Bio-notes of the candidates for your information:
Cora Barnes, Three Q PERMS & TEMPS & Nurse Jobs Ireland - Ambitious, accomplished entrepreneur Cora Barnes is the founder of award winning Three Q PERMS & TEMPS & Nurse Jobs Ireland, Board Member of a NFP Youth Service in Dublin 1 & a Fellow of the Employment Recruitment Federation. With 23 years in business. An MBA Graduate of the Micheal Smurfit School of Business Cora is passionate about L&D & entrepreneurship. Cora is a Speaker and a sitting judge on LEO Businesswomen’s Award, an active committee member of the ERF Skillnet & a fundraiser and CSR supporter.
Dave Byrne, Dualtron - Dave is co-founder and MD of Dualtron Ltd, Ireland's only provider of cash handling systems and cloud payment systems. Dualtron joined the SFA about 20 years ago and Dave is very grateful for their advice on many issues down the years. The company's motto is 'You can count on Dualtron' and won the Services Awards in the SFA National Small Business Awards in 2017. The company competes on a regular basis with multinational providers and Dualtron's continued success makes Dave believe that Irelands small business sector can create jobs and wealth in Ireland.
Patrick Downes, Lionheart - Patrick Downes is CEO of the Institute of Management Consultants & Advisers. Before that he was Managing Partner of Lionheart Management Consultants which specialises in Corporate Governance, Risk Mitigation and Regulatory Affairs. Prior to establishing the practice, he served as an Executive Director with Bord na Mona plc and at CEO level for a number of SME's & Corporates. He is currently undertaking a PhD at NUIG where he sits on their Alumni Board. He is a trustee of the RDS and is a Fellow of both the Royal Society and The Chartered Institute of Marketing.
Rebecca Harrison, Fishers – Rebecca Harrison is MD of Fishers of Newtownmountkennedy & Food at Fishers Ltd. Rebecca is an award-winning business owner, retailer and networking champion. She is a strong advocate for small business, family business and women in business. She is Managing Director of Fishers of Newtownmountkennedy Boutique Department Store and Food at Fishers Cafe, employing 35 people. She sits on the SFA Skillnet Steering Committee and on the Advisory Board of Network Ireland, having served as its President in 2017.She is a member of the Government's Retail Consultation Forum reporting to the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment.
Will Hogan, CVNext Ltd - Will Hogan is the co-founder of CVNext Ltd. A business incubator specialising in the commercialisation of new products in Life Sciences and Medtech. Will is also an Enterprise Ireland Business Growth Advisor and works with EI client companies as they prepare for export-led growth. Will works as an associate lecturer at the National College of Ireland in Dublin and at the University of Limerick and has designed and presently delivers the MBA and Business Analytics capstone modules using business simulation technology. Will grew up in a small family business, where he gained invaluable insights.
Caroline Horgan, Abbeylands Furniture Ltd and Scatter Box – Caroline Horgan is Ceo of Abbeylands Furniture Ltd and founder of Scatter Box. Caroline took over the helm in 1999 of the furniture manufacturing company, founded by her father in 1959. In the following years the global importation of furniture decimated indigenous Irish furniture manufacturing, Caroline’s tenacity and passion for homeware, led her to diversify the company through design and innovation into the home Décor market with her B2B Scatter Box brand, which is exported globally and was recently awarded the ‘High Potential Exporters Award 2022. The company manufactures in Navan, Co. Meath.
Geraldine Magnier, Idiro Analytics – Geraldine is Director & Co-founder of Idiro Analytics. Idiro Analytics are pioneers in advanced analytics, working across multiple industries with a strong pedigree in banking and telecoms. In 2020, Idiro proudly won ‘Analytics SME of the Year Award’ and the Idiro CEO won ‘Analytics Leader of the Year Award 2020/2021’. She has served 2 elected terms on the SFA National Council and was appointed to the role of Deputy Chairwoman for the council in 2021. She is a passionate advocate for indigenous business and their growing need for an effective ‘Small Business Policy’.
Neil Mullaney, The Agile Executive - Neil Mullaney is the Sales & Marketing Director at The Agile Executive. He has extensive experience in strategic and business planning, sales development, performance management, mentoring and business advisory services. Neil combines a strategic and analytical approach with a passion and commitment to service both clients and their customers. Neil successfully sold his business in an MBO funded by a leading Irish bank. He is involved in several high-performance start-ups which have traded very successfully.
Barry Prost, Rent a Recruiter, Barry is Co-Founder of Rent a Recruiter. He has 20 years’ experience in international recruitment and has co-founded award-winning brands in Ireland, US, Middle East and Australia, including Propel Consult, Yala, and Rent A Recruiter, whose mission is to change how recruitment services are delivered using a tech enabled, data-driven, monthly subscription model.. Barry is a Committee Member of the Employment & Recruitment Federation with oversight of Quality and Education and serves on the steering groups for the SFA for the MentorsWork and Grow, Scale, Succeed initiatives. Currently Vice Chair of the Dublin Regional Skills Forum.