Thursday 23 April | Flux, Dublin 2 | €25pp
The Leinster Society is excited to present an evening event celebrating the women redefining leadership across finance and business.
Where: Flux, Chatham Street, D02 PA06
When: Thursday 23 April
How much: €25pp
Time: 5.15pm - 8pm
This event will be hosted by Leinster Society Chairperson Sarah Murphy and Chartered Accountants Ireland CEO Rosemary Keogh, and will spotlight a number of influential female leaders.
Attendees will gain forward‑looking insights and practical guidance to navigate a rapidly changing landscape, from AI and regulation to culture and sustainability. With a strong focus on allyship and inclusive leadership, the event will highlight the shared responsibility in supporting women to thrive.
Be part of a powerful conversation about leadership, ambition, and the future of finance.
To book your ticket, please email
LeinsterSociety@charteredaccountants.ie
This event is kindly sponsored by
AIB, and funded by
Skillnet Ireland.
Speakers
Caroline Sherry, CFO & Executive Director, Hostelworld
Caroline is a highly experienced finance leader with nearly two decades of senior financial management, strategy, and governance experience across global consumer, banking, and financial services organisations. Currently Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director at Hostelworld Group PLC, Caroline has held progressive leadership roles spanning FP&A, financial control, statutory reporting, and audit, including senior positions at Glanbia PLC and Ulster Bank DAC. Carolines background includes extensive board reporting, IFRS statutory reporting, audit management, and performance analysis, alongside earlier audit and advisory experience at PwC.
In addition to executive roles, Caroline contributes at board level through non-executive and advocacy positions, reflecting a strong commitment to governance, inclusion, and sustainable business leadership. Caroline is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland and a member of the Institute of Directors in Ireland. She also serves as a member of Balance for Better Business, an independent business-led Review Group established by the government to improve gender balance in senior leadership in Ireland, and serves on the Board of Neurodiversity Ireland, a charity supporting neurodivergent children and families.
Lorna Conn, CEO, Cpl
Lorna is an Independent Non‑Executive Director of Bord na Móna plc and Glenveagh Properties plc and an Advisory Board Member of UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School. Lorna is also incoming Chair and an Advisory Board Member of the 30% Club Ireland. A Chartered Director and a qualified Chartered Accountant, having trained with Deloitte, Lorna holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from University College Dublin and a Masters in Accounting from the Michael Smurfit Business School. Lorna has previously held senior roles in several public companies, in both Ireland and America.
Kathy McDermott, CFO, Bidvest Noonan
Kathy is the Chief Financial Officer at Bidvest Noonan, a leading facilities services provider across Ireland & UK. She partners closely with the CEO and executive leadership team to support strategic growth and strong governance. She also leads the finance function across commercial finance, accounting, shared services, procurement, legal and risk.
Kathy has over 15 years’ experience in senior finance leadership roles across complex, multinational organisations. Prior to joining Bidvest Noonan, she held a number of leadership roles with Currys plc, including Head of Finance (UK&I) and Financial Controller for Ireland, where she led large teams through transformation, restructuring, systems change, and commercial decision‑making. Earlier in her career, she gained valuable international experience working in Australia within a global hospitality and services organisation, which broadened her leadership perspective and approach. She trained and qualified with KPMG Ireland, developing a strong technical foundation as both a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Adviser.
Throughout her career, Kathy has led high‑performing teams, navigated organisational change, and built trusted relationships at executive and board level. She places strong emphasis on building trust, developing people, and creating inclusive environments where diverse perspectives are valued. She is actively involved in Bidvest Noonan’s Race Forward Community, supporting initiatives that promote cultural diversity, equity, and inclusion across the organisation. She is also Board Director (voluntary) of Community Credit Union for the past 6 years.
Ursula Kelly, Cormac Tagging
Ursula is the Managing Director of Cormac Tagging, a leading provider of livestock identification solutions in Ireland. With a strong background in agriculture and rural entrepreneurship, Ursula has been recognised for her innovative contributions to the industry, including being named AIB Network Ireland Established Businesswoman of the Year 2024. She is currently scaling the business to include emerging markets in Africa and multiple states in the USA.
She brings a wealth of expertise and vision to the helm of the company. With a strong background in accountancy, Ursula has built her career on a solid foundation of financial acumen and strategic thinking. Her professional journey began in the accounting sector, where she developed a keen understanding of business operations, financial management, and regulatory compliance.
As a dynamic leader, Ursula is recognised for her forward-thinking approach and her ability to inspire teams to excel. Her leadership style is characterised by a commitment to innovation, integrity, and empowering those around her to achieve their best. Ursula is also a passionate advocate for female entrepreneurship especially in agriculture and the wider Ag sector, she supports and mentors’ women within the business community.
Under her direction, Cormac Tagging has grown in both reputation and influence, reflecting her dedication to excellence and her role as a trailblazer for women in leadership. Ursula is the only founding female board member of the industry-led Ag Tech Ireland.
In 2024 Ursula was named Network Ireland Established Businesswoman of the Year. In 2025, Ursula served as an Irish Ambassador for the European Horizon project FLIARA, which aims to create a European-wide rural innovation ecosystem supporting women-led innovation in farming, agriculture, and rural areas and was also named The Image PwC Family Business Woman of the Year.
MC / HOST Rosemary Keogh
Rosemary is CEO of Chartered Accountants Ireland. Rosemary joined the Institute from the Houses of the Oireachtas where she held the role of Assistant Secretary General - Corporate and Members' Services. Prior to that, she was CEO of the Irish Wheelchair Association.
Rosemary is also a member of the Boards of Chartered Accountants Worldwide and the Global Accounting Alliance.
Rosemary has significant experience working in business in a range of industries at Irish and European level. She also served for five years as a Board Member & Chair of Finance, Audit, Risk & Governance Subcommittee of the Charities Regulator, and a further five years as Chairperson of the National Disability Services Association.
Rosemary is a Fellow of ACCA and holds an MSc in Work and Organisational Behaviour from DCU.
MC / HOST Sarah Murphy
Sarah is a fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland and has over 25 years' experience in financial services, particularly specialising in the asset and wealth management industry. Sarah has worked in both audit and advisory/regulatory roles and has provided services to an extensive range of global fund managers and service providers.
Sarah also leads the distribution practice within PwC Ireland working closely with Luxemburg counterparts to identify solutions to assist managers and other stakeholders with their distribution strategies and with regulation in the jurisdictions into which they sell.
Sarah is Chair of the Leinster Society of Chartered Accountants Ireland having also held Vice Chair and Honorary Secretary officer positions over the past few years.
She is also an active participant in a wider context and has been a member of many industry committees including her current position on the Irish Funds Distribution Committee Sarah has presented extensively on industry related matters.
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