornua, Ireland’s largest exporter of dairy products which has annualised sales of €3.4 billion.
Prior to joining Ornua, Conor was Chief Executive Officer of Dairygold Co-operative Ltd., and held a number of senior roles in its Senior Leadership Team having joined the co-operative in 2014. Prior to joining Dairygold, he was Finance Director with DCC's Food & Beverage division, and also held the role of Country Finance Manager with Procter & Gamble in Ireland.
Originally from a farming background in Co. Westmeath, Conor is a doctoral science graduate from University College Dublin and holds an MBA from the Smurfit Business School. He is also a qualified accountant, previously studied law achieving a LLB (Hons) and is a member of the UCD Governing Authority.
Danny McCoy is Chief Executive Officer of Ibec, Ireland’s largest business representative organisation and one of the largest in Europe. He has been CEO since 2009, Ibec has doubled in size to be a €50 million turnover business, with 330 employees over ten locations and owning 39 trade brands.
He is a graduate in Commerce from the University of Galway and postgraduate in Economics from University College Dublin. He has held lecturing posts at University College London, University of Oxford, Trinity College Dublin and Dublin City University. He has been senior economist at the Central Bank of Ireland and the Economic & Social Research Institute as well as being a consultant to the European Commission in Brussels and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris.
Danny is a Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy, Member of the Royal Irish Academy, Honorary Doctorate in Economics from University of Galway, Honorary Fellow of the Irish Academy of Engineering, Adjunct Professor Trinity College Dublin Business School and former President of the Statistical & Social Inquiry Society of Ireland and Independent Non Executive Director of Iput Real Estate.
He is currently the Employer Leader on the tripartite Labour Employer Economic Forum, Executive Committee of BusinessEurope, advisory committee of the Marine, Resource and Energy Institute (MaREI), member of both the State Investment and Trade Council and the Balance for Better Business group. Previously, he has been a member of the National Economic & Social Council, National Competitiveness Council, Commission on Taxation and the National Training Agency.
Hilary O’Meara is Country Managing Director of Accenture in Ireland and has held this role since January 2023.
Since joining Accenture in Ireland almost 30 years ago, Hilary has held a number of key leadership roles for the business including Head of Strategy & Consulting and Head of Technology in Ireland. From 2016 until 2021, Hilary led the Resources business in Ireland serving clients in the Utilities and Energy sector. In August 2021, Hilary was appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Accenture’s UK & Ireland business.
In Ireland, Accenture combines its strength in technology with unmatched industry experience, functional expertise and global delivery capability. Accenture in Ireland has a strong brand position and a highly talented leadership team with strong connections into global companies operating in Ireland, as well as Ireland’s leading international businesses.
Technology is at the core of business transformation today and Hilary is responsible for leading a team of over 6,500 people supporting clients to drive change across Accenture’s broad range of services, solutions and assets within Strategy & Consulting, Technology, Operations, Industry X and Accenture Song. These capabilities, together with strong ecosystem relationships, a culture of shared success and commitment to creating 360° value, enable Accenture in Ireland to serve its clients and build trusted, enduring relationships.
Hilary is passionate about empowering the next generation of talent, nurturing individual development and supporting teams to excel. In the fast paced and quickly evolving world we live in, she has developed an appreciation for the importance of modern leadership, continuous learning and promoting a culture that is inclusive and diverse.
Hilary is a member of Accenture Ireland's Board and an active member of University College Dublin’s College of Business Irish Advisory Board. She holds a BSc in Computer Science from University College Dublin.
A native of Dublin, Hilary is married to Sean, and they have three children - Aisling, Eoin and Katherine.
Larry Donnelly is a Boston born and educated attorney who is a Lecturer & Director of Clinical Legal Education in the School of Law at the University of Galway. From a prominent Boston political family and formerly active in politics and government in Massachusetts, he is now a frequent media commentator on politics, current affairs and law in Ireland and the US. He is also a regular political columnist with TheJournal.ie, The Irish Post and Boston Irish magazine. His memoir, The Bostonian: Life in a Boston Irish Political Family, was published by Gill Books in 2021.
Show more
Lieutenant General Seán Clancy is the Defence Forces Chief of Staff with effect from September 2021. He joined the Irish Defence Forces in 1984 as a cadet and commenced his flight training in 1986. He has flown both fixed and rotary wing aircraft and has accumulated nearly 5,000 flight hours. He has been a driver of change and a champion for innovation within the Defence Forces.
He played a central role in the development of the Ireland’s first Emergency Aeromedical Service established in 2012. He has been a strong advocate for Leadership and was the co-author of the Defence Forces Leadership Doctrine published in 2016. He subsequently led the team who developed the current vision and values-based strategy for the Defence Forces post the publication of the White Paper on Defence.
Simon Harris T.D. is the Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade and the Minister for Defence. He most recently served as Taoiseach from April 2024 to January 2025. Tánaiste Harris has served as a Minister in government in several portfolios including Minister for Further & Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (2020-24) and Minister for Health (2016-20). He previously served as Minister of State at the Departments of Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform and Taoiseach with Special Responsibility for the OPW, Public Procurement, and International Banking (2014-16).
Show more