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26 June 2024 | St Georges Market, Belfast

Agenda

Our Stages

Schedule Subject to Change

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The Horizon Stage will be the main stage at DDNA Belfast 24. The overall theme for Horizon is “Exploring the Future”. This stage will focus on looking ahead, investigating the emerging trends, innovations, and opportunities within the technology sector in NI.
Time Title Speakers Company
MC
Charlie Taylor
Business Post
10:15
Introduction & Welcome
Chloe Ferris
Sean Devlin

Charlie Taylor
Managing Director, Digital DNA
Group Sales Director, MCS Group
Technology & Innovation Editor, Business Post
10:30
Next Practice in ESG, Green Computing and Sustainable Software Engineering
Professor Jonathan Wallace
Maria Diffley
Marc Nevin
Karl Kyck
Ulster University

Sustain IQ
Kainos
Liberty IT  
11:00

FIRESIDE CHAT with Lord Mayor of Belfast, Micky Murray
Councillor Micky Murray
Lord Mayor of Belfast
11:15
PANEL DISCUSSION: Tech Horizons: Unveiling the Northern Ireland Startup Landscape with Ormeau Labs

Moderated by Charlie Taylor
Beth Glenfield
Gareth Burns
Gary Davidson
Rachel Brammer
Founder Labs
Bia Analytical
Ormeau Labs
On-Set
11:45
Imposter syndrome – a day in the life of a programmer.
Patrick Boyd

Gearset
12:00
PANEL DISCUSSION: Building a Thriving Tech Ecosystem in NI with perspectives from Belfast Chamber and members
Clare Guinness
Tom Keating
John Carroll
Belfast Chamber
Proofpoint
COO at Datactics
12:30

PANEL DISCUSSION: Paving the Path to Sustainability and Innovation
Brian Roche
Shirley Palmer

Liam McEvoy
Smart Sustainability
Shirley Palmer International
Sustain IQ
13:00
MINISTERIAL ADDRESS:
Conor Murphy MLA
Department for the Economy
13:15

LUNCH BREAK – ONE HOUR
14:15
PANEL DISCUSSION: Securing the future – Northern Irelands Cybersecurity Landscape
Sean Hanna
Paul Crumpton
Keith Lippart
Judith Millar
Nemstar
IASME Consortium
Mangosteen Consulting Queen's University Belfast
14:45
BREAK – 15 MINUTES
15:00
PANEL DISCUSSION: Game Changers – Exploring the intersection of Sports and Technology

Moderated by Gareth Quinn
Gareth Quinn
Andrew Waterworth
Andrew Trimble
Andy Jordan
Naomi McGregor
Teamworks
IFA
Teamworks
Manchester United
Movetru
15:30
PANEL DISCUSSION: Leading Digital Transformation: Support for Businesses and Managers with QUB

Moderared by Andrei Gurca
Andrei Gurca
Luke Johnston
Michael Forster
Queens Business School
Allsop Software
Newry Mourne and Down District Council
15:45

BREAK – 15 Minutes
16:00

LIVE PRIZE DRAW WITH THAT PRIZE GUY
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The Inspire Stage is our space for the ever-expanding world of digital marketing. As the industry develops at break-neck speed, we’ll hear from experts on the very latest news, industry leaders, on real-world uses of the newest technology and innovators in tech driven marketing, on embracing the power of Technology in Modern Campaigns
Time Title Speakers Business Name
MC
Alan Wallace
Inspiring Belfast
10:30

Introduction & welcome
Alan Wallace
Inspiring Belfast
10:45
PANEL DISCUSSION: Transforming a Loyalty Scheme to a Digital App with Barista Bar
Keavy O’Mahony
Cora McCormick
Chris Palmer

Ruth Laverty
Alistair MacFarlane
Barista Bar

Genesis
Henderson Foodservice
Genesis
Sugar Rush
11:15
Leveraging Email for Explosive Growth
Rory King
Rory's Travel Club
11:30
PANEL DISCUSSION: Building a successful Go-To-Market strategy for startups. Avoiding common mistakes and maximizing impact
Geoff McGimpsey
Rosie McDowell
Terry Canning
Foundry Marketing Partners
EIP Europe LLP
CattleEye
12:00
Unlocking the Power of VOD Advertising with ITVX – Strategies and Insights for Success
Mike Jones
ITV
12:15
FIRESIDE CHAT: Mike Jones & Alan Wallace
Mike Jones
ITV
12:30
BREAK – 1 HOUR
13:30
PANEL DISCUSSION: Innovate with purpose, hosted by Máirín Murray of TechFoundHer

