Business movers: People starting new jobs in Ireland

New appointees with Expleo, Cantec Group, Grant Thornton, Kepak, Emirates and GOAL

New roles: (top row, left to right) Siobhán Smith, David Garrihy, Sara McAllister; (bottom row) Prof Damien McLoughlin, Eimear McDonald, Barry O'Connell.

Here is a selection of people starting new roles with Expleo, Cantec Group, Grant Thornton, Kepak, Emirates and GOAL.

Siobhán Smith has been appointed as global marketing manager with Expleo, technology services provider. She was most recently the company’s head of marketing in Ireland. She joined Expleo Ireland (formerly SQS Ireland) in 2018 as a marketing coordinator, playing a key role in the rebrand to Expleo Ireland. She was then promoted to head of marketing for Ireland in January 2020. She will now devise and implement the marketing strategy for Expleo Group’s Quality Management Consulting business unit. She will also lead a team of country marketing managers worldwide to achieve commercial and business targets for their respective regions. She holds a postgraduate degree in Marketing and Management from TU Dublin. She won the gold medal for first place on the Master of Science in Management and Marketing from DIT, 2018.

David Garrihy has joined Cantec Group, provider of integrated hardware and software solutions, as area account manager for Galway and Clare. He joins at an exciting time following the company's recent merger with SmartOffice Technology. He brings 23 years of experience in the evolving print and sales industry, notably in roles with PAGE Printing and Graphic Equipment, DBC Group, Real Print and Clare County Council. Founded in 1994, Cantec Group has grown to become an industry leader in technology solutions. Docutec, Cantec Group’s managed print solutions division, supports clients in streamlining their document workflows, establishing a predictable cost-per-page, while enhancing employee productivity and reducing overall print costs. David will work closely with Docutec and SmartOffice. He said: “I’m delighted to join the team working with our clients in Clare and Galway.”

 Sara McAllister has been appointed as partner with professional services firm Grant Thornton, heading up its business risk services (BRS) team. She will lead the newly established BRS corporate and public sector team, which will meet the growth in demand for multi-faceted advice on all aspects of business risk management. She joined Grant Thornton in 2010 and has built out the firm’s business risk offering over recent years. Having qualified with KPMG and spending some formative years in roles with Campbell Bewley Group and Pfizer, Sara brings years of experience and knowledge to the role, coupled with ambitious plans for the team to grow. The promotion reflects the growth experienced by Grant Thornton Ireland over the past twelve months, as the firm responds to the challenges of Covid-19.

Prof Damien McLoughlin has been appointed as a non-executive director with Kepak Group, the Irish food company. He is Anthony C. Cunningham Professor of Marketing and Marketing Subject Area Head at UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, specialising in agribusiness strategy and marketing. He is also a visiting professor at the SC Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University, the Indian School of Business, ESMT (Berlin), NYU Stern School and Tuck School at Dartmouth College. He has also contributed to senior executive programs in agribusiness at both Harvard Business School, IMD and Purdue University. He has developed agribusiness sustainability programmes in several countries, and helped develop Bord Bia’s acclaimed talent development programmes. He holds a Business Studies degree from DCU, an MBS from UCD, and PhD in Marketing from Lancaster University (UK).

Eimear McDonald has been appointed as cargo manager for Ireland with Emirates, the Dubai-based airline. She will head up the Emirates SkyCargo division in the Irish market; currently four Emirates Boeing 777 weekly flights out of Dublin can carry 25 tonnes of cargo including critical pharma, medical equipment, computer servers, seafood, dairy and other exports to global markets. A Dublin native, Eimear was appointed vice president of the Irish Air Cargo Institute in 2020 and joins Emirates from leading logistics provider Rhenus Air & Ocean, where she managed the fast-moving export pharma department. Eimear helped establish cargo offices at Dublin Airport for both Singapore Airlines and Airbridge International Agencies and has held senior roles in cargo operations with companies including Aer Lingus Cargo Operations, Lufthansa Cargo and UPS Supply Chain Solutions.

Barry O’Connell has been appointed as chairman of the humanitarian aid agency GOAL. He takes over the chair from Vodafone CEO, Anne O’Leary, who steps down after six years of dedicated service to the charity. Mr O’Connell brings a wealth of global experience to the role, having spent more than 20 years working in a wide range of senior strategic roles around the world for Coca-Cola, driving growth and transformation in emerging and mature markets in Ireland, Russia, Switzerland, Austria, New Zealand, Australia and Malaysia/Singapore. He was also previously head of research and planning for Saatchi & Saatchi in Ireland. He holds a BA in Business Adminisatration and Marketing from UL, and qualifications in Strategic Management from IMD Switzerland and Supply Chain for General Managers from Cranfield School of Management.