Business movers: People starting new jobs in Ireland

New appointees with Accenture, Each&Other, the Shackleton Experience, Heneghan Strategic Communications, National Dairy Council and Binarii Labs

New roles: (top row) Wendy Walsh, John Collins, Aline FitzGerald; (bottom row) Rory Sweeney, Maria Murphy, Sean McDermott.

Here is a selection of people starting new roles with Accenture, Each&Other, the Shackleton Experience, Heneghan Strategic Communications, National Dairy Council and Binarii Labs. 

Wendy Walsh has been appointed as talent and organisation lead for management consultants Accenture in Ireland. Wendy has held multiple roles within Accenture’s talent and organisation business across all industries. She brings deep expertise in Resources and has supported leading utility organisations to scale people transformations that spanned technology deployments to culture initiatives. Wendy takes over from Audrey O’Mahony, who has moved into an expanded role leading Accenture’s Talent and Organisation business across both the UK and Irish markets. Wendy holds a BSc in Marketing and Management from Technological University Dublin (TUD) and is actively involved in internal people initiatives that foster a positive work culture across Accenture.

John Collins has been appointed as non-executive chair with Each&Other, the UX product and design company. John is founder director of Beyonder.ie and brings a wealth of experience in driving growth, promotion, market development and corporate governance in global markets. He is also chair at ufodrive.com, intuvuhealth.com, operationchildlife.com and as an Independent NED at joinshuttle.com. This appointment comes as Each&Other continues to invest in its people and services, recently announcing the creation of 10 new jobs across Ireland and the UK and a €500,000 investment in expanding its teams and capabilities. “John’s strategic vision, proven leadership and deep expertise will be invaluable,” said Peter Keane, director at Each&Other.

Aline FitzGerald has been appointed as general manager of the Shackleton Experience in the town hall in Athy, Co Kildare, the institution dedicated to the life of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton. She was previously general manager of the GPO Museum in Dublin. She spent five years with Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts in Chicago, and helped establishing Four Seasons Hotel Dublin. In all her roles, Aline has worked closely with corporate clients, incentive partners, and state agencies to promote Ireland as a premier destination for business tourism. Her analytical thinking, problem-solving ability, and stakeholder engagement skills are key to her professional success. Aline is from Brannockstown, Co Kildare.

Rory Sweeney has been promoted to account director with Heneghan Strategic Communications. He joined Heneghan in 2022 as a senior account manager and has supported clients including ABP Food Group, SYS Financial, ISME, ABM, Actavo, the Veterinary Council of Ireland, ATM and Alstom. A native of Co Donegal, Rory holds a Master’s in Public Relations from Dublin Institute of Technology and a BA in History and Politics from University College Dublin. He has over eight years of experience in public relations and has previously worked with two senior Government Ministers. Heneghan provides consultancy in corporate communications, financial communications, public affairs, crisis communications, and digital communications.

Maria Murphy has been appointed as head of marketing and communications with the National Dairy Council. She brings extensive experience in leading roles at Danone across its dairy, plant-based and infant nutrition divisions. She led high-performing teams with Danone, working with market leading brands including Aptamil, Activia, Alpro and Cow & Gate. In her new role at NDC, Maria will lead its marketing and communications strategy, brand positioning, media relations, and internal messaging to enhance the visibility and impact of Ireland’s dairy sector. Her expertise in consumer insights and brand storytelling will play a pivotal role in amplifying the voice of Irish dairy and protecting its reputation.

Sean McDermott has been appointed as an independent director of Binarii Labs in the US, an Irish security and digital sovereignty company. A former Akamai executive, Sean is also participating as an angel investor in the company’s current €1.85 million funding round which it expects to close shortly. Binarii Labs is headquartered at NovaUCD in Dublin and is an Enterprise Ireland client company. Sean spent 20 years at Akamai Technologies in leading roles. Since 2019, he has been active in the early-stage investment community as a limited partner with Santa Barbara Venture Partners and One Dream Ventures, and as a member of Tech Coast Angels in Los Angeles.