Business movers: People starting new jobs in Ireland

New appointees with RTÉ, TEKenable, Classic Hits Radio, CRY Ireland, with Storm Technology and the Irish Management Institute

New roles: (top row) Gráinne McAleer, Josh Sherry, Nicki Manley; (bottom row) Kevin O’Dwyer, Stephen Shannon, Ryan Shanks.

Here is a selection of people starting new roles with RTÉ, TEKenable, Classic Hits Radio, CRY Ireland, with Storm Technology and the Irish Management Institute.

Gráinne McAleer has been appointed as acquisitions editor with RTÉ following an internal competition. She will support Donal Horan, director of acquisitions and co-productions at the national broadcaster, in negotiations to buy content from major Hollywood studios and international distribution companies, including feature films, drama and comedy series, documentaries and children’s programming. Grainne has been commissioning factual programmes for RTÉ for more than 20 years. She is currently the commissioning editor for documentaries and features. She commissioned series such as Operation Transformation, Room to Improve, Great House Revival, The Case I Can’t Forget, DIY SOS, Build Your Own, Ray Goggins Uncharted, On the Beat and most recently The Traitors Ireland.

Josh Sherry has joined digital services company TEKenable as account manager for Ireland and UK, Microsoft Business Applications, driving business growth in the Irish and UK market. Josh joins from AP Consultants, where he spent five years leading its expansion into London, the Netherlands, Germany and Canada. He built and scaled commercial teams in each region, contributing to a tenfold increase in operational reach and revenue. Josh holds a degree in Economics and Sociology from University of Limerick, including an Erasmus Diploma in Business Studies from Palacký University in Olomouc, Czech Republic. He holds many Microsoft certifications across cloud, data and AI, copilot, business applications and security technologies.

Nicki Manley has been appointed as deputy programme director with Classic Hits Radio. With the station since 2023, she has presented Sunday mornings before expanding to both Saturday and Sunday Breakfast. In 2024, she won bronze for Newcomer of the Year at the IMRO Radio Awards. She previously worked in human resources, valuable experience that she will now apply to her work in radio. Nicki will continue to present the station’s Weekend Breakfast show alongside her new role. “I’m thrilled to take on this new role. I’m looking forward to using my experience, both on air and in the world of HR, to support the team,” Nicki said.

Kevin O’Dwyer has been appointed as chair of CRY Ireland (Cardiac Risk in the Young). A trustee of CRY Ireland since 2022, he takes over from Noelle Condon, outgoing chair. A Fellow Chartered Accountant, Kevin is currently finance director for Q-nis (a subsidiary of Kingspan Group Plc). He has previously held roles with Applegreen, daa, KBC Bank and KPMG. From Dublin, he holds a Bachelor of Commerce (International) degree from UCD. CRY Ireland is an all-island charity that offers emotional support to families; it provides access to cardiac screening services to bereaving families or those living with a diagnosis of an inherited cardiac condition; and supports research.

Stephen Shannon has been appointed as the new chief commercial officer with Storm Technology, a Littlefish company and Microsoft business technology solutions consultancy. He will lead Storm’s commercial strategy, guiding the sales organisation and supporting business growth. Stephen brings more than two decades of experience in sales, technology and business development; notably, he played a pivotal role in Avanade’s growth in the Irish market. He was the head of business development for Ergo; he also ran his own business. Stephen holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Dublin City University, having originally qualified as an electrical engineer. He also volunteers as an advisor for credit unions.

Ryan Shanks has been appointed as director of strategic growth and partnerships with the Irish Management Institute (IMI), executive education and leadership development specialist. He will shape IMI’s growth strategy, expand its service offering, enhance collaborations and develop its footprint internationally. Ryan is a seasoned business leader with over 28 years of experience across Europe, North America, and Ireland. Most recently, he held senior innovation and strategy roles, at senior partner level at Accenture, working with organisations to deliver tangible business impact through people with AI. He has also directed global R&D and innovation centres, led multidisciplinary teams of technologists, designers, and strategists to develop scalable business solutions.