Academia & Philanthropy
Adi Roche: Chernobyl Children's Project International
Adi Roche has worked tirelessly to provide humanitarian aid to the 4 million children the United Nations recognises as affected by the world's worst nuclear disaster in Belarus, Western Russia and the Ukraine. Under her leadership, the Chernobyl Children's Project International has initiated 16 aid programmes and delivered direct and indirect medical and humanitarian aid valued at over €76 million to the areas most affected by the disaster. Her efforts on behalf of these children, and her thorough understanding of the accident aftermath, have brought her international recognition. The Chernobyl Children's Project International has received official charitable status in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Belarus and in the United States.
Angela Kerins: Rehab Group
Angela Kerins is chief executive of Rehab Group - a leading voluntary organisation delivering high-quality, person-centred services to people with disabilities, older people and others who are marginalised.
Anthony Condon: UCD
Tony Condon is director of development at University College Dublin (UCD), College of Business and Law. He played a key role in raising funds for UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School world class and architecturally significant library, which opened in 2007. Currently, he is actively involved in fundraising for UCD's proposed new Sutherland School of Law, as well as the planned major expansion of UCD Smurfit School, which is Ireland's leading, and only world-ranked business school - and is triple accredited in North America, Great Britain and Europe.
Chuck Feeney: Atlantic Philanthropies
Born in New Jersey during the Great Depression, Charles (Chuck) Feeney has dual Irish-American citizenship and, often referred to as the
David Went: Trinity Foundation
A very familiar name in both business and academic circles, David Went is the current chairman of the Trinity Foundation, a 16-member board of Trinity College Dublin, responsible for assisting the college in its philanthropic fund raising. He is also a non-executive director of Vhi, Goldman Sachs Bank [Europe], and is the former group chief executive of Irish Life & Permanent plc - a position he stepped down from in 2007.
Fergus Finlay: Barnardos
Fergus Finlay has been CEO of Barnardos children's charity since 2005. Barnardos operates from over 40 centres across Ireland, working with children, parents and families who are vulnerable in society.
Frances Ruane: ESRI
Galway-born Professor Frances Ruane is a respected economist and academic, and was appointed director of the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) in Dublin in December 2006. The ESRI is a national economic think-tank and a producer of high quality research that contributes to understanding economic and social change. Its mission is to inform public policy-making and civil society in Ireland and throughout the European Union.
Hilary Weston: The Ireland Fund of Canada
Born in Ireland, Hilary Weston is considered Ireland's richest person and her personal fortune increased by £1 billion in 2008, according to the Sunday Times Rich List. The former model married Canadian grocer Galen Weston and in 1974 moved to Canada.
Hugh Brady: UCD
Since 2004, Dr Hugh Brady has been chief officer and eighth president of University College Dublin (UCD). At the age of 43, he was the youngest university president to be appointed in Ireland and his term lasts for 10 years.
Jim Browne: NUI Galway
Dr Jim Browne is the 12th president of the National University of Ireland Galway (NUI Galway), one of Ireland's premier universities with over 16,000 students.
John Hegarty: Trinity College Dublin
Dr John Hegarty was appointed Provost of Trinity College Dublin (TCD) in August 2001. Born in Co Mayo in 1948, he completed his PhD in Physics at University College Galway. Following a postdoctoral stay at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he was a research scientist at Bell Labs, New Jersey for six years. He returned to Ireland in 1986 as Professor of Laser Physics at Trinity College.
John O'Shea: GOAL
Social entrepreneur, John O'Shea is founder and CEO of GOAL, an Irish non-governmental organisation devoted to assisting the poorest people in the world. Since it was established in 1977, GOAL has spent close to €600 million on the delivery of aid to the poor in 50 countries worldwide, and has responded to almost every major natural and man-made disaster and catastrophe in the past 33 years.
Kieran McLoughlin: The American Ireland Fund
Kieran McLoughlin, who was named CEO of The American Ireland Fund in January 2010, has certainly become a big hit in the Big Apple in a very short time. Born in Dublin, he graduated from Trinity College with a BA in Politics and Economics. His early career was spent as a lobbyist with a number of organisations, including the Dublin Chamber of Commerce and the Dublin International Sports Council (DISC), which was established to investigate the possibility and promotion of a Dublin Olympic bid.
Kingsley Aikins: Global Diaspora Strategies
Kingsley Aikins was born and brought up in Dublin and educated at The High School, Dublin and Trinity College Dublin, from where he graduated with an honours degree in economics and politics. He also has a post-graduate diploma in international marketing and has studied and worked extensively in France and Spain.
Loretta Brennan Glucksman: The American Ireland Fund
As chairperson of The American Ireland Fund, Loretta Brennan Glucksman brings to her fundraising activities all the energy and panache she previously needed working as a television producer in the US.
Mary Davis: The Special Olympics
Having spent the last 30 years working with the Special Olypics Ireland as CEO, Mary Davis, in her new role as managing director of The Special Olympics Europe/Eurasia, is now responsible for the development of 58 Special Olympics programmes across Europe/Eurasia.
Melanie Verwoerd: UNICEF
A passionate and tireless activist all her life, Melanie Verwoerd has been the executive director of UNICEF Ireland since 2007. Whether she is addressing domestic or international issues that relate to the well-being of children, Verwoerd is one of the most vocal and respected voices speaking and campaigning on children's rights in Ireland today.
Michael Murphy: UCC
Dr Michael B Murphy has been president of University College Cork (UCC) since February 2007. With a background in academic medicine, he had been dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health at UCC for seven years prior to his present appointment.
Niall Mellon: Niall Mellon Township Trust
Aside from his property business Knocrabo Developments, Niall Mellon is founder of the Niall Mellon Township Trust.
Tom Arnold: Concern
Since 2001, Tom Arnold has been chief executive of Concern Worldwide, the international humanitarian organisation which, for the last 40 years, has been dedicated to reducing suffering and ending extreme poverty. Working in third-world countries across Africa, Asia and Haiti, Concern Worldwide responds to humanitarian crises across the globe.
Tom Begley: UCD Business Schools
Professor Thomas Begley joined University College Dublin (UCD) in 2004 to hold the Governor Hugh L Carey Chair in Organisational Behaviour. He has been Dean of UCD Business Schools since 2005 and his responsibilities include the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, the post-graduate UCD Smurfit School and the high-tech undergraduate UCD Quinn School.
