The Leinster Society elected Ann-Marie Costello as the 94th Chairperson at the AGM on Friday 10 June.
Des Gibney was elected alongside Ann-Marie as Vice Chair for the 2022 / 23 term.
Ann-Marie tells us about herself and her plans for her term as Chairperson:
Having grown up in a family of medical professionals in Galway, I am somewhat of a ‘blow in’ to accountancy and to the Chartered Accountants Leinster Society. I chose to study Commerce with German (NUIG) and undertook a Masters in Accounting (UCD), before qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in 2008. I spent my training contract in the Corporate Recovery team in KPMG, and after a period of time spent traveling around the globe, joined Grant Thornton and am currently a Director in the Corporate Finance team. On a more personal note, I am a mother to Finn (two years old), married to Fabio, a keen traveller and a fair-weather runner and cyclist.
I was introduced to the Chartered Accountants Leinster Society a number of years ago and was keen to have the opportunity to pay it forward and get involved in representing members’ interests. I am honoured to be elected the 94th Chairperson of the Society and am delighted to be in the driving seat for what promises to be a great year ahead.
As society opens up again, there appears to be a great appetite to get back to face-to-face socialising and networking. In line with this demand, we are making plans for all our pillar events to be in-person this year - the Horse Show, the Published Accounts Awards, the Christmas Lunch and the Rugby Lunch. We are also planning to host a number of Business Lunches throughout my term, with well-known keynote speakers. However, we know that the situation in terms of Covid-19 is fluid, and will be mindful of any change in circumstance as the year progresses.
Over the last two years, we have found that our virtual events allowed us to reach a wider audience and had considerable uptake. We therefore plan to offer a series of more bite-sized virtual sessions over the course of the year, which will offer members more flexibility and sustain high engagement levels.
We are working on an excellent programme of events for the year ahead under the topics of Wellness, Family and Inclusivity. The first events of the year include our upcoming Pride event (in conjunction with the Young Professionals) and an inaugural hike which is open to members, their families and friends.
I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate Jilly Harvey on a fantastic year as Chairperson of the Society and to introduce Des Gibney, our incoming Vice Chairperson. Special thanks also to the wonderful committee behind the Society, as well as Susan Waldron and Ruth McNally, who coordinate and deliver all the events and help to make the year possible.
I am really looking forward to the year and hope to welcome as many members as possible to the various events. The door is always open so feel free to reach out to myself, or any of the committee members, at any stage over the course of the year.
- Ann-Marie
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