Business Movers

New roles: (top row, left to right) Elaine Farrell, Róisín Ní Ráighne, Nikita Lynn; (bottom row) Dr Hani Daabis, John O’Driscoll, Prof David Kenny.

Here is a selection of people starting new roles with Irish Farmers’ Association, Dynamo, Diaceutics Plc, Sims IVF Group, Equinix and Teagasc.

Elaine Farrell has been appointed as the secretary of the Irish Farmers’ Association national council, its governing body. She takes over from Bryan Barry, who is retiring after 34 years’ service with IFA. She will also continue to oversee IFA’s engagement with the Oireachtas, with the retail sector and co-ordinating IFA's Brexit activities. A native of Castletownroche, Co Cork, she has over 25 years’ service with IFA. Elaine said she looks forward to taking up the role. “As the largest representative organisation for farmers in Ireland, IFA is a very important voice for farmers and I will work with our elected officers on national council to continue our work,” she said. IFA president Tim Cullinan said the National Council had approved the appointment.

Róisín Ní Ráighne has been appointed managing director at Dynamo brand and communications agency. She previously worked Dynamo in 2010 as a senior account manager. In 2012, she went to work in Acorn (now Epsilon), but returned six months later to Dynamo as an account director. In 2015, she became the strategy and planning director. Róisín returned from maternity leave last September, and has since taken on her new role as MD. Originally from Indreabhán in the Connemara Gaeltacht, she holds an Arts degree and postgraduate in business from NUIG, and a Masters in Marketing from DIT. Dynamo’s clients include DAA, Mark Anthony, Goffs, Heineken and Green Isle Foods. In 2020, new clients included Fáilte Ireland, Cora Systems, Proximo Spirits and Chevron College.

Nikita Lynn has been appointed as vice president of finance with medical data analytics firm Diaceutics Plc. She has been promoted to this role following her tenure as senior director of corporate advancement. She will now lead the financial operations and corporate development of the company. She brings extensive experience in financial reporting, taxation and auditing for public companies. She was previously a senior manager at PwC, where she spent six years in the assurance department, working predominantly within audit; during this time, she also worked on reporting accountant engagements, which included project leading the IPOs of Diaceutics in 2019 and Fusion Antibodies in 2017. She trained and qualified as a chartered accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ireland.

Dr Hani Daabis has been appointed as group medical director with fertility treatment specialist Sims IVF Group, based in its clinic in Clonskeagh, Dublin. He will oversee medical management and clinical governance across the group, and lead the group's medical teams in Swords, Carlow and Cork. With over 20 years’ experience in the UK, his prior roles include medical director and lead consultant in Thames Valley Fertility clinic and fertility consultant and medical advisor in BMI Chaucer Hospital in Canterbury. Dr Daabis is a fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists and an accredited trainer with the British Fertility Society. He holds both a degree and Masters in Medicine from Alexandria University in Egypt.

John O’Driscoll has been appointed regional sales director for Ireland with digital infrastructure company Equinix, leading its sales channels, business development, renewals and channel sales. He brings more than 20 years of sales experience, notably as group head of sales at Integrity360, where he held full profit and loss responsibility for UK and Irish markets. Prior to this, he was head of global business development and enterprise inside sales sectors at BT Ireland, where he established a new Global Business Development Unit and oversaw global acquisition and foreign direct investment (FDI) engagement. He holds a Masters in Strategic Sales Management and Leadership from Smurfit Graduate Business School, UCD, and a diploma in coaching and mentoring from the Chartered Management Institute.

Prof David Kenny has been appointed as head of national agri research authority Teagasc's Animal and Bioscience Research Department (ABRD), and will be based in Teagasc Grange, Co Meath. He takes over from Michael Diskin, who retired last year. Prof Kenny has worked as a principal research officer in Teagasc since 2011. Prior to that he was a lecturer at the School of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Medicine, UCED. In his early career he worked for the Department of agriculture and as an adviser with Teagasc. He holds a BagrSc from UCD, and a PhD in nutrition and reproductive physiology of cattle, UCD. He holds postgrad diplomas in Statistics (TCD), Molecular Medicine (TCD), and Leadership Development (IMI/UCC).