Business movers: People starting new jobs in Ireland

New appointees with Vodafone, Logicalis, Digital Business Ireland, Ergo, Spectrum.Life and Allianz Ireland

New roles: (top row) Elizabeth Headon, Neil Eke, Caroline Dunlea; (bottom row) John Molloy, Dr Paula Franklin, John Ryan.

Here is a selection of people starting new roles with Vodafone, Logicalis, Digital Business Ireland, Ergo, Spectrum.Life and Allianz Ireland.

Elizabeth Headon has been appointed as external affairs director with telecoms firm Vodafone. She joins from Bus Éireann where she led corporate communications. She was previously CEO of the Digicel Foundation Haiti and has held senior roles including as a ministerial appointee to the board of Horse Racing Ireland and senior independent director of Kenmare Resources plc. She will manage Vodafone’s external relationships with key stakeholders including media, regulators and government, and lead its corporate security, privacy, legal affairs and the Vodafone Foundation. She brings with her a wealth of experience across corporate communications, external affairs, government relations and governance in the public and private sectors.

Neil Eke has been appointed as CEO for the UK, Ireland and Channel Islands with technology service provider Logicalis. He joins from Computacenter, where he spent 12 years in senior roles. He brings over 20 years of IT sector experience working in innovative technology services, vendor relations and IT management roles. His appointment underscores the company’s commitment to empowering customers with tailored solutions to address their most pressing challenges. Neil's immediate priorities include delivering exceptional value to customers, empowering employees to deliver to their full potential, and strengthening partner relationships. "Logicalis is home to exceptional talent across all facets of the business," said Neil.

Caroline Dunlea, CEO and co-founder of Core Optimisation in Clare, has been appointed as chair of Digital Business Ireland until 2026. She takes over from global luxury business adviser Ashley McDonnell. Caroline’s digital growth agency Core Optimisation supports digital digital performance growth for businesses in Ireland and the UK. Caroline was a 2022 finalist in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Emerging category and won the Entrepreneur Award from Dublin Tech Summit, Women in Tech in 2019. Caroline was a founding council member of Digital Business Ireland and leads Core Optimisation’s management of the ground-breaking Digital Transformation Programme “Digital that Delivers” for Failte Ireland.

John Molloy has been appointed as general manager for IT solutions provider Ergo in Northern Ireland. He brings 25 years of experience, notably with other leading IT companies including Microsoft and British Telecom, and most recently Codec. John will spearhead Ergo’s expanding range of services public and private sector clients. Ergo partners on digital transformation with clients in life sciences and pharmaceuticals, and manufacturing industries. In his new role, John will lead strategic development of Ergo’s Northern Irish division as well as overseeing operational and commercial plans. Ergo is headquartered in Dublin, with offices in Cork and Limerick as well as the UK.

Dr Paula Franklin has been appointed as a director and chair of the clinical advisory board at Spectrum.Life, a digital health solutions specialist in mental health, primary care and wellbeing. Paula was a hospital doctor and a GP in the UK, before studying Public Health at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. She then worked for the Children’s Defense Fund charity in Washington on US health policy and legislation. Returning to the UK in 1996, Paula held senior medical roles with Bupa, notably as chief medical officer for Bupa Group. Paula is also on the board of the Youth Sport Trust in the UK.

John Ryan has been appointed as chief underwriting officer with insurance firm Allianz Ireland, leading the technical underwriting and pricing function. He replaces Helen Merry, who moves to chief operations officer. John brings 15 years of industry experience to his new role. He joined the firm in 2007 as an actuarial trainee; since then he has gone on to complete the Allianz Group Global Actuarial & Risk Development Programme. His roles have included pricing manager, head of pricing and head of retail underwriting. John holds a degree in Actuarial & Financial Studies from UCD and is a fellow of the Society of Actuaries in Ireland.