Business movers: People starting new jobs in Ireland

New appointees with Waterways Ireland, Speed Fibre Group, ESW, Mercy Hospital Foundation, United Drug and the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission

New roles: (top row) Michael McHugh, Aisling Morman, Tonia Luykx; (bottom row) Rachel Stevenson, David Keyes, Brian Kennedy.

Here is a selection of people starting new roles with Waterways Ireland, Speed Fibre Group, ESW, Mercy Hospital Foundation, United Drug and the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.

Michael McHugh has been appointed as head of the new project management office with Waterways Ireland, the cross-border navigational authority for inland waterways. An experienced project and programme manager, he was previously head of project management at Vodafone Ireland for 12 years, leading the delivery of technology and connectivity projects to public and private B2B customers. He has also held senior roles in SIAE Microelettronica and KN Network Services. He holds a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Galway, a Master’s from QUB in Environmental Engineering and a Master’s in History from Maynooth University, as well as a diploma in Irish from the University of Galway.

Aisling Morman has been appointed as general counsel with Speed Fibre Group, the home of telecoms businesses Enet and Magnet+. With over 16 years of experience in the legal and compliance sector, Aisling joins from Winthrop Technologies where she was head of legal and compliance. She has held senior legal roles across multiple industries, including telecoms, technology and financial services including head of procurement, IP and regulation, data protection officer, and senior legal counsel in TradingHub, as well as legal counsel with OVO and corporate associate with Herbert Smith Freehills. She holds a degree in Civil Law from UCD and a Master of Laws from University of Edinburgh.

Tonia Luykx has been appointed as chief revenue officer (CRO) with international ecommerce firm ESW, headquartered in Dublin, with offices in New York, Madrid and Singapore. Reporting to Eric Eichmann, CEO, Tonia brings over 20 years of experience in CRO and related roles building and leading international commercial teams, notably with freight intelligence and analytics platform Xeneta, with AI-powered fraud and trust platform Sift, as well as Amazon Pay, Dropbox, Google, SAP and Microsoft. Other recent appointments at ESW include Eoin Greene as chief technology officer; Mark O’Neill as chief financial officer; Martin Tully, as appointed chief operating officer; and Sarah Keating as chief people officer.

Rachel Stevenson has been appointed as CEO of Mercy Hospital Foundation. Bringing nearly 30 years of experience in the voluntary sector, Rachel is a highly accomplished senior leader with a deep commitment to driving positive change. She began her career in London and has championed causes across disability, social disadvantage, black and minority ethnic issues, and homelessness. For the past 23 years, she has served as director of fundraising at Cork Simon Community. She played a pivotal role in transforming lives through her leadership and partnership-based approach to affecting social change. Rachel is is currently chair of Charities Institute Ireland’s Munster Fundraisers Network.

David Keyes has been appointed as managing director of United Drug in Ireland. He was director of United Drug Distributions and head of public affairs for PHX Ireland since 2020, playing a pivotal role in the development and implementation of the organisation’s pan-European commercial strategy. Having first joined United Drug in 2012, David has provided strategic leadership across business areas including pre-wholesale, government contracts, and public affairs. David’s expertise will be key in driving growth and strengthening United Drug’s supply chain operations across Ireland. “I’m committed to driving the business forward, ensuring we meet the evolving needs of our customers and partners across Ireland,” said David.

Brian Kennedy, senior counsel, has been appointed as chief adjudication officer at consumer protection watchdog Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC).  He will continue his practice at the Bar of Ireland.  He has been a barrister in Ireland for over 27 years and was called to the Inner Bar (senior counsel) in 2012. He has vast experience in general civil law practice with an emphasis on commercial, regulatory, competition and public law, including EU law. The Competition (Amendment) Act 2022 governs an enforcement regime in Ireland for breaches of EU and Irish competition law, with financial sanctions of up to €10m or 10% of total worldwide turnover.