Format
This course will be delivered via Zoom on Thursday 19 March
2026 from 9.30am to 1.30pm. The Zoom link will be emailed to
participants the day before the course is due to take place.
Who should attend
Ideal for accountants across practice (partners, managers, SMPs) and business (CFOs, finance leaders, controllers, FP&A) who want both governance clarity and hands on ways to work smarter with AI.
Course overview
- Inside the AI Shift: A fireside chat on the opportunities and obligations reshaping our profession. (Barry Scannell)
- Beyond Tools: Building an AI-Driven Mindset Across Practice & Business (Cleo McCormack, Níall Fitzgerald )
- The Productivity Pivot: How AI Fixed a Real Accounting Bottleneck (Conor Moore, Seán Phillips, Gearoid Kearney, Dr. V. Charles)
- AI for Personal Productivity (Naomh McElhatton)
The conference will be moderated by Joe Carroll, Chartered Accountants Ireland
Key Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, participants will have a good understanding of the topics to be discussed at the conference
Speaker Bios
Joe Carroll – Head of Professional Development, Chartered Accountants Ireland - Joe has worked for Chartered Accountants Ireland over 15 years is currently Head of Professional Development. He graduated from UCD with a BA Hons in Medieval and Modern History Diploma and subsequently continued his education completing a Diploma in Executive Coaching from Irish Management Institute, a MSc Education Leadership from Dublin City University, a Certificate in Adult Guidance and Counselling, Maynooth University and a HDip Education Studies, University College Dublin and a Certificate in Technology Risk and Data Incident Management.
Dr. Barry Scannell, Partner, William Fry - Dr. Barry Scannell is an expert in AI law and policy, specialising in intellectual property, AI compliance and governance, data protection, and commercial contracts. A Partner in the Technology Group at William Fry, one of Ireland’s leading law firms, Barry advises major Irish and international organisations on the legal and regulatory challenges posed by AI technologies. Barry holds a PhD in AI and copyright and plays an important role in helping shape Ireland’s AI policy as a member of the Irish Government’s AI Advisory Council, and chair of its Working Group on AI and the creative sector. Barry has extensive experience in the music industry, in a previous role being Director of Legal Affairs and Regulatory Compliance of the Irish PRO, IMRO, the Irish Music Rights Organisation. He was also on the Global Policy Committee for CISAC, the international body representing collective management organisations, and chaired its working group on AI and copyright. Barry has addressed global forums such as the World Intellectual Property Organisation's (WIPO) ongoing conversation on AI and copyright, on and is a regular contributor to national and international news and media. Barry also sits on the Law Society of Ireland's IP and Data Protection Committee.
Naomh McElhatton, Irish Ambassador for Women in AI - Naomh McElhatton is the Irish
Ambassador for Women in AI. She is the founder of the Business of AI Club,
and sits on the board of the Business AI Alliance in the UK, where she
champions the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence
through innovation, collaboration and education. She also created The
She Said Club, a platform dedicated to female empowerment that amplifies women’s
voices and creates opportunities for personal and professional growth. An
influential speaker, mentor, and STEM Ambassador, Naomh serves on the
boards of Queen’s University Belfast Students’ Union and Young Social
Innovators, contributing her expertise to inspire and empower the next
generation of leaders and change-makers.
Dr V. Charles
Dr V. Charles, PhD, PDRF, FRSS, FBCS, SFHEA, FPPBA,
MIScT, CMBE, is an expert Programme Director at Queen’s Business School. He
leads a portfolio of high calibre AI programmes including the MSc AI in Business
and executive courses such as Beyond GenAI and Digital Innovation and AI for
Leaders. Charles drives digitaltransformation innovation at the intersection of
AI and Management Science, turning complex organisational challenges into
meaningful, measurable impact. His work focuses on productivity, regional
competitiveness, and societal welfare. He also serves as Vice Chair of BCS
Northern Ireland, the Chartered Institute of IT.
Sean Phillips
Sean Phillips is the Data & AI Innovation Lead at Clancy Construction. He
focuses on applying data and artificial intelligence to improve efficiency,
reduce risk, and support better decision-making across construction projects.
Sean works on identifying practical digital solutions to real operational
challenges, helping translate construction processes into scalable data-driven
systems. He holds a BSc in Technology Management from the University of Limerick
and has a strong interest in the practical application of AI, data analytics,
and automation in the built environment.
Conor Moore
Conor Moore is the Digital Project Manager at Clancy
Construction, leading digital transformation through tools like Procore, Power
BI, and AI platforms. With a background in IT and admin, he’s worked with
computers all his life and is passionate about using AI — from ChatGPT to
Copilot — to make life easier for teams on site and in the office.
Cleo McCormack - Global Co-Creation Director Version 1
Cleo McCormack works at the edge of where human wisdom and technology
collide. As a Global Co-Creation Director working at the intersection of
technology and human transformation at Version 1, she co-creates tomorrow's
workforce and envisions technology solutions that people actually want to use,
helping organisations build the leadership, culture, and adaptive capacity to
thrive in an era of constant disruption. With nearly two decades of experience
in organisational development and executive coaching, Cleo is known for making
AI transformation genuinely human: practical, purposeful, and people-led. A
Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, EMCC Senior Practitioner, NLP Practitioner, and
Master Practitioner in Workplace Resilience and Wellbeing, she speaks from deep
practitioner experience and the latest research, bringing both to every stage
she stands on. Her message is simple: the organisations that will thrive are the
ones that bring their people with them.
Gearoid Kearney Program Manager RDI Hub
Niall Fitzgerald, Head of Ethic and Governance, Chartered Accountants Ireland - Níall brings together technical expertise, experience and insights from his role with the Institute and his roles as a non-executive director for an Irish Charity and chair of its governance and risk committee, Trustee for an occupational pension scheme, co-founder of Chapter Zero Ireland, advisory member on several global professional accountancy committees/task forces, and Institute of Banking faculty member with focus on governance, risk, sustainability, culture and ethics.
Note for Legacy CPA Members
Members who joined Chartered Accountants Ireland following
the amalgamation on 1 September, please contuine to book on the CPA Portal
here to ensure you receive your member discount.
Contact us
If you have any questions regarding this or any other CPD course or
requirements, please feel free to contact the team here or call us at (+353) 01 523 3930
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