Combining board and digital strategy roles
I’m a Chartered Director and an adviser to business leaders on digital strategy, trends and technology. I combine Non-Executive Director roles with strategic consulting assignments and pro bono commitments.
I provide an “outside in” perspective, informed by customer insights, deep knowledge of the marketplace and the use of technology to achieve competitive advantage.
I’m the founder of two businesses and offer a depth of experience drawn from my varied professional roles. I co-founded The Sunday Business Post newspaper and was a member of the team responsible for building a leading Irish media brand and its sale to a PLC
Digital strategy experience
I set up my own digital strategy business in 2001. I’ve advised CEOs, business owners and other senior executives on achieving financial, customer experience, competitive and organisational KPIs through the use of digital technologies.
I’ve worked on a broad spectrum of digital assignments in sectors such as financial services, software, consumer goods, utilities, government services, biosciences, professional services, tourism and media. As business requirements change, and as both technologies and customer adoption evolve, so too have my service offerings.
Today, my services include strategic planning, evaluating the performance of digital channels and supporting leadership teams to plan and execute their digital strategies. For more details, visit the projects page.
I am a regular contributor to both traditional and digital media on digital strategy topics. In 2021 I co-authored The Paradox Report, a research study on marketing, technology and media trends. Read more details and access the links to this content on the Posts page.
Non-executive experience
My non-executive board experience dates back to 2003 and I have served on the boards of businesses, State bodies, a university and non-governmental organisations.
Currently, I am a member of the Governing Body (the equivalent of a board) of Technological University Dublin, Ireland’s first technological university and the result of a merger between the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), IT Blanchardstown and IT Tallaght. I am also a member of the Governing Body’s Audit and Risk Committee.
I have also served a Non-Executive Director on the board of the parent company which owns Carraig Donn , the retail chain with a growing eCommerce business, and Aran Woollen Mills, which manufactures Aran knitwear and has a global customer base.
I have also served as a Non-Executive Director of The Road Safety Authority, the State body responsible for road safety education, licensing, testing and research. I was a member of the board’s Audit and Risk Committee and also chaired the Governance Committee.
In 2003 I took my first non-executive role when I joined the board of ASH Ireland which successfully championed the introduction of the workplace smoking ban. I am also a former Non-Executive Director of Ireland’s largest business network Chambers Ireland and of Business in the Community, which helps businesses to develop and implement their corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies.
In 2016, I was awarded Chartered Director status by the Institute of Directors. This is the globally-recognised professional qualification for company directors. In 2015, I was awarded both the Diploma and Certificate in Company Direction under the Institute of Directors’ Chartered Director Programme.
Media career
I started my career as a business journalist. By my late 20s I had become the first woman in Ireland to edit a business publication and had picked up a couple of national media awards.
In 1989, I became a founding shareholder, Director and Company Secretary of the company which published The Sunday Business Post. I combined board responsibilities with an executive role in producing a national newspaper. The team effort by executive shareholders, management and staff produced a leading Irish media brand and ultimately led to its sale to a PLC.
Other roles
I am a Co-Founder of WomanUp, a training and consultancy entity which helps businesses to grow their female leadership pipelines, achieve better gender balance and so improve their business performance. I am the Co-Author of #WomanUp, an action plan on female leadership.
I am a member of the Irish chapter of the International Women’s Forum, one of 70 globally for this networking organisation of “pre-eminent women of significant and diverse achievement.” I have served two terms on the Irish chapter’s Executive Committee.
I have participated in several industry or advisory groups and was a Government-appointee to the Consumer Strategy Group and the Procurement Innovation Group. I was also a member of the steering group which established IAB Ireland the industry body for digital publishers.