Moderated Máirín Murray of TechFoundHer
Michelle Connor
Nicole O’Connor
Marita Kenrick
Alison McMurtrie
Máirín Murray (host)
Kinva
Learning Me
Alto Health
iDunn Consulting
TechFoundHer
14:00

Utilising New Tech and AI Tools to Maximise Creative Efficiency
Paul Kennedy
Life Like Media Marketing
14:15
Future-Proofing Recruitment: Embracing Diversity and Technology with MCS Group
Sean Devlin
Calum McBurney
Nadine Savage
Steph Murray
MCS Group
Texthelp
EY, UK & I
ESO
14:45

Augmenting Customer-Centric Marketing with AI – Microsoft Copilot
Heather O’Reilly
Ergo

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About

Charlie Taylor

Technology and Innovation Editor, Business Post

Charlie Taylor is technology and innovation editor at the Business Post, where his duties also include editing Connected, a tech-focused monthly magazine. Prior to joining the Business Post, he spent 15 years working for the Irish Times in a number of roles.

Lord Mayor of Belfast Councillor Micky Murray

The current Lord Mayor of Belfast, Micky took up office on 3 June 2024. He is the first openly gay Lord Mayor of Belfast.

 

A member of the Alliance Party, Micky was initially co-opted onto Belfast City Council in May 2022, and retained his seat in the local government election of May 2023.

 

His background before politics was in the community and voluntary sector, where he worked helping homeless people and those with addiction challenges.

 

Micky is committed to using his year in office to furthering the goal of making Belfast an inclusive and compassionate city.

Patrick Boyd

Principal Software Engineer at Gearset

Patrick has been a software engineer for about nineteen years, with nearly half of that time working as a team lead. Most of the first part of his career was spent in the fintech sector, working first in risk management and then the retirement income sector. He is now a team lead in Gearset’s Belfast office, working on their Salesforce DevOps solution using React, TypeScript and .NET core.

Conor Murphy MLA

Economy Minister

Having first been elected to the Assembly in 1998, Mr Murphy served as Finance Minister between 2020 and 2022 and Minister for Regional Development between 2007 and 2011. He has also been a member of the Enterprise, Trade and Investment Committee and the Public Accounts Committee.

 

Mr Murphy was MP for Newry and Armagh between 2005 and 2015.

Brian Roche

Co-Founder and Co-CEO at Smart Sustainability ltd.

Brian is passionate about technology and innovation and has over 25 years’ experience working in technology and transformation in sectors such as; financial services, big pharma, manufacturing, aviation, green tech, and public sector. Brian has had senior leadership roles in organisations such as Hitachi, EMC, Wrightbus, and Belfast City Airport. Most of all, Brian believes that he can have a positive planetary impact though technology whilst maximising the social benefits that technology can enable. Brian is currently Co-founder and Co-CEO of Smart Sustainability ltd, assisting clients in delivering against their sustainability commitments.

Alan Wallace

Inspiring Belfast

Alan is a dynamic digital producer and creator, as well as the founder of Inspiring Belfast, which has generated over 100 million video views across social media platforms.

 

Recently recognized as one of the top 100 creators in the UK by the BBC, Alan is also an official ambassador for TikTok UK.

 

Alan has garnered global media attention through his brand activations. His recent red carpet video generated 60 million views, underscoring his authority in the digital space.

 

Dedicated to building strong client relationships and creating widely resonating content, Alan has collaborated with renowned brands such as Tourism NI, Stena Line, and SPAR NI, bringing creativity and excellence to each project.

Rory King

Owner of Rory’s Travel Club and “Irelands Travel Influencer of the Year” 2023 & 2024

Rory King is a distinguished travel influencer and the visionary founder behind Rory’s Travel Club. Celebrated as the Travel Influencer of the Year for both 2023 and 2024 in Ireland, Rory has transformed the way people experience travel, both locally and internationally.

 

Rory’s Travel Club, under his dynamic leadership, has grown into an exclusive community with over 100,000 members. The club offers unparalleled access to exclusive discounts on holidays in Ireland and abroad, making dream vacations more accessible and affordable for its members.

