Join the Chartered Accountants Ireland Leinster Society for our next in-person event; a Business Lunch on Thursday 2 March 2023 in the Conrad Hotel. The event will tackle the importance of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in today’s business world.
When: Thursday 2 March
Where: The Conrad Hotel
What time: 12.30pm - 4.30pm
How much: €85 per person / €850 per table of ten
Book: Email Leinstersociety@charteredaccountants.ie
While the event is taking place in advance of International Women’s Day, our fantastic panel of speakers will not only explore the theme of gender equity but also discuss the importance of DE&I from a broader perspective.
DE&I is important for and benefits everyone and it cannot have an impact in isolation. The event is open to everyone – this is not an IWD female only event.
See below details of our exciting panel of speakers.
Event MC: Sonya Lennon, Entrepreneur, Multi-Award-Winning Social Entrepreneur & Equality Advocate.
Sonya Lennon has over thirty years of experience in business as a thought leader, designer, entrepreneur, and international speaker. A multi-award-winning Social Entrepreneur, Sonya founded the global not-for-profit initiative Dress for Success in Ireland in 2011, supporting over 4,000 women into employment and economic independence.
She has campaigned at a European level for gender equality in the workplace through her advocacy work by addressing the Gender Pay & Opportunity Gap. Since 2016, Sonya has led Ireland's highly publicised #WorkEqual campaign.
In 2018 Sonya co-founded LIFT Ireland, an initiative to improve the levels of value-led leadership in Ireland, focussing on such themes as accountability, respect, listening and competence.
To further deepen and validate her domain expertise, Sonya recently completed a Masters in Business Equity, Diversity and Inclusion with 1st class honours at the Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Dublin. She was called as an expert witness to present at the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality & sits on the Cross Part Committee for Workplace Equality.
In 2022, Sonya was elected as a member of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce and sits on The Labour Taskforce.
Speaker: David McRedmond, CEO An Post
David McRedmond was appointed Chief Executive Officer of An Post in October 2016.
He has led the Company’s Transformation programme and return to financial stability, sustainable revenue growth and profit by taking big steps to fix the Company’s economics and by restructuring the Mails & Parcels and Retail business in line with a rapidly changing, digital marketplace. David is personally driving An Post’s Sustainability Charter, putting it at the centre of An Post’s business transformation and Green Light strategy.
He was previously CEO of TV3 which he transformed into a major Irish broadcaster, concluding with its sale to Liberty Global, and he has held senior commercial roles in Ireland, the UK and the US. He is chairman of Eir, a director of Premier Lotteries Ireland (the National Lottery), a lifetime Fellow of the Irish Management Institute and of the Royal Society of Arts.
Speaker: Jeanne McDonagh, CEO Open Doors Initiative
Jeanne McDonagh is CEO of the Open Doors Initiative, which works with a large number of companies and NGOs to help marginalised people such as refugees and asylum seekers, people with disabilities and youth from disadvantaged backgrounds, find education, employment and entrepreneurship.
Previous to this, she was Head of Society and Engagement in Diageo, worked in communications and strategy for Our Lady’s Hospice, was campaign manager for Stephen Donnelly TD in the 2016 election, Communications Co-ordinator for Yes Equality (the Marriage Campaign) and Head of Communications for the Bar Council of Ireland.
She was previously a board member of HIV Ireland, Dublin Pride and the Community Law and Mediation Service. She is on the Advisory Panel for the HIV and AIDS Monument.
She has Dysphoric Elation, a form of bipolar and uses this to inform her work through lived experience.
Speaker: Lorna Conn, CEO The Cpl Group
Lorna is a Chartered Director and a Chartered Accountant. Lorna trained with Deloitte and is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland. Lorna holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from University College Dublin and a Masters in Accounting from the Michael Smurfit Business School. Lorna is CEO and Executive Director of the Cpl Group, having joined as CFO in October 2017. Lorna has previously worked in ISS plc, INM plc and renewable energy company NTR plc, residing in both Ireland and America during this time.