Chamber Council

Eveanna has over 20 years’ experience within the hospitality and tourism industry, She is currently operating as the Group Sales and Marketing Manager for Connacht Hospitality Group, managing the sales and marketing for 10 of the groups brands. Eveanna also sits on the board of the Galway Convention Bureau and was recently awarded “Sales and Marketing Manager of the year” by the Irish Hospitality institute. A Galway native, Eveanna has been a member of Galway Chamber since relocating back to Galway from Dublin in 2014. Eveanna is passionate about promotinng Galway as a region to both the domestic and international traveller.

Vice President International and Engagement Galway and Mayo and Head of Galway International Hotel – Atlantic Technological University.

Cáit is an internationally experienced educator and has worked in higher education since 1995. She joined Galway Mayo Institute of Technology in November 2007 and became Head of the Hotel School in September 2008. In 2012 she became Head of the College of Tourism and Arts and in 2016 assumed strategic responsibility for International Engagement.

Before returning to Ireland Cáit was the Dean of the first International Hotel Management School in China – Les Roches Jin Jiang International, a joint venture collaboration between Laureate Education and the Chinese government organisation Jin Jiang. Cáit has also worked in Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

She was awarded the Mike Butt Award in 2013 by the Restaurant Association of Ireland for services to the tourism industry.

Cáit holds a BA (Hons) in Education, a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA). She has successfully completed the Cornell University’s (USA) International programme “Executive Women in Leadership” in 2019 and more recently the Harvard Graduate School ‘Bravely Confronting Racism in Higher Education’ programme.

Dermot Nolan is the Group Finance Director for the Headspace Group. Previous to this, he worked with EY and Mazars in various roles up to partner level both in Ireland and internationally. He is a graduate of both NUI Galway and UCD, and is a Chartered Accountant.

Dermot is a Board member of Bia Innovator, which is a food innovation and incubation hub in the West of Ireland and Baboro, the international children’s arts festival based in Galway. He is a native of Salthill, now living in Menlo, married with 2 sons and has a strong interest in sports, and is currently the President of Galway Hockey Club.

Sinead is the Head of Enterprise within Údarás na Gaeltachta and has over 30 years’ experience in Economic Development in the Gaeltacht areas. She managed an internet community project, worked as a European Liaison Officer in Brussels and as a development executive in the Connacht Regional office of ÚnaG prior to moving to the Enterprise and Employment Division to work with HPSUs. As Head of Enterprise she works with promoters/investors to develop and grow companies in the Gaeltacht areas. Sinead is a qualified CIMA accountant, and she holds an MBA honours degree from NUI Galway. She has Diploma (Level 8) through the International Chartered Director programme, passed with distinction, and currently in the process to becoming a Chartered Director with the Institute of Directors Ireland. She has completed a 5-year term on the Governing body of National University of Ireland Galway, where she was Chairwoman of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee; Chairwoman of two+ Appeals Boards; Cathaoirleach ar fhochoiste Straitéis Gaeilge: Vice-chairwoman of the Finance Committee; Member of the Audit and the Standing & Strategic Planning Committees. Sinead was reappointed on the Governing body in May 2021. She is currently Chair and Board member of Westbic.

Emer is a partner with L&J Tax. A Galway native, Emer is a Chartered Tax Advisor (CTA) and a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland, having obtained a B.Comm from NUI Galway.
Before returning to Galway she worked as a tax advisor with both KPMG and Warren & Partners, a Dublin based boutique tax advisory practice. In 2009 Emer founded her own firm, Emer Joyce Company, initially operating in Dublin and returning to Galway in 2013, before merging with EY.
Emer has strong links in the local business community across a range of business sectors, with a particular interest in advising family businesses on both corporate and personal tax matters.
Emer is an avid runner and a regular sea swimmer in Galway bay.

Gemma Costello has over 20 years Banking experience and has embraced many successful roles throughout her career in Bank of Ireland.

Gemma is currently Bank Manager of the Bank of Ireland Salthill Cluster which includes the branches of Salthill and Clifden, managing a dynamic team of colleagues and a large customer base. Gemma works closely with many small businesses throughout this geography and possesses an in-depth understanding of both the challenges and opportunities that exist for businesses in Galway. Gemma holds a key role on the Bank of Ireland Leadership team across Galway and collectively this team strives to serve customers and communities in an exemplar way.

Gemma is a graduate of NUI Galway and UCD through her continuous education with The Institute of Bankers in Ireland.

Gemma is married with 2 children and enjoys all sports but particularly GAA & Rugby and loves the outdoors.