 

With a passion for uncovering hidden gems and sharing authentic travel experiences, Rory has become a trusted name in the travel industry. His innovative approach and dedication to providing value have set new standards for travel subscriptions, earning him widespread recognition and acclaim.

Mike Jones

Digital Manager ITV

Mike joined ITV in 2018, initially developing campaigns across both linear TV and partnerships later specialising in ITV’s rapidly developing Video on Demand (VOD) proposition, ITVX. More recently he has been building relationships with a network of Digital Agencies across the UK alongside driving the development and roll out of key ITVX innovations including Matchmaker, ITV’s retail Media solution which launched at the end of 2022, in partnership with Boots and Tesco.

 

Prior to this Mike worked client side in the Optics and Energy sectors across a variety of roles including Product Development, Brand Management & Trade Marketing

Paul Kennedy

Director at Life like Media Marketing

Paul is the founder and director of Belfast-based creative marketing agency Life Like Media, who work with some of the biggest brands and athletes in the DTC space delivering performance-focused ad creatives for scaling on paid social. 

 

With a decade of marketing experience and having spent most of his early career in the video content space, Paul set up Life Like Media 4.5 years ago with his brother to service the increasing need for social media ad creatives for scaling DTC brands. 

 

Some notable company highlights include running the paid marketing and creative for Floyd Mayweather, vlogging content with Tommy Fury in Dubai, 1.5 years working with Tyson Fury  helping launch his Furocity brand, including covering content at the recent Undisputed fight in Suadi Arabia, as well as building worldwide campaigns for a number of 7 and 8 figure DTC brands including Lumi Therapy, Built For Athletes, The Essence Vault, Lamborghini Wines, and many more!

 

Paul’s insight and experience have allowed LLM to carve out a unique position in the digital marketing industry, blending real data at scale with creative skill to become one of the top DTC Creative Agencies in the UK and Ireland.

Steph Murray

Manager of Talent Acquisition, ESO

Steph focuses on hiring for Global Engineering, Product and Security talent in NI, USA, Canada and Europe. ESO pioneers innovative, user-friendly software to meet the changing needs of today’s EMS agencies, fire departments, and hospitals.

 

Our Belfast Office has been open since 2019 and we are home to around 150 people with big plans to grow over the next few years. We are home to multiple Product teams, with skilled Engineers, Managers, SDET’s, Product Owners, UX Designers, DevOps Engineers and a Security team.

Nadine Savage

Recruitment Manager EY, UK & I

Calum McBurney

Talent Acquisition Partner – Texthelp

Calum is the Talent Acquisition Partner at Texthelp, the global leader in the development of literacy and accessibility software, plays a crucial role in the organization.

 

At Texthelp, their mission is to unlock everybody’s full abilities and realize their unique potential. The company creates smart, easy-to-use technology that helps everyone read, write, express their thoughts, and share information more accurately and fluently – whether they are studying, working, or simply going about their daily lives. Texthelp brings together the best technologies from around the world to deliver optimal solutions to its users.

Sean Devlin

Group Sales Director, MCS Group

Associate Director at MCS Group with overall responsibility for the IT & Digital and Technical & Engineering divisions. An expert within the Northern Ireland recruitment market with a track record of managing large scale recruitment projects including numerous campaigns with FDIs and Start-Up organisations.

 

MCS Group has established itself as Northern Ireland’s leading specialist recruitment consultancy working across multiple industries: IT & Digital, Technical & Engineering, Professional Services, Accounting & Finance and Executive Search. MCS work with 92% of NI’s top 200 companies, local SME’s, multi nationals, FDI technology centres and major NI manufacturers.

Judith Millar

Business Development Manager, Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT), Queen's University Belfast

Judith Millar leads on industry engagement and commercial partnerships for CSIT, the cyber security research centre of Queen’s University Belfast. Judith brings over 20 years’ experience in international marketing and business development in technology sectors, working both within the software sector and in economic development. Judith has worked with peers in industry to establish NI Cyber, the Northern Ireland cyber security cluster. NI Cyber is a vibrant community of innovative start-ups, SMEs and multinational corporations delivering products and services globally, alongside academic research, education and skills partners, and government stakeholders.

Rosie McDowell

EIP Patent Attorney

Rosie is a UK and European Patent Attorney at EIP Europe LLP, a law firm which specialises in managing high value and complex patent matters.

 

Her clients have included start-ups, SMEs, universities and major corporations. She has spent most of her career in private practice, but with a 2-year stint on part-time secondment within the in-house patents department of a FTSE 100 company.

