Angela Canavan is CEO of Canavan Byrne Management and Training Solutions and has vast experience in the early years care and education/ School Aged Childcare industry. Prior to setting up her own business she held a senior role in Dublin City Council. Her company, Canavan Byrne, recently celebrated 21 years in business, a business that specialises in providing professional services to the early childhood care and education sector to include Policy and HR Advisory services, Compliance, Training Services , and Business advice.

Dr Catherine Faherty is Assistant Professor of Enterprise at Dublin City University Business School, Chair of the Bachelor of Business Studies programme, and Associate Director of the DCU National Centre for Family Business. Following her PhD, she undertook a research fellowship at Northwestern University, USA, where she further developed her expertise in family business. Catherine works closely with family enterprises to translate research into practical insights that help businesses build trust, strengthen relationships and achieve long-term success across generations. Her internationally recognised research has earned several prestigious awards and has been published in leading business and management journals.

Colette O’Connor has over 20 years’ experience in hospitality, tourism, and events, specialising in creating experiences that celebrate people, place, and culture. Her
career spans senior roles in hospitality operations and event management, alongside seven years as an independent consultant providing strategic guidance and hands-on support to organisations and professionals. She also has a long-standing involvement with community projects, reflecting her commitment to local development and social engagement.

In 2021, she became the first female CEO of Tralee Chamber Alliance, Kerry’s largest business representative organisation, where she champions collaboration, enterprise growth, and strong local networks. Colette is dedicated to fostering connections that strengthen both economic development and the social fabric of the region.

Her event work, inspired by Ireland’s rugged beauty, delivers authentic weddings and experiences rich in story. With board experience across tourism, education, and culture, Colette is a trusted leader focused on innovation, professionalism, and community vitality.

David specialises in the area of commercial law, tax, family businesses, taxation, mergers and acquisitions. He has experience in family businesses, transferring from generation to generation, structuring of family businesses and family Estates. He sits as a Non-Executive Director with Tricel Group (Killarney) Limited with oversight monitoring of company operations and risk management, input into strategic planning and ongoing monitoring of performance against targets, involved in budgeting, annual budgeting and reviewing of same and much more.

David is a practising solicitor, member of the Law Society of Ireland, and a Chartered Tax Advisor.

He is a Strategic Advisor to Family Business Ireland in respect of Family Businesses.

David is Co-Author of “Irish Stamp Duty Law” 5th Edition – Published by Tottels, has written articles published in Law Society Gazette, Tax Review and main stream press dealing with legal and tax structures, is a Committee member Quality, Safety and Governance Committee of Cope Foundation.

Gavin McKenna is Head of Marketing, Digital and Communications at Visit Belfast, leading brand, campaigns, social, PR, digital and partnerships for one of the UK’s most exciting city destinations. With over a decade in media direction across digital, social and influencer, he has built high-performing teams and shaped strategy for global brands. Since joining Visit Belfast he has launched the UK’s first social-first tourism website, and driven 23% average social channel growth, a He has spoken at Meta Agency Summit events and was nominated as a Rising Star at the PMW Awards.

John is the Executive Director of The Family Business Network, the network organisation for experiential learning, mutual support and advocacy for and on behalf of Irish families in business. He is also the Director General of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce and Founder and CEO of kmend.com, the enterprise solution tech start-up. Retired from a forty-year career in business banking, his interests weave through commerce, culture and community. He sits on the Boards of Fishamble: The New Play Company and the Irish Film Institute and he has led numerous public policy initiatives including the Government’s Forum on Philanthropic Funding of the Arts and the creation of the National Concert Hall Quarter.

A native of Co. Roscommon, John is a lecturer and researcher in the Faculty of Business, Atlantic Technological University (ATU). John has worked
with tourism, hospitality and event organisations abroad and in Ireland and he regularly conducts research and provides consultancy services. John teaches marketing, public relations and management modules on a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in ATU, is a Fellow of the Irish Hospitality Institute and a principal investigator with STORY@ATU (the Sustainable Tourism and Visitor Experience Lab @ ATU).

