Risk, Governance and Leadership Conference 2026 (ROI/NI)

Format

This course will be delivered on 14 May 2026, from 9:30am to 1:30pm in Chartered Accountants House. This conference is not available online.

 Further information including joining instructions will be emailed to you a few days before the event.

Who should attend

All professionals involved in risk, compliance, corporate governance, management or leadership roles, including members in business and in practice, current and future business leaders, management, executives, non-executive directors, advisors, and consultants.

Course overview

• Opening address (TBC) The 2026 Risk, Governance & Leadership Conference focuses on the practical challenges facing organisations, from digital and geopolitical risk to finance and regulatory developments, corporate reporting, sustainability and assurance. Highly relevant to accountants across a range of sectors, it supports professionals in strengthening governance and compliance practices and making sound, well‑informed decisions in a changing organisational context.
• Governance & risk in an uncertain world: From geopolitics to rising operating costs Our expert speakers will examine how ongoing uncertainty is reshaping risk profiles and decision-making, from geopolitical developments to rising operating costs. It will explore how external shocks translate into operational and financial exposure and outline practical considerations for leaders making decisions with imperfect information. We will be joined by experienced finance professionals to discuss the key issues and gain insights on best practice from various industries.
• Leading compliance through transformation: Digital, ESG & regulation This session will provide a practical overview of what it means to lead compliance in a period of sustained change. Exploring opportunities and challenges associated with digital/AI transformation, evolving business models, corporate reporting requirements, internal audit and expanding regulatory expectations, it will highlight key considerations for maintaining effective oversight in a complex and fast-moving environment. We will be joined by experienced governance and compliance professionals to discuss the key issues and gain insights on best practice from various industries.
• Make connections that count: Sharpen your Influence in moments, not meetings.
  As professional interactions become more time-limited, the ability to establish effective working relationships is increasingly important. This session focus on practical techniques to help professionals to engage productively, have open purposeful conversations, and build rapport in short interactions.
• Lead when it matters: Judgement, influence and decision-making under pressure This session features a recognised, highly respected, leader, with a strong track record of leadership and the highest levels of their profession. We will explore the practical demands of leadership in complex and high-pressure contexts. We will discuss sound judgement, timely decision-making and effective influence. Interactive discussion will consider how Chartered Accountants and senior leaders can provide stability, direction and assurance, when scrutiny, complexity and competing priorities converge. conference is in planning, more details to follow.

Key Learning Outcomes

By the end of this conference, participants will be well positioned to:

Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of current governance, compliance and risk challenges, practical frameworks for oversight and decision‑making, and perspectives they can apply immediately in finance, advisory and leadership roles. They will connect with their peers and have opportunity to strengthen professional relationships.

Speaker Bios

Níall Fitzgerald - Head of Ethics and Governance, Chartered Accountants Ireland: Níall brings together technical expertise and practical insight from his Institute role, spanning advocacy, member support and regulatory engagement. He is a non‑executive director and committee chair, a judge on the Irish Good Governance Awards, and a member of Chartered Accountants Ireland’s Sustainability Expert Working Group. He serves on global accountancy committees and the Irish Stock Exchange Corporate Governance Code Advisory Panel, and is a faculty member of the Institute of Banking and UCD Michael Smurfit Business School, lecturing on Corporate Governance programmes.

Pat Fenlon - Executive Director, Customer Solutions ESB: Pat is Executive Director, Customer Solutions, ESB since September 2022. He is responsible for ESB’s customer-facing businesses including Electric Ireland, So Energy (retail electricity & gas in GB), ESB eCars (public charging infrastructure), Electric Ireland Superhomes (residential retrofits), Smart Energy Services (for commercial businesses) and ESB Telecoms (Towers & Fibre wholesaler).  Prior to his current role, Pat was CFO and he previously held a number of senior financial and general management positions across ESB including General Manager of Electric Ireland, Corporate Change Manager and Group Finance and Commercial Manager. A fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland, he worked with PwC before joining ESB in 1993.

Peter Smith - Peter is a Senior Investment Director focusing on multi-asset capabilities in Ireland and the UK. He works closely with portfolio managers to articulate investment process, portfolio positioning and investment performance to clients and advisors.  Peter began his career with Goodbody Stockbrokers in 2000 before moving to State Street Global Advisors in 2007 where he spent over 12 years working in various roles within portfolio management and relationship management. Peter has worked with some of Ireland’s largest institutional and retail clients providing them with investment solutions across all major asset classes.

Jean Evans - Networking Architect: Jean Evans is a networking specialist and founder of NetworkMe, a platform dedicated to helping people build meaningful professional relationships with confidence and ease. A self-described shy introvert, Jean’s approach is rooted in lived experience, trial and error and a deep understanding of what really works when it comes to building connections in business.  Through training, speaking, facilitation, mentoring and coaching, Jean supports business owners, professionals and organisations to network in a way that feels natural, strategic and sustainable. Her blogs, podcast and social channels share practical tips, honest insights and simple strategies that take the fear and awkwardness out of networking and replace it with clarity and confidence.  Jean believes that while many parts of business can be outsourced, the ability to connect with people never can. Strong relationships sit at the heart of career progression, leadership and business growth. When people learn how to network well, confidence grows, opportunities expand and businesses thrive.  With over 22 years’ experience across tourism, conferences and corporate leadership, Jean has worked with Bord Fáilte, Tourism Ireland and the Dublin Convention Bureau and held senior roles internationally in Milan and New York.