 

Her specialist technical expertise lies in Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals and prior to joining the patent profession, she obtained a PhD in Biochemistry from Queens University Belfast.

Tom Keating

VP, Essentials and Belfast Site Lead at Proofpoint.

Tom holds over 30 years of diverse IT industry experience and successful experience as a senior leader with responsibility for organisation setup, strategic planning, technology / security strategies and planning, business plan development, product development, customer relationship management and organisational budgets. 

 

Tom is responsible for driving the engineering strategy for Proofpoint Essentials. His team is tasked with delivering cloud-based enterprise-class security for small and medium enterprises including email security, continuity, archiving, and social-media protection.

  

Proofpoint is a global cybersecurity company that helps protect people, data, and brands against cyber attacks. They offer compliance and cybersecurity solutions for email, web, cloud, and more. Their Northern Ireland office is located in Belfast’s Weavers Court business park, making it one of their largest locations outside the US. 

Rachel Brammer

Co-Founder at On-Set

Gareth Burns

CTO Bia Analytical

Gareth Burns is a highly experienced software development professional with a comprehensive background that spans all aspects of a technology business, from code creation to executive strategy.

 

Most recently, Gareth has served as the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of a successful startup, where he built the technical arm of the business from inception to international growth. In 2021, his company secured the largest ever investment for a tech company in Northern Ireland. By 2022, they had established their first international offices in South America, expanding their development function in this new location.

 

Gareth is known for his pragmatic, transparent, and collaborative approach, understanding the importance of passion, commitment, and clear, honest communication. His contributions to the tech community have earned him a spot as a finalist for Business Personality of the Year at the Digital DNA Awards in Northern Ireland in three of the last four years. Additionally, he founded the .NET Meetup group for Northern Ireland, growing it from three members to several hundred before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Gary Davidson

HBAN Regional Lead / Investment Lead Ormeau Labs

Gary loves the Northern Irish tech ecosystem and all things venture capital. Over the last few years, he has helped founders across the island secure over £100m of funding. Additionally, he manages the HBAN network in the North, bringing angel investors together with potential founders to invest in. Recently, Gary has started writing small angel tickets himself in founders such as Enzai, Odin, and Pavlov. He is here to help as the dot connector, so if you need a connection, please reach out!

Beth Glenfield

Program Operation Lead Founder Labs and Founder

Beth Glenfield is an experienced product leader and tech startup founder with a strong focus on innovation and impactful connections.

 

Starting from an engineering background, Beth transitioned to product leadership, bringing over eight years of experience in the enterprise B2B software space. In 2024, she founded a tech startup to transform how data is stowed across various communication channels.

 

At Founder Labs, Beth guides Northern Irish startups, helping them achieve their potential. She is committed to fostering growth in the tech ecosystem by investing in local startups and supporting women founders through Ada Ventures and her past involvement with Women Who Code.

 

Beth is always open to sharing insights and exploring opportunities in the dynamic world of technology and innovation.

Alistair MacFarlane

Founder & CEO of Sugar Rush

Alistair MacFarlane is the founder and visionary CEO of Sugar Rush, a leading app and software agency celebrated for its innovative solutions and client-centric approach. With an impressive 25 year career in the tech and creative design industry, Alistair has spent the past 21 years driving Sugar Rush’s growth and transformation through the fast-paced evolution of the tech industry.

 

Under Alistair’s leadership, Sugar Rush has grown from a small startup into a trusted and established agency in the app and software development sector. The company’s strategic direction and commitment to excellence have propelled significant advancements in its product offerings, market reach, and industry recognition throughout Ireland and the UK.

 

Sugar Rush has received numerous awards, including multiple Best App of the Year projects, Best in Digital Transformation, Best UK App Agency of the Year and has been listed among the top 100 global app agencies. Known for fostering a culture of creativity and collaboration, Alistair has built a team of top-tier experts dedicated to pushing the boundaries of design, development, and technology.

Diane Roberts

Founder of XPinnovates.

Growth strategy and digital transformation consultant with expertise in start-up development, business scaling, international expansion planning, and investment. Assisting economic development teams worldwide. Investor. Author.

Andrew Trimble

Senior Director, Product at Teamworks, Co-founder at Kairos

Andrew Trimble is a proven leader with a unique background, combining 15 years of experience as an international athlete with a strong interest in community and charity engagement both locally and nationally.