Jonathan Carroll is an independent curator based in Dublin. He has curated the visual arts strand for St. Patrick’s Festival and was on the panel of curators for the Goethe-Institut. He was the assistant curator of the Project Arts Centre and is a regular columnist for the Visual Artists’ News Sheet. He co-founded Artlot (programming outdoor art for vacant space) with John Kenny of Culturehead. Jonathan is a graduate of Art History UCD, Cultural Management Instituto Universitario Ortega Y Gasset, Madrid and Curating Contemporary Art at the RCA, London.

J.J. O’Connell is Chairman and Director of Family Business Ireland. Through his many years of work with family run and family-owned Irish businesses he has developed a unique insight into the family business sector and in particular the challenges of the succession process and all that goes with it – planning, preparation, continuity, transference, succession, legacy, relationships and most importantly ensuring the welfare and wellbeing of the family. He is one of the most experienced and knowledgeable business succession planning practitioners in Ireland. As one of Ireland’s most expert family business advisers he works with state agencies, local government and public sector organizations to advise and advocate support the sector.

He is Chair of the PLATO Ireland Business Network and a founding member of Small Business Advice Ireland.
He is a Graduate of UCC, the NUI and of Harvard’s Business School International Competitiveness Programme.
He is a former international tutor and examiner of the Financial Times Institute UK (Henley MBA Management
College).

Dr Lana Repar is a Lecturer in Food Business at the triple accredited Cork University Business School at University College Cork. She is Co-Director of the MSc in Food Business and Innovation Programme and teaches modules at undergraduate, postgraduate and executive education levels. Her teaching and research involve digital branding and marketing, creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship and consumers’ preferences. She uses innovative business simulation technologies, case studies, digital marketing campaign tasks and role-playing scenarios as part of her experiential teaching techniques. Lana’s industry links and networks are broad and she actively engages with businesses in various industries to enrich and expand her teaching and research impact.

Lorcan Kinsella is the Founder and CEO of Brand Nova Digital, an award-winning digital marketing agency with offices in New Ross and Dublin. Over the past 15 years, he has worked with more than 8,500 businesses and professionals across Ireland and internationally, helping them turn marketing data into measurable growth through consultancy, strategy and training. He has lectured in digital marketing at Dublin Business School, Griffith College and the Digital Marketing Institute, and is the creator of Nova360, a marketing dashboard that gives business owners complete visibility of their digital performance in one place. A long-standing advocate for Irish business, Lorcan is a past President of County Wexford Chamber, a current board member of Chambers Ireland, and a regular keynote speaker at industry conferences and events.

Michael MacDermott is a highly accomplished Operations Director at Ashville Media Group, bringing over 30 years of expertise in managing complex technical projects and digital transformations. A veteran of the Information Technology and Services industry, Michael possesses a deep mastery of IT Infrastructure, Service Management, and Digital Strategy.

Throughout his career, Michael has been at the forefront of the media and publishing sectors, where he successfully implemented large-scale platforms for national awards programs. His leadership extends to overseeing sophisticated web infrastructures, digital PR campaigns, and social media frameworks designed to enhance brand visibility and operational integrity.

Beyond media, Michael has provided specialised IT project management for private healthcare and high-profile agency clients, consistently ensuring seamless service delivery in high-stakes, regulated environments. His proactive approach to strategy and his comprehensive understanding of the intersection between technology and business operations allow him to evaluate entries with a keen eye for innovation, technical excellence, and scalable impact.