Lucinda Woods: Lucinda is an experienced finance and strategy leader with a career spanning large publicly listed companies and the start-up and scale up ecosystem.  She is an Independent Non-Executive Director at Enterprise Ireland and RBC Brewin Dolphin Ireland, where she is also Audit Committee Chair.  She was previously on the Board of the Rotunda Hospital.  Lucinda is a strategic advisor to Blume Equity, a pan European climate tech growth equity fund. She also advises scaling companies on finance, strategy, commercial and operational challenges and is a mentor on Euronext’s flagship pre-IPO programme, IPO ready.  Earlier in her career, Lucinda held a number of senior executive positions at large listed companies. Prior to that, she worked in corporate finance at Investec and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG.  She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, where she was a Fulbright Scholar, and a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University.

Bernard Gloster: Bernard Gloster retired from Ireland’s Health Service (HSE) in March 2026 after 38 years, leaving at the end of a three-year period as Chief Executive Officer and one of the Country’s most senior public servants. Over the course of his career, he worked in or managed every operational part of the HSE Health and Social Care services, from front line to Chief Officer at HSE Mid West. In 2019 he was appointed national CEO of TUSLA, the Child & Family Agency before being appointed to the position of HSE CEO in early 2023. Originally a Social Care Worker by profession he holds an MBA from Oxford Brookes University, an MSc in Management Practice from UCC and an Advanced Diploma in Applied Employment Law from the Honorable Society of King’s Inns. In 2024 he was conferred in the inaugural Munster Technological University Alumni Awards and in 2025 was made a Fellow of the Health Management Institute of Ireland.

Aine Collins: Áine is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland, and holds a Diploma from the Institute of Directors. She brings a remarkable breadth of experience that spans boardrooms, national politics, and the global accounting profession.Currently serving as CFO at Antaris Consulting, Áine has built her career leading finance functions across sectors including technology, construction, and professional services. She is also the founder of Flexi-FD, a management consultancy through which she has advised organisations on finance, strategy, and governance for nearly a decade. Áine served as President of CPA Ireland, representing 5,000 members globally, and was instrumental in leading the landmark merger between CPA Ireland and Chartered Accountants Ireland. She currently serves as a board member of the International Federation of Accountants — IFAC — the global body representing the accountancy profession worldwide. She also served as a TD in Dáil Éireann, where she was a member of the Public Accounts Committee and a champion for SMEs and entrepreneurship at national level. A regular voice in broadcast media on business and socio-economic affairs, Áine is known as a clear, compelling communicator and a strategic thinker. 

Evan Long: Evan is a highly experienced finance transformation leader and SAP S/4HANA Finance Design Owner, with over 20 years’ experience delivering large-scale finance and ERP transformation programmes across complex organisations. A fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland, Evan specialises in bridging the gap between finance and technology—helping CFOs and finance leaders reimagine operating models, data structures, and reporting capabilities to unlock greater insight and business value. He has led global design and implementation initiatives spanning finance architecture, enterprise performance management, and modern ERP solutions, with a particular focus on aligning finance strategy to digital innovation. Passionate about the evolving role of finance, Evan brings practical, real-world perspectives on how organisations can successfully navigate transformation and equip finance teams for the future.

Aine Crotty: A KPMG-trained Chartered Accountant, she has built her career across both practice and industry, through her experience in Risk Consultancy and her various leadership roles within the Insurance Industry. She has operated across both the first and second line, giving her a unique perspective on how effective risk and compliance frameworks are designed, implemented, and embedded. A regulatory-approved PCF 12, she brings hands-on experience navigating complex regulatory environments and helping shape strong, accountable organisations by bringing clarity to compliance, risk and governance. 

Beyond her executive work, she serves on the Board of a mental wellness charity and is a long-standing member of various Board sub-committees for Paralympics Ireland, contributing to strong governance and risk & compliance culture across the charity and non-profit sector. She is also a committed advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion, with a strong belief that great leadership starts with empowering people and building cultures where they can thrive authentically.

Cróna Clohisey FCA , FCPA: Cróna is Director of Members and Advocacy in Chartered Accountants Ireland.  

A Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland and an Associate of the Irish Taxation Institute, she trained with KPMG in Dublin and spent over 10 years working in tax consultancy in both KPMG and Grant Thornton, followed by a period in Large Cases Division in the Revenue Commissioners. Cróna then spent several years working in financial accounting in Australia where she advised clients in the not-for-profit sector on financial management, subsequently leading on the management of the company’s service delivery.  Since joining the Chartered Accountants Ireland tax team in 2016, Cróna has held a number of roles including Head of Tax and Public Policy where she represented members and provided commentary on a wide range of tax and policy issues that impact members on the island of Ireland.  As Director of Members and Advocacy, Cróna leads a large, multidisciplinary team, focused on the delivery of member services, driving member engagement, and representing that 39,000-strong base to maximise Chartered Accountants Ireland’s voice as the largest professional body on the island of Ireland.