Joe has responsibility for the ongoing development of Ireland West Airport Knock, involving attracting new routes and business, involvement in the development of improved infrastructure for the region for economic growth and building upon being the gateway to the West of Ireland and the “airport of choice” for business and leisure travelers across the West, North West and Midlands regions. Joe qualified with an honors degree in Physics/Electronics and also an MBA, and has over 20 years experience in senior management positions held in both multinational global businesses and Irish owned private and public sector organizations.

Marilyn Gaughan Reddan is an experienced executive with over 20 years’ experience in cultural management and European programmes. Marilyn is a member of the panel of experts on European Capitals of Culture at the European Commission as well as a member of the European Urban Initiative pool of experts.

She has been involved in several European designations for Galway including the European Capital of Culture and UNESCO City of Film designations and is a well-regarded expert on European funding and partnerships. Marilyn is currently Chief Executive at the Galway Culture Company where the company is also a partner to many organisations in the areas of European programmes and networks. A significant part of Marilyn’s career to date has been developing culture as a driver for development and to develop links with other sectors such as tourism, education, science, business, technology, environment, rural and urban development, climate and health.

Trevor is the Director of Operations & HR with TG4. He previously worked as their Director of Communications. He is a member of the DEI & HR Committees of the European Broadcasting Union. He served as a Senator for 7 years.

He is a voluntary director on the boards of Youthwork Ireland Galway, Comhar Naíonraí na Gaeltachta, Cúram Leanaí na Ceathrú Rua & Multiplex Broadcasting Services N.I. He is also a member of the Global Leadership Council of the Idaho Museum of International Diaspora.

He has a background in media and the arts. While studying for a B.Comm in the University of Galway, he set up Irish language theatre company, Na Fánaithe and then worked as Artistic Director of An Taibhdhearc, before training as a TV Producer/Director.

Central to the setting up of the drama series ‘Ros na Rún’, he has also worked on other TV productions for TG4 and RTÉ.

In a change of direction Trevor transitioned into community development, managing a social inclusion, education and economic development company, Cumas teo., serving South Connemara before his election to parliament. While there he focused on public service oversight, rural affairs, language, culture, human rights, and diaspora issues.

He holds an MBS in Leadership, Organisational Development, Strategy & Innovation from the Irish Management Institute/UCC.

He lives in An Cheathrú Rua, is married to Mali and has five children.

Paul is an Advisory Director at Grant Thornton having joined the firm in 2016. A native of Salthill, Paul is a Chartered Accountant with over 15 years’ experience in private practice. Paul is a graduate of the University of Galway having completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree (BComm) and a Masters of Accounting (MAcc). Prior to joining Grant Thornton, Paul began his career as an auditor with another large accounting firm.

Paul is married with two kids and resides in Knocknacarra. He has a keen interest in all things sport and fitness and enjoys spending time in the beautiful surroundings of Lough Corrib and Connemara.

Gavin is a partner in local commercial law firm MacSweeney & Company and heads up the corporate and commercial practice within the firm.

Gavin is a Galway native who returned to Galway in 2021 after working in commercial law firms in Dublin for the previous 12 years. He has a keen interest in rugby and golf and enjoys running and swimming in his spare time. He also has a grá for the arts and live music and he is the current chairperson of Galway Theatre Festival. Gavin is a graduate of National University of Galway (B.A. and L.L.B) and Trinity College Dublin (L.L.M).

Laurence is a graduate of University of Galway and is the partner in charge of KPMG’s Galway Office, which services the Firm’s clients across the West of Ireland. Laurence has over 21 years’ experience at KPMG working with listed entities and privately owned businesses across a wide variety of sectors, including Manufacturing, Medtech and Software/Technology. In addition, Laurence is also an Adjunct Professor in Accounting and Finance at University of Galway, and he is a voluntary Board member at Croi, the West of Ireland Cardiac and Stroke Foundation.

Rachael is Business Development Director with Stewart Construction, a fourth generation construction company established in Salthill, Galway in 1902. She has been a key player in the growth and development of the family business for the past 25 years, focusing on collaboration and innovation to translate client’s bespoke needs into quality buildings and appealing spaces that promote business evolution.

A graduate of NUIG (BA & MBA), Rachael has been involved with many networks on a local and national level, both industry based and community based. She was a founding member of Construction Professionals Skillnet and is currently involved in the CIF Regional and Infrastructural Forum.