 

By empowering athletes with the scheduling and athletic planning tools at Kairos Sports Technology, Andrew and his team are dramatically optimising the performance of elite sports teams.

Andy Jordan

Academy Operations Manager, Manchester United.

Formally Logistics and Player Welfare Manger of Huddersfield Giants, Andy now works as Academy Operation Manager at Manchester United.

Andrew Waterworth

Head of Elite Player Development, IFA

Andrew Waterworth Waterworth is Head of Elite Player Development at the Irish Football Association. Andrew also heads up the Irish FA JD Academy and played for Northern Ireland at both U19 and U21 level

Naomi McGregor

Founder & CEO, MoveTru

Naomi McGregor is a dynamic and accomplished individual, who is making waves in the technology industry as the founder and CEO of Movetru, a multi-award-winning startup. With a 1st Class Masters in Product Design Engineering from Queen’s University Belfast and a host of international travel scholarships, including training from the prestigious CDIO program at Stanford University, Naomi is well-equipped to lead her team to success.

 

Her expertise in product development, autonomous vehicles, production, and manufacturing processes, as well as her experience in sales, have been recognized by major industry players such as the Royal Academy of Engineering, Institute of Mechanical Engineers, and Innovate UK, who have all awarded her for her outstanding work.

 

Naomi’s commitment to professional development is also evident in her Lean Green Belt Team Leader certification from Cardiff University. Additionally, she is an active STEM ambassador and dedicates hundreds of hours to voluntary work and has even published a TEDx Talk. With her impressive background and drive, it is no surprise that Naomi is making a significant impact in the technology industry.

Chris Palmer

Product Manager, E-Commerce and Loyalty, Henderson Foodservice

At Henderson Foodservice, Chris manages a team of fantastic e-commerce and data focused colleagues to deliver the award winning B2B www.henderson-foodservice.com and B2C Barista Bar digital suite, including the My Barista Bar Rewards+ mobile app.

 

With 20 years experience working across tech and research in hospitality and culture, Chris’s happy place is where insights and product management naturally crossover. Using customer focused insight, he builds solutions that help drive digital transformation and impactful customer engagement online.

Keavy O'Mahony

Truesdale, Barista Bar Brand Manager

Keavy joined Henderson Foodservice in 2019 as Brand Manager for Barista Bar, Northern Ireland’s largest coffee-to-go brand.

 

With over 20 years of experience managing quality brands, Keavy is now overseeing the rapid expansion of Barista Bar into Great Britain, where it is now the fourth largest coffee-to-go brand in the UK.

 

Keavy has always been passionate about developing and nurturing brands she believes in, ensuring they resonate with customers and maintain high standards.

 

Her expertise, commitment to excellence, and innovative approach have been key to driving the brand’s growth to date.

Cora McCormick

Digital Account Director, Genesis

Cora is a Digital Account Director at Genesis, an award-winning advertising agency in Belfast. With over 10 years’ industry experience, her role at Genesis is to turn clients’ ideas and aspirations into innovative, engaging, results-driven digital advertising strategies.

 

With a first-class degree in Communication with PR and broad experience through her career in advertising, marketing and public relations, Cora is adept at integrating online and offline tactics across paid, owned and earned channels to achieve the greatest impact & results.

 

Cora has launched and promoted websites & apps for international clients including Radaro & Quitch, and currently works with a broad range of brands such as Barista Bar, Irish FA, Invest NI and the Public Health Agency.

Ruth Laverty

Digital Content Lead, Genesis

Ruth is the Digital Content Lead at Genesis, an award-winning advertising agency in Belfast. With over 12 years’ industry experience, she applies her vast expertise to creating engaging and effective digital content.

 

With a degree in Design for Visual Communication and previous career as a Copywriter, Ruth combines the visual and the verbal to craft content that resonates with diverse audiences.

 

She loves harnessing fresh trends and technologies to benefit clients such as Barista Bar, The Henderson Group (SPAR and EUROSPAR), The Public Health Agency, NI Water, LMC and HSENI, to name few.

Terry Canning

CEO at CattleEye

Terry grew up on a dairy farm and after graduating with an MEng from QUB in 1995 spent the next 9 years working in a Software Architect/Management role for various telecommunications companies e.g. BT around the world including Silicon Valley, Canada and China. His primary role in this time was managing a number of datacomms related projects.

