Business Movers

New roles: (top row) Dr Hala Gomaa, Paul McCabe, Kaisa Hietala; (bottom row) Barry Coogan, Sinead Keavey, Peter Kearney.

New roles: (top row) Dr Hala Gomaa, Paul McCabe, Kaisa Hietala; (bottom row) Barry Coogan, Sinead Keavey, Peter Kearney.

Here is a selection of people starting new roles with Sims IVF, BioPharmaChem Ireland, Smurfit Kappa Group, Grey Matters Network, Carson McDowell and COOPANS Alliance.

Dr Hala Gomaa has been appointed as a reproductive medicine and fertility consultant with fertility treatment clinic Sims IVF. Dr Gomaa will be based at the Sims IVF clinic in Clonskeagh, Dublin. She moves to Dublin from Canada, where she completed two clinical fellowships in Reproductive Sciences at the University of Toronto and in Mature Women’s Health clinic in Mount Sinai Hospital. Prior to this, Dr Gomaa worked in Saudi Arabia as an obstetrician and gynaecologist. She holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBCh) from Cairo University, Egypt in 1996. After completing her residency training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, she acquired her MSc degree from Cairo University, Egypt in 2000. In 2010 completed LMCC exams in Canada. In 2013, she became a Certified Menopause Practitioner with the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) and in 2019, a certified member of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (RCOG) in the UK.

Paul McCabe, site leader at Alexion Pharmaceuticals in College Park, Blanchardstown, Dublin has been appointed as the new chair of BioPharmaChem Ireland, the Ibec group that represents biopharma and chemical in Ireland, a sector employing over 30,000 directly with a further 30,000 in indirect jobs. He is a senior business executive with 30 years’ experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, with expertise that spans operations leadership, culture transformation, strategy development and execution, change management, innovation, new product introduction / technology transfer and establishment of both “greenfield” and “brownfield” site operations. He is also a member of the National 30% Club Ireland SteerCo, co-lead of the pharma sector working group on diversity and inclusion (BPCI DIB Working group) and sits on the board of IMR (Irish Manufacturing Research).

Kaisa Hietala has been appointed as an independent, non-executive director to the board of Smurfit Kappa Group, the manufacturers of paper-based packaging products, with operations in Europe and the Americas. A Finnish citizen, she brings a wealth of strategic and operational experience to the board, and a strong commitment to sustainability. She spent over 20 years at Neste Corporation, where she was a key architect in the strategic transformation of the company to become the world’s largest producer of renewable diesel and renewable jet fuel. She served as executive vice president, renewable products at Neste Corporation and as a member of the Neste executive board from 2014 to 2019. Prior to this she held a number of senior positions including VP, Renewable Fuels, Neste Oil Corporation. She is currently a partner at Gaia Consulting, a sustainable business consultancy firm focused on helping companies turn climate challenges into profitable business opportunities and serves as a non-executive director of Kemira Oyj.

Barry Coogan has been appointed as a senior sales manager with Grey Matters Network, which provides businesses with access to a pool of proven professionals who can either step into a role or provide expert advice. Mr Coogan will offer businesses across Ireland advice or key management assignments tailored for their business needs. He is an experienced strategic manager, skilled in business process management, sales, leadership, customer relationship management (CRM) and global account management. He has strong business acumen and is passionate about innovation, business acceleration with a drive to succeed. He is a graduate from University College Dublin. GMN is expanding its management team in response to the evolving workplace and demand for experienced contracted business professionals in Ireland.

Sinead Keavey has joined law firm Carson McDowell as the new head of its Dublin office as part of an ongoing expansion of its specialist legal healthcare team in the city. A leading healthcare lawyer, Mr Keavey has joined the firm as a partner and will also take on the newly created leadership role in Dublin. She was previously a partner in William Fry’s Litigation & Dispute Resolution Department, where she represented a wide range of clients in the healthcare and regulated sectors in Ireland. Her core practice involved defending clinical negligence claims brought against consultants and general practitioners, and representing healthcare professionals before the Irish Medical Council. She also holds a Masters in Ethics from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Carson McDowell has over 110 solicitors and more than 180 staff across its offices in Belfast and Dublin.

Peter Kearney, chief executive of the Irish Aviation Authority, has been appointed as chair of COOPANS Alliance, the international partnership between air navigation service providers in Austria, Croatia, Denmark, Sweden and Ireland. He takes over from Ann Persson, director general of LFV, Sweden, who held the position since 2018. Peter has been a member of the Alliance board since 2018. He has been with the IAA since 1998. A former air traffic controller, he has held various management positions. He is a graduate of Harvard Business School and holds a BSc in Business Management from TCD, a Masters in Human Factors and Safety Assessment in Aeronautics from Cranfield University and a PhD specialising in the area of human factors in ATM system design. A keen aviator, he is an experienced helicopter pilot.