Rachael is committed to supporting the arts and community based projects and groups that bring practical benefit locally. She is actively involved with Architecture at the Edge (AATE), and also supports a number of varying local groups, charities and initiatives.

In her spare time Rachael loves family, food, good coffee, the arts and the sea.

Gerry is a graduate of NUI Galway and a Chartered Civil Engineer. Gerry joined the Shannon Group in early 2014 as Operations and Development Director for Commercial Property and was appointed as Managing Director of Shannon Commercial Properties( previously known as Shannon Development) in 2019 . Gerry now holds the role of Shannon Airport Group Property Director and is responsible for delivery of all Commercial Property investments for the group. Prior to this, Gerry worked across a range of sectors including Local Authority ,Civil Engineering infrastructure projects and large mixed use residential and commercial developments including healthcare and hotel projects in Ireland, Africa, Asia and the USA.

John is the MD and Proprietor of The Ardilaun Hotel in Galway. A family run 123-bedroom, 4 star property with extensive Food and Beverage, Conference and Banqueting and Leisure facilities.

John is a graduate of Business and Marketing from Dublin City University and a graduate of The Shannon School of Hotel Management. He worked with The Movenpick group, Dromoland Castle and extensively through the Forte Organisation before returning home in 1995 to The Ardilaun.

Liz McConnell is a native of Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo. She has over 25 years’ experience in the field of philanthropy, institutional advancement, and public affairs.
From 2003 to 2019 she worked in the Office of the University President at University of Galway, serving as Director of Public Affairs, during a period of exponential growth and development. In 2019 she took a career break from University of Galway to work with The Kylemore Trust on philanthropic development at Kylemore Abbey.
Prior to 2003 she held the roles of Assistant Director of Development at Trinity Foundation (TCD, 1996-1998) and Deputy Director of Galway University Foundation (NUI Galway, 1998-2003) working in the area of fundraising and alumni relations.
Educated at University of Galway and UCD, she graduated with a BA (English and Philosophy) and completed an MA degree by thesis on the works of Irish writer, George Moore, before training as a professional librarian at Trinity College Library Dublin and UCD.
She is a board member of a number of non-profit organisations including Music for Galway, Philanthropy Ireland, and The Galway Steinway Trust. Among the other boards she has served on are the Board of Management of Salerno Jesus & Mary Secondary School, and Druid Theatre Company.

Director of Marketing & Communications at the Galway Races for over 7 years.
Director of the National Breast Cancer Research Institute. Harvard Business School 2022 Sinéad is a Sales & Marketing Manager with 20+ years’ experience and a proven track record of delivering transformation in business, driving profitable growth.
Previous companies Sinéad has worked with include the 5 Star g Hotel & Spa, The Ploughing Championships (Europe’s Largest Outdoor Agricultural Event), Supermacs, Punchestown Racecourse and Spirit Retail Marketing. Sinéad is passionate about helping a business grow, reach its full potential and providing an unrivalled experience for customers/fans.
Commercially minded with a passion for building strong teams, partnerships, collaborations, and activations. Positive can-do work ethic, attitude and entrepreneurial mindset.
Sinéad’s specialties: Marketing & Communication Strategies, Sponsorship, Brand, Reputation Management, Customer Experience, Fan Engagement, Event Management, Media Planning, Market Research, Product Launch, Performance Reporting and Financial/Budget Processes.

Barry Cooley is the Head of AIB for the Galway Mayo Region, with responsibility for 17 locations & 160 staff.

A native of outside Tuam, Barry has worked with AIB for 24 years and has spent the last 12 years in Senior Management roles across a number of different locations & geographies, including Branch Manager in Loughrea & Tuam Road, Hub Manager with responsibility for Tuam Road, Athenry & Tuam Branches, Business Banking Team Lead for Galway City & County, Regional Customer Financial Planning for Dublin Central & Dublin South Central and Head of AIB for the Kildare Laois Offaly Region.

Barry is a Qualified Financial Advisor, accredited through UDC and continues with his professional development through The Institute of Bankers in Ireland.

Outside of AIB, Barry is a proud Galwegian and is staunch Corofin & Galway GAA supporter. He likes to spend time on health & fitness, travelling, attending stage & theatre productions and concerts along with experiencing new cultures and foods.

David is a Partner with the law firm RDJ, practicing in the area of Employment Law. Originally from Dublin and educated at UCD, where he attained an MA in History, David went on to work in banking, finance, and insurance roles before qualifying as a solicitor in 2006. David initially practiced in Dublin with a boutique employment practice and attained a Diploma in Employment Law from UCD before later moving to Galway in 2008 to take up a position with corporate law firm RDJ.