 

In 2004 he founded FarmWizard, a cloud based software product which allowed livestock farmers to easily maintain legislative and performance records. As the world’s first cloud based livestock management system it attracted the attention of a number of enterprises across the protein supply chain. FarmWizard was acquired in 2025 and now manages over 4.2m animals worldwide.
Terry is the also the founder of Cattle Eye which offers a data-enabled approach to livestock health monitoring solutions improving the lives of farmers and their livestock. This business was acquired in March of this year.

John Carroll

COO at Datactics

With over 10 years of experience, John has a proven track record in leading enterprise data strategies within both consulting and client environments.

 

Having worked globally and led large cross-functional teams, John excels in developing and implementing strategic data initiatives and driving transformative digital strategies.

He is a thought leader in enterprise data, contributing research on data and regulation in capital markets as well as speaking at industry events, sharing insights on data governance, analytics, and strategy.

 

John is dedicated to transforming strategic data goals into actionable outcomes, ensuring and driving impactful results for organizations.

Michael Forster

Full Fibre NI Programme Manager, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council

Luke Johnston

Digital Marketing Lead, Allsop Software

Andrei Gurca

Senior Lecturer, Queen’s Business School

Andrei’s research interests include innovation management and crowdsourcing, digital platforms and the gig economy, and social innovations in emerging markets. He has taught in the areas of technology and innovation management, strategic management, and international business.

Karl Kyck

Senior Portfolio Architect, Liberty IT

Karl is a Senior Portfolio Architect at Liberty IT and has been with the organisation for 3 ½ years. He is the exec sponsor of Green Scene, Liberty IT’s sustainability working group. He specialises in platform architecture and design, software testing practices, and software delivery optimisation. Karl creates value for the organisation by building differentiating capabilities and leveraging cloud providers and SaaS offerings to offload undifferentiating work.

Marc Nevin

Innovation Lead at Kainos

Marc is an Innovation Lead at Kainos, a leading digital solutions and services provider, where he works on exploring a responsible approach to digital technology and AI. One of his key focus areas is Green Software and Digital Sustainability, a space he’s committed to sharing the principles and lessons of with the ever-growing impact of digital services. He’s worked on sustainability focused projects across software products, healthcare and public sector digital services, aimed at measuring and reducing software’s impact on the environment.

Professor Jonathan Wallace

Professor of Innovation at Faculty of Computing & Engineering - University of Ulster

Jonathan Wallace is Professor of Innovation within the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment at Ulster University. His excellence in both Knowledge & Technology Transfer and lecturing has been recognised by his being awarded a Distinguished Business Fellowship and Distinguished Teaching Fellowship.

 

Jonathan is a founder member and Deputy Chair of the Northern Ireland Science Festival, as well as Chair of the IET/BCS annual Belfast Turing Lecture. He chaired and remains an active member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology Policy Group for Northern Ireland and is a member of the All-Party Advisory Group on Science, Engineering, Technology and Maths for the local devolved Government Assembly. He is a member of the BCS NI Committee as well as the BSC NI Computing Education Committee. Given his strong engagement with industry, Jonathan also Chairs the Faculty’s Computing Employer Advisory Board (CEAB).

 

He has led the development of numerous software systems in diverse market sectors attaining broad experience of managing successful research projects at a local, national and international level. From 2002 to 2018 he was Director of Knowledge and Technology Transfer for the Faculty with direct responsibility for the commercialisation of the Faculty’s research, industrial collaboration and consultancy provision.

 

He currently has a role in a number of regional, national and research projects where he is particularly applying his expertise in Digital Twins, Data Science, Business Model Development, Co-creation & Stakeholder engagement as well as UX & Usability Engineering.

Máirín Murray

CEO of TechFoundHer

Máirín Murray is the CEO of TechFoundHer and on a mission to stir things up and change the status quo where women tech entrepreneurs currently are under-estimated, under-funded and under the radar. She is a tech leader and innovator who started out with a MSC from the Computer Science department at Trinity College Dublin – and has worked on award winning digital products for clients across media, education and healthcare. She passionately believes that everyone has the potential to innovate with tech and harness its power to move the world forwards. Mairin co-founded the Tech for Good Dublin community and is a TEDx speaker on this topic. Our society needs the contribution of women as tech innovators, tech founders and leaders – let’s work together to make this happen!

