Colin Lawlor, ResMed Sensor Technologies
Colin has previously served as Council member and Vice-President of the Irish Exporters Association.  Colin is currently Commercial Director for ResMed Sensor Technologies- a global leader in the diagnosis of and therapy for sleep disordered breathing.   Formerly known as BiancaMed, ResMed Sensor Technologies  is the company behind the world’s first wire-free sensor for measuring sleep and breathing in the home and is a recent winner of Innovation of the Year award . Prior to that, Colin was COO for Bio Medical Research Limited based in Galway. BMR operates in both the medical device (Neurotech) and health and fitness (Slendertone) businesses. During his 10 years at BMR, Colin was also responsible for export development in the UK, Europe, North America and Asia. Colin also worked in the marketing consultancy business and started his career at Guinness Ireland (now Diageo). Colin holds a B.Sc.(mgmt) from Trinity College Dublin and is a member of the Marketing Institute of Ireland.

Colin led the successful IEA trade mission to India in September 2012, he has chaired the Asia Trade Forum and has led numerous initiatives to open new markets for Irish exporters around the globe.

IEA Vice-President

Michael Slein, LED Group
Michael Slein has been self employed since 1984 when he set up LED Group with two partners. He then bought out his partners’ interests in 1990 and LED Group is now the largest Irish Lighting Company in the world, with operations in Ireland, UK, Holland, Dubai, China (Manufacturing) and Australia. Michael’s main interests are his family, work and sport – particularly Soccer, Golf and Motorsports. Michael’s past and current Associations include - Committee Member EMDA; Vice President Irish Exporters Association; Chairman St Pauls Past Pupils Golf Society; Manager St Pauls Past Pupils Soccer Senior Team and Director of the Down Syndrome Centre. 

 

Hugh Kelly, Associated Marketing Ltd.

Hugh Kelly is CEO of Associated Marketing Ltd., a Dublin-based export services company established in 1970. The company has offices in South Africa, UAE, Malaysia and Australia and works with manufacturers of finished products in the life sciences (incl. medical devices), healthcare-driven and hygiene-related fields. The company partners with its clients to identify and manage the right sales channels and partners to deliver accelerated and maintained export growth. By also underwriting debtor risk and charging part fixed, part results-based fees for its services, the company de-risks and reduces the costs of entering and managing distant, high growth markets.

Hugh holds a degree in Civil Engineering (BAI) and Mathematics (MA) from Trinity College Dublin, an MBA (1995) from the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business. He lived and worked in Canada, France and the UK before returning to Ireland in 1993 to join Associated Marketing Ltd.. He has served as a Council Member of the Irish Exporters Association and of the IEA’s Asia Trade Forum since 2010.

 

Kevin Sheehan, Deloitte. Honorary Treasurer

Kevin is an audit partner in the Dublin office of Deloitte & Touche and has over 20 years’ experience in providing audit and advisory services. Kevin leads the Irish firm’s Consumer Business Industry Group with a particular focus on food manufacturers and exporters.

Kevin’s experience includes servicing both public and private companies, coordinating multi jurisdiction audits spanning 6 continents.  Kevin also leads the firms Best Managed Companies awards programme

Kevin is a fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from NUIG.

 

IEA Chairman West/Midwest Region: John Carr, Flextronics
John is Vice-President of Supply Chain Solutions with Flextronics. He holds a masters degree in Manufacturing Engineering and MBA. John previously worked in senior engineering and materials management positions with Digital Equipment, EMC Corporation and AST Computers. John managed Flextronics Logistics in the US prior to locating in Europe in 2001. John is a fellow member of the Institute of Logistics and Transportation. He is Chair of the Irish Exporters Association West/Mid-West Council.

 

Brendan Farrell, Abbott Ireland

Brendan has spent most of his career with Abbott in the nutritional division starting in Finance in 1975 and moving into Materials in 1981. He has held various positions since then within the Logistics and Supply Chain including Procurement, Planning and Regulatory Compliance. Brendan is currently Warehouse Manager at Abbott Ireland. He is a Past President of the Irish Exporters Association. He is also an Honorary Fellow of the Irish Purchasing Materials Management Institute and currently serves as a council member on the Supply Chain Institute of Ireland (I.P.I.C.S.) Brendan is also a member of the Irish Customs Consultative Committee with the IEA. And has represented Ireland at Customs EU summits in Toledo Spain 2002 and Copenhagen, Denmark 2001. He holds an enviable knowledge of EU export legislation and compliance, which he has generously shared with a lot of exporters. He has served the IEA consistently since the 1980's.

 

Kevin O'Leary, Qumas
Kevin O'Leary is the Chief Executive Officer of Qumas, one of Ireland's leading software companies, providing regulatory compliance solutions to global life sciences organisations. O'Leary has been with Qumas since its inception and was involved in the original design and development of the company's first product release. He has worked within regulated industries since 1987, and has extensive knowledge of regulatory compliance solutions. He established the company's presence in the US in 1997 and he now aims to improve its global market penetration. Qumas‘s status as a profitable software company allows it to control its own operations as it strengthens its position in a global economy, where compliance and regulatory mandates are ever-increasing.

Dermot Carberry, Internal Solutions
Dermot Carberry has held senior executive positions with a variety of industries both in Ireland and abroad over the last 20 years. He is Managing Director of a successful consultancy company “Internal Solutions” which was established in 2009 offering extensive experience to SME’s and large companies for business development, implementing change and sales & marketing development. He is involved in several start-up projects currently and is the lead consultant/ IEA Welsh Market Director for the Irish Exporters organisation.  He mentors for Enterprise Ireland and has worked with other government bodies such as Invest Northern Ireland and sits on various entrepreneurship panels around Ireland. He has studied with the Irish Management Institute, Marketing Institute of Ireland (MII) and FETAC.