David advises a wide range of both indigenous and multinational clients, supporting in particular Galway’s med-tech and ICT hubs. He is passionate about football and is an Academy Officer and underage Coach with Renmore AFC, where his two children play.

I relocated to Galway in January to take up the newly established role of Vice President for Engagement at NUI Galway. I am a member of the university management team and I play a central role in connecting the university with our local, national and global partners. Building on the University’s long tradition of deep engagement with our surroundings, I am developing strategies and plans to really maximise the impact of our research and educational activities. In holding previous leadership positions in industry, government agencies and universities, I have developed an extensive global network of collaborators and colleagues.

Among the institutions I have worked with are Trinity College Dublin, Queen’s University Belfast (scientific research), Seagate Technology (R&D and Engineering Management, Derry), Science Foundation Ireland (research funding, Dublin) and IDA Ireland (FDI focused on RD&I, Silicon Valley, California). Throughout my career, I have highly valued the power of collective action through engaged partnerships. I spent the last decade in a research leadership role at one of the largest and most diverse research universities across the globe, University of California. During this time, I catalysed interdisciplinary research centers and institutes to tackle some of the world’s most challenging problems – from climate change and energy-efficient buildings to global pandemics – challenges that impact Galway as much as they do California. I relish the opportunity to support the translation of great research at NUI Galway into tangible economic and societal benefit for Galway, Ireland, and beyond

Seamus is a VP of Engineering at Genesys. A graduate of the University of Limerick with a BEng in Computer Engineering, Seamus has over 20 years’ experience in telecoms and software engineering.

At Genesys, Seamus leads the research and development of core routing applications on Genesys’ market-leading cloud-based customer experience platform.

Declan Slemon has been with Aerogen, a Galway based indigenous Medtech in the Respiratory space, since 2011. He is currently responsible for Business and Sales Operations, Drug-Device partnering, OEM partnering with respiratory equipment manufacturers, Homecare device programmes and Sustainability/ESG.
Among Declan’s recent achievements at Aerogen are implementation of Direct to hospital distribution in France, establishing the Aerogen Shannon manufacturing operation and business transformation through the implementation of ERP systems throughout Aerogen’s manufacturing & commercial operations.
He previously had responsibility for Research and Product Development at Aerogen. Declan is a keen practitioner of lean and agile methods in business, technical project management and product development.
Prior to joining Aerogen, Declan has twenty years of medical device industry experience in the disciplines of Research and Development, Marketing, Manufacturing Operations and Quality Assurance at Boston Scientific, Stryker, Corin Medical and Pfizer Howmedica.
Declan holds Master of Engineering and Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degrees from the University of Limerick. He has journal publications and patents related to medical device design and manufacture. Declan is a member of the Irish MedTech Association’s R&D working group.
He is a Presidential Fellow of the Institute of Engineers of Ireland.

Philip is the Head of Commercial & Marketing at Connacht Rugby and has over 20 years experience in the Marketing industry, within brand, sport ,and event marketing; where he has created and implemented successful marketing strategies and campaigns for many high-profile global brands. He has led the marketing on brands such as Pepsi, Robinsons, and Ballygowan, as well as run agency teams in the UK and US, advising brands and working with properties including The Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, Super Bow,l and The UEFA Champions League for clients including, British Airways, BMW, Coca-Cola, Masterca,rd and Visa.

Shane is the Finance and Development manager with the Galway Harbour Company.

A Kerry native, Shane moved to Galway from Dublin 7 years ago. Shane is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland, having obtained a BBS from the University of Limerick. He also completed a diploma in Management at the IMI in 2019.

Before moving to Galway he worked as a European financial accountant with Payzone. In 2013, Shane moved to Galway to take up the position of Finance Manager with MKO.
Shane has been with the Harbour Company for 5 years.

Shane is an avid golfer and GAA supporter.

From Corofin Co. Galway, educated in St. Colemans National School, Mercy Convent Secondary School Tuam, RTC Galway (now ATU) and Trinity College Dublin.

Started working life for Precision Steel Ltd., Mervue and then transferred over to working for PennEngineering after their acquisition of Precision Steel.

Her current role is President of PennEngineering Europe and with addition Global responsibility for the machine division. Mary Ann also sits on the Global Executive that runs the company. She is 38 years in total working for the company.

Mary Ann is also the new regional lead for IBEC West and am a participant on the IBEC Engineering committee plus She is on the board of ICBE. For her community, She is the secretary of the Corofin Ladies Football club.