Sharon has significant experience and expertise in entrepreneurship, marketing, and brand development. She has worked in the hospitality and communications industry since 2000. A business graduate of IT Tralee, Sharon also holds the Public Relations Institute of Ireland (PRII) Diploma in PR and the Institute of Marketing, Diploma in Digital Marketing.
Sharon is a former board member of Brook Foods, where she also held the position of Sales & Marketing Director from 2005 until 2016. She was also former Marketing Director of the Rose of Tralee International Festival, Sales & Marketing Manager of The Earl of Desmond Hotel. She was named ‘Network Cork Business-Woman’ and ‘Network Ireland Business-Woman’ of the year 2013. She elected first female president in Rotary Ireland in 2011.

She is currently CEO of Media Life, a Marketing and Digital Company representing clients in the hospitality, enterprise, and healthcare sector. Her clients include Romantic Castles of Ireland, Audiology Medical Services, Small Business Ireland to name a few.

Dr Siobhan Killion is the Head of Management in the School of Management, People & Organisations at Technological University Dublin. Siobhan has her PhD in Family Business Research focusing on how family businesses can evolve successfully over time, has extensive teaching experience to management students and has published successfully in a number of Journals.

Siobhan has been a member of the judging panel for the family business awards for a number of years and brings her academic experience and her own family business background to the table for this notable event.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec ac ipsum suscipit, viverra diam at, consequat dui. Nulla ac euismod est. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Praesent fermentum sit amet lorem at placerat. Etiam varius quam at hendrerit eleifend. Nulla facilisi. Pellentesque et rhoncus nibh. Nunc id interdum ligula. Duis laoreet nec eros at consectetur. Vivamus eget ipsum ac ex placerat euismod ut id diam. Nunc mattis justo lacus, ornare mollis sem pellentesque ut. Vivamus sagittis nisl non metus mollis, rutrum consequat tortor condimentum. Cras varius, nunc quis facilisis aliquet, massa lacus dignissim turpis, quis tincidunt erat tellus a mauris. Donec molestie lorem eget metus ornare vehicula.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec ac ipsum suscipit, viverra diam at, consequat dui. Nulla ac euismod est. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Praesent fermentum sit amet lorem at placerat. Etiam varius quam at hendrerit eleifend. Nulla facilisi. Pellentesque et rhoncus nibh. Nunc id interdum ligula. Duis laoreet nec eros at consectetur. Vivamus eget ipsum ac ex placerat euismod ut id diam. Nunc mattis justo lacus, ornare mollis sem pellentesque ut. Vivamus sagittis nisl non metus mollis, rutrum consequat tortor condimentum. Cras varius, nunc quis facilisis aliquet, massa lacus dignissim turpis, quis tincidunt erat tellus a mauris. Donec molestie lorem eget metus ornare vehicula.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec ac ipsum suscipit, viverra diam at, consequat dui. Nulla ac euismod est. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Praesent fermentum sit amet lorem at placerat. Etiam varius quam at hendrerit eleifend. Nulla facilisi. Pellentesque et rhoncus nibh. Nunc id interdum ligula. Duis laoreet nec eros at consectetur. Vivamus eget ipsum ac ex placerat euismod ut id diam. Nunc mattis justo lacus, ornare mollis sem pellentesque ut. Vivamus sagittis nisl non metus mollis, rutrum consequat tortor condimentum. Cras varius, nunc quis facilisis aliquet, massa lacus dignissim turpis, quis tincidunt erat tellus a mauris. Donec molestie lorem eget metus ornare vehicula.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec ac ipsum suscipit, viverra diam at, consequat dui. Nulla ac euismod est. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Praesent fermentum sit amet lorem at placerat. Etiam varius quam at hendrerit eleifend. Nulla facilisi. Pellentesque et rhoncus nibh. Nunc id interdum ligula. Duis laoreet nec eros at consectetur. Vivamus eget ipsum ac ex placerat euismod ut id diam. Nunc mattis justo lacus, ornare mollis sem pellentesque ut. Vivamus sagittis nisl non metus mollis, rutrum consequat tortor condimentum. Cras varius, nunc quis facilisis aliquet, massa lacus dignissim turpis, quis tincidunt erat tellus a mauris. Donec molestie lorem eget metus ornare vehicula.