 

Patrick Daly, Alba Consulting

Patrick is founder and Managing Director of Alba Consulting and helps his clients achieve supply chain excellence to accelerate profitable growth. He has worked with some of the top companies in manufacturing, distribution and logistics services in Europe, Asia and the Americas to achieve dramatic improvements in logistics capabilities and supply chain performance. Patrick holds a BSc(Hons) degree in Technology and is a Chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and a member of the Institute of Engineers of Ireland. Patrick is an accomplished consultant, speaker and author and has been active in the logistics sector for 24 years. He has been running his own consultancy firm since 1998. He has authored dozens of articles and blogs internationally and is a regular guest speaker and lecturer with universities and professional bodies in Europe, the Middle East, India and China including the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (Ireland), The Global Supply Chain Council (Shanghai), the Supply Chain and Logistics Group (Dubai) and VIT Chennai (India).

Paschal McCarthy, GE Healthcare Ireland
Paschal is Managing Director of GE Healthcare Ireland, a manufacturing subsidiary of The General Electric Company. Originally founded as Nycomed Ireland Ltd., before merging with Amersham International in 1997 and subsequently acquired by GE in 2004. Paschal has been with the company since day 1, and has grown the operation from a European supplier shipping 3 million units to Western European markets to today, a global supplier shipping 20 million units to 70+ markets worldwide. From 1995 to 1997 Paschal headed up the company’s bulk chemical plant at Lindesnes, Norway. Prior to joining Nycomed Ireland Paschal also worked with Schering Plough Corp. and Baxter Healthcare.

Having spent the early part of his career in the QA/ QC arena, Paschal moved to operations in 1990, and has held several senior Production / Operations management roles prior to taking over as Managing Director in 1997.

Paschal is a member of the UCC Training Board, a Mentor with the Plato Organisation and a former member of the Norwegian Irish Business Council. Paschal holds a B. Sc., Diploma in Aquatic Biology and an MBA. He is also a Chartered Director.

 

James O'Riordan, S3 Group
James O'Riordan Chief Technology Officer and VP of Corporate Development S3 Group. James's role involves driving the strategic technical direction of S3 Group, Mergers and Acquisitions, Intellectual Property, Legal and Regulatory matters, Overseas Expansion, managing critical engagements with key technology suppliers and developing long-term relationships with Government bodies and Universities globally. James joined the company in 1987 and has held a number of positions in S3 Group including Section Manager, Division Director and Business Unit General Manager before being appointed as CTO in 2001. James brings considerable experience and expertise in the areas of General Management, Strategy, Mergers & Acquisitions, Operations, Business Development, People & Project Management, Technology, IC design and DSP and holds a Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) and Masters in Engineering (M.Eng.Sc.) from University College Dublin.

James is one of the initiating founders of the Microelectronics Industry Association in Ireland (MIDAS Ireland) and is a board member of MCCI (Microelectronics Competency Centre of Ireland).

 

Brendan Keating, Port of Cork 

Brendan Keating, Chief Executive, Port of Cork Company since December 2002. In the position of Chief Executive his primary focus has been on the development and growth of the business along with planning port infrastructure. His commitment to the delivery of higher levels of efficiency and quality of port services has been central to the continued success of the company.

 

Sam Simmington, MSC Ireland

Sam began his career in the shipping industry in the state owned B&I line and worked in various management roles in the container division in both Dublin and Cork.

The B&I Line was acquired by Irish Continental Group in 1992 and shortly after the Container Division was rebranded to Eucon Shipping & Transport Ltd. He served as a Director of that company until 2002, when he joined MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company Ltd as Managing Director of the newly formed Irish Agency.

MSC is the second largest container company in the world and now has 40 employees in 3 Irish based offices in Dublin, Cork and Belfast. MSC Ireland was the first winner of the Deep Sea Shipping Company of the Year Section at the Export Industry Awards in 2009. 

 

Bryan Delaney, Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard

Bryan has spent all of his working life within the area of Logistics and Supply Chain Management. He started his career with An Bord Bainne back in 1972 in the shipping department. This was a crucial period in terms of Ireland joining the EEC; Bryan therefore has built up a vast knowledge of EU legislation. He briefly moved to Adamsfoods UK, a subsidiary of the Bord for two years within the area of export logistics. On his return in 1980 he joined the Eurohaul Group of Companies, managing the freight forwarding side of the operations. In 1983 he joined Irish Distillers LTD, since joining Bryan has been engaged in all aspects of the SCM operations and has been part of a major growth program. His current position within IDPR is General Manager, Supply Operations with responsibility for all logistical activities for both domestic and export markets. In terms of personal and sporting interests Bryan has held the following positions, President of a rugby club, Captain of a golf club, Vice Captain of a tennis club and Secretary of the Leinster Rugby Supporters Club (OLSC).

 

Daniel Hickey, AllinAll Ingredients Limited

Daniel is owner and MD of AllinAll Ingredients Limited. He is a past Chairman of ISME (2005-2007) and of the Irish Venture Capital Association (1990). He was the first Manager of the newly created Venture Capital Division of ICC in the mid 1980’s having previously worked in ICC’s Corporate Finance Division. In 2004 he was a member of the Governments Enterprise Strategy Group’s Research, Development and Innovation Advisory Board. Appointed by the Government to the Small Business Forum in 2005. Following the publication of its report he played an active role on the implementation review group. He has been a regular contributor to economic debates since the mid 1970’s