Website

Alison McMurtrie

Founder, Investor iDunn Consulting

Alison has 20 years working in a major, FT100 international organisation in Global Operations, Transformation and Global Technology Portfolio positions, to executive level. On leaving Alison Founded Idunn Consulting, strategic and growth focused consulting firm working with Startups and SME’s in Ireland and UK. A serial entrepreneur, Alison also was previously co-founder and COO of invested and exited Irish start-up CyberPie. Alison is now Co-Founder and COO of Trrue, a web3 Impact Financial Platform. Alison is an Advisor to several startups and small businesses, as well as an active Angel investor. As advisor she actively supports pitch preparation, fundraising preparation and methods of raising funds.

Website

Marita Kenrick

Co-Founder Alto Heath

Marita is a public health professional with over 20 years of expertise in communications, strategic planning, and research and data quality. As the co-founder of Alto Health, she applies her deep knowledge to simplify patient and clinical referral onboarding processes, enhancing efficiency and improving the overall experience for all stakeholders.

Website

Nicole O’Connor

Co-Founder Learning Me

Nicole is the Co-Founder and EdTech Lead at Learning Me, an education company focused on wellbeing and learning. With over a decade of experience collaborating with education and tech giants like Adobe, Apple, Capita, Queen’s University and Ulster University, Nicole is an energetic champion for harnessing technology to drive positive change in education. A dedicated advocate for pupil wellbeing and digital literacy, she has spearheaded initiatives that empower schools to integrate the latest technology into their teaching and learning practices.

Website

Michelle Connor

CEO Kinva

Michelle Connor is CEO of Kinva, an AI-driven platform transforming the delivery of multi-disciplinary therapy. She is a recent winner of Innovate UK’s prestigious ‘Women in Innovation’ Award, and member of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Talent Engine. Kinva was named by Tech Nation as a ‘Rising Star’ tech company in 2022.

 

Michelle was formerly a Government Advisor on Health and Economy, and Director of Operations for an international software company. In her spare time, she is UK and Ireland Ambassador for the charity iDefine, which supports families of children with debilitating rare diseases and funds research into ground-breaking treatments.

Website

Sean Hanna

Founder & Director at Nemstar

With a career spanning over two decades, Sean Hanna stands at the forefront of security leadership, embodying the fusion of strategic vision and practical expertise.

 

As a seasoned professional, Sean has navigated the complex landscape of cybersecurity, risk management, and data protection, establishing himself as a trusted authority in the field.

 

Sean’s journey began with a deep-rooted passion for technology and its potential to shape a safer digital world. His academic pursuits laid a strong foundation, which he built upon with relentless dedication and continuous learning.

 

Over the years, Sean has held pivotal roles in various high-stakes environments, from financial institutions to multinational corporations, where he designed and implemented robust security frameworks that have withstood the test of evolving threats.

 

A thought leader and a mentor, Sean is known for his ability to demystify complex security concepts, making them accessible to diverse audiences.

 

His leadership style is characterised by a collaborative approach, fostering environments where innovation thrives, and knowledge is shared freely.

 

Sean’s contributions extend beyond his immediate professional circle, as he actively engages in community outreach, advocating for cybersecurity awareness and education.

Liam McEvoy

Co-Founder, SustainIQ

Liam has worked in the field of sustainability for nearly twenty years across the public, private and voluntary sectors. He has a strong background in management systems and compliance, and has developed and implemented sustainability strategies for a number of leading UK construction firms.

 

Liam holds a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Management. He believes that SustainIQ has a mission to help organisations become more data-driven by revealing the untapped intelligence that sits waiting to be found within any company.

 

The software helps to harness business intelligence from sustainability performance to inform business strategy, helping companies become more transparent and encouraging better business

Maria Diffley

Co-Founder, SustainIQ

Having worked in the sustainability space for well over a decade, both Maria and her business partner Liam recognised the need for a solution which helped companies to navigate the complexities involved in measuring, monitoring and reporting on their Sustainability and ESG investments. In response, they created SustainIQ, an agile, integrated, real-time reporting tool which calculates a company’s impacts on the environment, local communities, and their people, through their products and supply chain. This data provides organisations with business intelligence that wasn’t previously being considered in strategic decision-making.

 

Prior to the establishment of SustainIQ, Maria worked with Business in the Community, providing support and advice on CR to the private, public and voluntary sectors. She also holds an MSc in Sustainability and CSR.

 

She is passionate about harnessing the power of business to positively impact the world and has advocated for long-term partnerships between business and community development organisations since her teens. She has helped with the capacity-building of many charitable and social enterprise organisations both locally in Northern Ireland and in the Developing World.

