Business movers: People starting new jobs in Ireland

New appointees with Irish Academy of Engineering, daa, Concern, Accenture, Esri Ireland and Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman

New roles: (top row) Bernard Looney, Catherine Gubbins, David Regan; (bottom row) Hilary O’Meara, Gareth McBride, Liam Sloyan.

Bernard Looney, CEO of bp (UK oil and gas firm) has been inducted to the Irish Academy of Engineering (IAE). The Kerryman has also been named as a fellow of the organisation. He was nominated for membership in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the engineering profession. A graduate of UCD and Stanford University, Bernard’s career with bp began in 1991 when he joined the company as a drilling engineer. He went on to hold a variety of positions across the company’s North American and European operations before his appointment in 2020 as CEO of the 113-year-old global energy company.

Catherine Gubbins has been appointed as interim CEO of daa, replacing Dalton Philips who is taking up a new role as CEO of Greencore Group. Catherine joined daa (Dublin Airport Authority) in 2014 as group financial controller, becoming director of finance in 2019. She was appointed as group CFO last year. She was previously a senior manager in the assurance and business advisory function of PwC Ireland. She has a degree in Law and Accounting from UL and a Masters in Accounting from UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School. She is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland.

David Regan has been appointed as CEO of Concern Worldwide. He has worked with Accenture for 33 years, and is currently the MD responsible for its work with tax agencies globally. He will conclude his role with Accenture over the coming months, joining Concern in December, taking over from outgoing CEO Dominic MacSorley. Mr Regan served as a volunteer with Concern in Ethiopia in the mid-1980s and then subsequently served on the board of Concern. David was elected as chair of the board and in more recent years also served as a member of the board’s programme, monitoring and evaluation committee.

Hilary O’Meara has been appointed as country managing director for Ireland with professional services firm Accenture, which employs 5,500 people serving clients across multiple industries. She succeeds Alastair Blair who will retire in early 2023. She has been with Accenture for 30 years, most recently as director of operations for Accenture UK and Ireland, and she will continue to serve on the UK & Ireland executive. She holds a BSc in Computer Science from UCD and is a member of the advisory board at UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School. She was previously a board member of Fast Track to IT.

Gareth McBride has been appointed as customer success manager for Esri Ireland, the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) company. He will provide leadership and technical guidance at all stages of project delivery. He joined Esri in Holywood, Co Down, in 2017 as a GIS consultant. Before this, he worked as a pre-sales engineer with GIS and web mapping software company Cadcorp in England. Since joining Esri Ireland, Gareth has worked with many key customers in various roles bringing his skills and expertise to data analysis and the application of GIS technology across various industry sectors. Gareth holds a BSc in Geography from the University of Ulster.

Liam Sloyan has been appointed as the financial services and pensions ombudsman for a five-year term, effective from December, acting as an impartial and free service to help resolve complaints from consumers, including small businesses and other organisations, against financial service providers and pension providers. Mr Sloyan has experience in consumer protection and financial services, and has led public bodies such as Health Insurance Authority, National Treatment Purchase Fund, and as regulator of the National Lottery. He will replace former financial services and pensions ombudsman, Ger Deering, who is to become the ombudsman and information commissioner next February.