Business Movers

New roles: (top row, left to right) David O'Connor, Nora Beecher, Andy Lynch; (bottom row) Dr Rhona Mahony, Lionel Alexander, Randall Shannon.

Here is a selection of people starting new roles with Aircoach, MC2, Fuzion Communications, HaloCare, Fine Grain Property and Wexford Festival Trust.

David O’Connor has been appointed as digital marketing manager with private coach and bus operator Aircoach. His prior roles include working as sales and marketing manager with Delfin English School, and roles with Frontier Entertainment and Horse Racing Ireland as sales and marketing manager for Fairyhouse Racecourse; with Fairyhouse, his marketing campaigns included the Easter Festival featuring the BoyleSports Irish Grand National. With his new role, he will develop and execute Aircoach’s digital marketing strategies. He holds a degree in Business Studies from DIT, a diploma in Digital Marketing from the Irish Internet Association, and a diploma in Business Management and a Certificate in Retail Marketing from DIT. Now 21 years in business, Aircoach operates key intercity services between Cork, Belfast, Dublin Airport, Dublin city centre and its suburbs.

Nora Beecher has been appointed as the new director of accounts at the Cork city-based firm MC2 Accountants. Nora, who has been with the firm since 2018, qualified as a chartered accountant in 2010 and has worked with a wide range of SME clients including start-ups and within the medical sector. She has worked with Westboro Partners, Baxter & Associates adn O'Brien Cahill & Co. Her wealth of expertise over the last 10 years extends to include audit compliance, accounts preparation for SMEs and audit exempt companies, sole traders and partnerships, audits of solicitors, credit unions and non-audit exempt companies, management accounts and grant applications. She holds qualifications from UCC and Chartered Accountants of Ireland.

Andy Lynch has joined Fuzion Communications as creative director. He joins from RTÉ where he led the design, motion graphics and video editing output of RTÉ’s Central Communications department. He began his design career with Media Manager, then moved to Dublin with Maximum Media, working with clients such as Mondelez, Unilever, Diageo and AIB. As well as his motion design skills, he also brings managerial experience; with Communicorp, Andy oversaw and managed the design of brands including Today FM, 98FM and SPIN. He worked on a vast array of projects such as digital marketing campaigns, show branding, vehicle liveries, national out of home print campaigns and event stage design at Longitude and Electric Picnic.

Dr Rhona Mahony has joined the board of HaloCare, a new healthcare company in Carlow that supports older and vulnerable people living in their own home. A former master of the National Maternity Hospital and a highly respected medical professional, she was instrumental in securing Government backing for the construction of a new maternity hospital for the women and children of Ireland. She was executive director of the Women and Children’s Clinical Academic Directorate within Ireland East Healthcare Group from 2018 to 2020. She is also on the boards of St Vincent's Healthcare Group, the Little Museum of Dublin and the Advisory Board of Trinity Business School. She is a member of the Institute of Directors of Ireland and the YPO (Young Presidents' Organization).

Lionel Alexander has been appointed to the board of Fine Grain Property, a commercial real estate investor and operator of business parks in Athlone, Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick, Maynooth and Shannon. He has served on the board at IDA Ireland for nine years, and brings significant experience of driving business growth for multinational corporations and indigenous Irish businesses. He spent more than 30 years with tech firm HP in Singapore and Ireland, rising to GM and overseeing operations and investments in Ireland. His prior board appointments include being president of the American Chamber of Commerce, and board member of IBEC. He recently completed a five-year term as chairman of IT Tralee, where he oversaw the amalgamation with Cork IT to become Munster Technological University.

Randall Shannon has been appointed as interim CEO of Wexford Festival Trust, effective to end of Festival 2021. Earlier this year Wexford Festival Trust confirmed that David McLoughlin, its long serving chief executive, had decided to leave the organisation after 13 years in the role. Randall Shannon started his career as an orchestral musician in London before developing a career in arts management. He has held CEO positions with the Irish Chamber Orchestra, Opera Theatre Company, Opera Northern Ireland, Buxton International Festival and an interim CEO role in Opera Theatre Company. A very regular visitor to the Festival since 1985, he also acted as opera advisor to the Arts Council between 2007 and 2020. The board will embark on a process to recruit a new CEO to lead Wexford Festival Opera into the future.