Clare Guinness

CEO, Belfast Chamber

Geoff McGimpsey

Owner & Managing Partner of Foundry Marketing Partners

Geoff McGimpsey is a seasoned tech PR and marketing leader with a track record in strategic marketing, business development, and brand storytelling. With over 20 years’ experience, Geoff’s unique blend of skills spans journalism, corporate communications, public affairs, and marketing consultancy. At Foundry Marketing Partners, Geoff creates and delivers comprehensive marketing strategies for technology-enabled companies and professional services firms. A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a mentor at Catalyst, Geoff is passionate about helping technology founders and scale-ups to thrive and to successfully deliver new products and services to market.

Personal LinkedIn

Company Linkedin

Website

Shirley Palmer

Chief Visionary Officer

Palmer, a multi-award-winning CEO and Founder, is globally recognised as a visionary and strategist with a remarkable record in the international business arena. Originally from Northern Ireland, Shirley started her career in the dynamic private equity sector of London, distinguishing herself early on as a leader adept at identifying and leveraging transformative opportunities. Her extensive experience stretches from the financial centres of London to the innovation-driven environments of California, impacting key markets in America, Canada, the UK, Europe, and the Middle East.

 

At the helm of ShirleyPalmer.com and TheSimpleSeries.com, Shirley advocates for a leadership style that harmoniously integrates solid business strategy with a profound commitment to wellbeing and conscious leadership. This approach not only drives significant business growth but also cultivates environments where creativity, intuition, and emotional intelligence thrive. Shirley’s dedication to incorporating wellbeing into corporate strategy ensures that her leadership not only achieves conventional success but also promotes positive human impact and sustainable development.

Mark Sproule

Head of Mortgage Strategy and Transformation, Danske Bank

Mark brings 27 years of experience in the Banking & Finance industry, having held several senior positions at Danske Bank, including Head of Small Business Banking and Head of Mortgages. In recent years, he has been based in Copenhagen with Danske Group, focusing on digitally automating the business lending journey. Currently, Mark collaborates with stakeholders and the local Danske digital development team to transform and digitize Danske’s mortgage processes for both direct customers and brokers.

Keith A. Lippert

Partner at Mangosteen Consulting Ltd.

Keith Lippert has 30 years of experience in financial services and most recently held the position of Vice President and Deputy Chief Information Security Officer at The Allstate Corporation, as Allstate’s inaugural security officer located outside of the United States.

 

Keith has expertise in financial crime prevention, anti-terrorism, sanctions, money laundering, and fraud prevention. Before joining Allstate, he served as the Legal Chief Operating Officer for Barclays Bank in London and as the Vice President of International Fraud Prevention for American Express. Keith has also held the position of Chairman at banks in Russia, India, Mexico, and Canada and served as an officer of two national banks in the United States.

Paul Crumpton

Partner Relationship Manager, IASME Consortium

Paul has 35 years’ experience working in the Public Sector. His roles included the promotion of innovative UK security solutions to a domestic and business audience.

 

Paul is a strong advocate of a joined-up approach to cyber security, that includes people, processes and technology all working together. He joined IASME in January 2021 as the Partner Relationship Manager.

Gareth Quinn

GM of EMEA for Teamworks and Co-Founder at Kairos

Gareth is a Northern Ireland-based entrepreneur who has successfully built and exited several businesses during the past decade. This followed an interesting career in the public sector, which saw him fulfil a series of roles – including the organising of elections in Northern Ireland and running the Lord Mayor’s Office in City Hall, Belfast.

 

In 2018, Gareth co-founded Kairos, which was recently acquired by Teamworks – a global sports technology company headquartered in the US providing a number of technology products that help elite sports teams operate more effectively. As the newly appointed General Manager of Europe, Middle East and Africa for Teamworks, Gareth’s role is to help drive continued growth and success in these markets.

Heather O’Reilly

Microsoft Power Platform expert consultant at Ergo

A seasoned professional in the Irish tech industry, Heather’s technological expertise lies in digitally transforming marketing, sales and service excellence with CRM solutions. Adept at artificial intelligence, Heather works with clients to transform traditional marketing and sales strategies with the power of innovative AI solutions, aimed at optimising customer engagement and maximizing business success. Outside of work, Heather is passionate about maximizing the power of Gen AI towards fostering greater diversity and inclusion.