Event MC & Host- Mary Rose Burke, Dublin Chamber
Prior to joining the Dublin Chamber, Mary Rose held the position of Director of Corporate, Strategic and International Affairs for Ibec since 2013 having moved from the position of Director of Pharmacy at Boots Ireland which she held for 8 years. Prior to joining Boots Mary Rose worked at the HSE, and previously established and managed her own business. She has also been a council member of Chambers Ireland and the Dublin Chamber of Commerce. Mary Rose is a pharmacist and is a member of the Board of Directors for Bord na Mona and is Chair of the Board of Directors of the NMH Foundation.
David Kelly, Incoming Dublin Chamber President, Gas Networks Ireland
David Kelly is an Executive Director at Gas Networks Ireland. Gas Networks Ireland is a leading commercial semi-state infrastructure company with the ownership and responsibility for Ireland’s €3 billion gas grid. It operates over 14,800km of pipelines providing a safe and secure gas supply to 725,000 homes and businesses.
David is responsible for Gas Networks Ireland’s ambition to replace natural gas with renewable gases, to substantially reduce the country’s carbon emissions while complementing intermittent renewable electricity and ensuring a secure energy supply.
He also has executive responsibility for Aurora Telecom, a subsidiary of GNI that delivers fibre services to the telecommunication and digital sectors. David has over twenty-five years of executive-level experience having worked extensively in both the private and public sectors throughout his career. Prior to being appointed to his current role, David was the Group Head of Customer Operations and Public Affairs for Ervia.
Micheál Martin, Taoiseach
Micheál Martin is a graduate of University College Cork, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Arts in Political History. It was during his time at UCC that he developed a strong interest in politics, becoming a member of the Fianna Fáil National Executive in 1988. He later served as Chairman of Ógra Fianna Fáil and as a member of the Commission on the Aims and Structures of the party.
First elected to Cork Corporation in 1985 and to Dáil Éireann in 1989 as TD for Cork South-Central, Micheál has held a number of senior ministerial roles, including Minister for Education, Health, Enterprise, Trade and Employment, and Foreign Affairs. He served as Taoiseach from 2020 to 2022 and as Tánaiste from 2022. One of his most notable achievements was the introduction of Ireland’s workplace smoking ban in 2004, and he is also the author of Freedom to Choose: Cork and Party Politics in Ireland 1918–1932.
Caitriona Walsh, Novartis Ireland
Caitriona is an international healthcare leader with a strong focus on enabling innovation to improve patient outcomes and strengthen healthcare systems. Currently International Disease Area Head at the Novartis HQ in Basel, Switzerland, she shapes cross-functional strategy and execution to deliver meaningful innovation across neuroimmunological and neurodegenerative conditions.
Prior to this she was Country President and Managing Director of Novartis Ireland, where she lead the growth and development of the company’s business through close collaboration with teams and external stakeholders.
While in Ireland she served on the Board of Directors and Strategy Group of the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA) and was Industry representative on the National Clinical Trials Oversight Group, appointed by the Minister for Health. Caitriona has held senior leadership roles in the UK and Europe, holds a PhD in Immunology from Trinity College Dublin, and was awarded the University of Galway Alumni Award in Science, Engineering and Technology in 2024.
Frank O'Keeffe, Managing Partner, EY Ireland
Frank is the EY Ireland Managing Partner. Prior to his current role, Frank held a position on the Irish leadership team as Head of Assurance, where he was responsible for leading the fastest-growing Assurance service in the island of Ireland. Additionally, he was the Lead Audit and Client Services Partner for Ireland. Frank’s experience includes serving a range of large national and multinational clients across the manufacturing, retail, technology and supply chain sectors.
Frank was the Partner for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ program in Ireland between 2009 and 2014. He has also held the position of Diversity & Inclusion Partner Sponsor and continues to preside over EY Diversity & Inclusion Steering Committee in Ireland. Frank holds a Certificate in Authentic Leadership, from the Harvard Business School and is a Chartered Certified Accountant by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
Please be aware that a photographer (and/or videographer) will be present at the event capturing images (and footage) for promotional purposes.