Business movers: People starting new jobs in Ireland

New appointees with The Port of Cork Company, Advertising Standards Authority, Pinergy, Food Safety Authority of Ireland, CRY Ireland and Royal London Ireland

New roles: (top row) Paul Hegarty, Oskar Persson, Maria Marta Perez Lippi; (bottom row) Dr Ciara Walsh, Malcolm Clancy, Brian O’Connell.

Here is a selection of people starting new roles with The Port of Cork Company, Advertising Standards Authority, Pinergy, Food Safety Authority of Ireland, CRY Ireland and Royal London Ireland.

Paul Hegarty has been appointed as chief commercial officer with The Port of Cork Company, leading the commercial function across all key business lines. He brings extensive executive leadership experience across the maritime and public service sectors. Most recently, he was head of the National Maritime College of Ireland. He also served for over two decades in the Irish Naval Service, notably as commanding officer of the L.E. William Butler Yeats, where he led complex operations, managed substantial budgets, and delivered mission-critical services. A chartered manager with a PhD in Change Management, Paul has extensive experience in governance, strategy and policy development and stakeholder engagement.

Oskar Persson, head of brands for the Irish market with Irish Distillers Pernod-Ricard, has been appointed to the board of the Advertising Standards Authority, the independent advertising self-regulatory body responsible for promoting, regulating and enforcing the highest standards of marketing communications in Ireland. With Irish Distillers Pernod-Ricard, Oskar supports the growth of its portfolio of brands, including Jameson, Redbreast, the wider Irish Distillers prestige whiskey portfolio, and Absolut. Oskar has also previously worked with Danone in a range of marketing roles. Oskar holds an MSc in Marketing Practice from UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business and a BComm degree from University College Dublin.

Maria Marta Perez Lippi has been appointed as chief operating officer with energy transition firm Pinergy. From Argentina, Maria brings over 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, operations and customer strategy. She has spent most of her career in Ireland, in key roles with Sun Microsystems, Schindler Lifts and Google Ireland. Maria holds an MBA from Liverpool John Moores University and degrees in marketing and graphic design from Universidad de Palermo, Buenos Aires. She is a qualified professional coach. She is on the board of the Immigrant Council of Ireland; she is a member of the Institute of Directors Ireland and the Professional Women's Network Dublin.

Dr Ciara Walsh has been appointed as chief specialist in food science and technology with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. She brings has over 25 years of experience in food science and technology. She spent more than 12 years at TU Dublin, notably as senior engagement manager in food and health, where she led a number of strategic university initiatives. Her appointment marks a return to the FSAI, where she previously worked for seven years in biotechnology. Her prior experience also includes three years as a Newman Postdoctoral Scholar at the Centre for Food Safety in UCD and four years as a Walsh PhD Fellow in Teagasc, Ashtown.

Malcolm Clancy, head of sales at the RDS, Dublin, has been appointed as a trustee on the board of CRY Ireland (Cardiac Risk in the Young). An Australian native, Malcolm’s career has been built around commercial relationships in tourism and events. He relocated to Dublin four years ago, consulting on commercial strategy and event management before taking up his current RDS role in 2024. He has held roles with the Western Australian government’s convention bureau, attracting business events to the state. He has also represented more than 600 SMEs across Australia's South West, growing their commercial output and supporting the wider tourism industry.

Brian O’Connell has been appointed as senior broker consultant for the Limerick and Clare region with Royal London Ireland, provider of life insurance and pensions in Ireland. He brings over 23 years of experience in financial services, working across protection, investments, retirement planning, and broker support. He spent seven years with Hibernian Life and Pensions. Over the past 16 years, he has held a series of broker-facing roles with an Irish life and pension provider, building his expertise in protection solutions, PRSA and pension planning, and intermediary support. Brian also holds the qualified financial adviser (QFA) designation in Life and Pensions from the Life Insurance Association (LIA).