Denise Manton

Denise Manton has 20+ years of multi-disciplinary experience with a focus on innovation driven technology and digital transformation initiatives both in industry and in academic research environments, operating at various levels from software engineering to senior management. In her role as Executive Officer of Empower, she will drive the long-term strategic planning of the research programme and lead engagement and collaboration with diverse stakeholder groups, building a community of practice to overcome the global challenges in the area of data governance. Denise is also responsible for ensuring the key objectives are met and growth of the programme achieved.

Crystel Robbins Rynne

Crystel’s role as Chief Operating Officer is centred around growth and overseeing the day-to-day operations of HRLocker. She brings over 14 years of experience in sales, marketing, customer success and business development. As part of the executive management team, she is in charge of maintaining and driving operational results, all processes & procedures, and reports directly to the CEO.

Professor Markus Helfert

Markus Helfert is the Director of IVI and Director of Empower – the SFI funded Programme on Data Governance. He is also Professor of Digital Service Innovation and Director of the Business Informatics Group at Maynooth University. He is a Principle Investigator at Lero – The Irish Software Research Centre and at the Adapt Research Centre. His research is centred on Digital Service Innovation, Smart Cities and IoT based Smart Environments and includes research areas such as Service Innovation, Intelligent Transportation Systems, Smart Services, Building Information Management, FinTech, Data Value, Enterprise Architecture, Technology Adoption, Analytics, Business Process Managem ent. Prof. Helfert is an expert in Data Governance Standards and is involved in European Standardisation initiatives. Markus Helfert has authored more than 200+ academic articles, journal and book contributions and has presented his work at international conferences. Helfert has received national and international grants from agencies such as European Union (FP7; H2020), Science Foundation Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, was project coordinator on EU projects, and is the Project coordinator of the H2020 Projects: PERFORM on Digital Retail.

Joan Mulvihill

As the Digitalisation Lead for Siemens in Ireland, Joan Mulvihill continues to be at the forefront of driving technology adoption in Ireland. Having held the position of CEO of the Irish Internet Association for 7 years, followed by 2 years as the Centre Director for the Irish Centre for Cloud Computing and Commerce, her role at Siemens builds on Siemens’ and her deep commitment to and understanding of the needs of Irish business for their digital transformation. Digitalisation means working differently. Siemens will always work with their clients to meet their operational technology needs with world class products and services and now through Digitalisation, Siemens leverages its domain expertise with clients to transform and create the businesses of their future.

Helen Burke

Helen Burke is Vice President of IDA Ireland, with responsibility for driving Transformation and Innovation across the IDA client portfolio. Her role involves working on a consultancy level to identify strategic solutions resulting in increased productivity, resilience & innovation. Helen is currently based in Ireland but prior to this worked in New York, Frankfurt and Paris with responsibility for securing employment intensive investment for Ireland. She speaks fluent French and German and graduated with a Business Studies / German degree from University of Limerick followed by a Computer Science Master’s Degree. Helen has recently completed an Advanced Diploma in Personal, Leadership and Executive Coaching and has a great interest in people’s ability to reach their full potential through effective coaching.

Barry Lowry

Barry Lowry has been the Chief Information Officer for the Irish Government since April 2016 with the primary task of taking forward the Government’s digital agenda. This includes developing the use of shared services, digital ID, digital services and data to better serve the people of Ireland and ensure that Ireland is well-placed to influence and exemplify the EUʼs digital ambitions for 2030.

Barry is also the Chief Adviser to Government on all Digital matters affecting the State and its citizens.

Barry was previously the Director for IT Shared Services and Strategy and Head of the IT Profession within the Northern Ireland Civil Service.

Barry is a Fellow of the Irish and British Computer Societies and is a former winner of both the BCS Northern Ireland IT Professional of the Year and Ireland’s Government/Public Sector CIO/IT Leader of the year. He was awarded an O.B.E. for services to the Northern Ireland Government and the Northern Ireland Computer Industry in 2017 and an Honorary Fellowship of the Analytics Institute of Ireland in 2022.

Seán O’Fhóghlu

Seán Ó Foghlú is working in Maynooth University in supporting research, teaching and civic engagement, relating to public policy development and implementation and is working across the university in advancing the aims of the university in this regard. The role involves developing networks of engagement and practice on public policy development, effectiveness and practice, prioritising areas for work to be advanced and advancing such work areas.  He was previously Secretary General for the Department of Education and collaborates with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the Higher Education Authority with a view to developing linkages with other universities. 

Dave Lewis

Dave Lewis is an Associate Professor at the School of Computer Science and Statistics at Trinity College Dublin and the head of its Artificial Intelligence Discipline. He is also Deputy Director of the ADAPT SFI Research Centre for Digital Content Technology. He leads ADAPT’s programme of industry collaborative research and its multidisciplinary research theme on Data Governance. 

His research focuses on the use of open semantic models to manage the Data Protection and Data Ethics issues associated with digital content processing. He has led the development of international standards in AI-based linguistic processing of digital content at the W3C and OASIS and is currently active in international standardisation of Trustworthy AI at ISO/IEC JTC1/SC42.

Professor Neil J Rowan

Professor Neil J Rowan is Director of the Bioscience Research Institute at Technological University of the Shannon Midlands Midwest. He is Funded Investigator at SFI-funded CURAM Research Centre for Medical Devices and holds Adjunct Professorships in the School of Medicine (NUI Galway), School of Biotechnology (University of Malaya, Malaysia), and School of Traditional Medicinal (University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa).  He was Senior Lecturer and co-founder of Roberston Laboratories for Electronic Sterilization at University of Strathclyde University where he received a 5* in UK Research Assessment Exercise.  He has over 3 decades of supporting and enabling development of sustaining, green and disruptive technologies across food, medtech and environmental applications. He has supervised 28 PhDs to completion and published approximately 250 journal papers in these areas. He has co-created Empower Eco (Ecosystem)  Quadruple Helix platform for supporting industry with key actors regionally for developing green innovations that features in Midlands Regional Development Plant 2024. He has applied digital technologies to complex societal challenges. He is nationally and internationally funded including Interreg, Horizon Europe and Erasmus plus.  As member of Expert Working Group,  he has contributed  to national policies including “Research, Innovation Strategy, Impact 2030”. He evaluates regularly for the European Commission including EIC Pathfinder Open Programme.

Sonia Neary

Sonia is the CEO and co-founder of Wellola. Wellola is an innovative digital health software company, whose founders believe only the sickest of the sick should be hospitalised and that the future of healthcare is preventative, community-based and supported by digital tools.

With over seventeen year’s previous experience working as a Physiotherapist in the Irish healthcare setting, Sonia is a big believer in leveraging digital technology to support hospital-at-home and self-management care models. She champions Wellola’s mission to offer care-enabling technology, which arms clinicians to keep well people well (and treat those that are unwell) in the community where possible, maximising clinical & economic outcomes & optimising patients’ healthcare experiences.

An advocate for greater gender diversity in entrepreneurship, Sonia was honoured to represent Ireland as a finalist in the global ‘Women Who Tech’ awards in Paris (2019), and to accept both the Runner-up award for the IBEC ‘Digital Health Innovation of the Year’ and the ‘Integrated Care’ award from the Irish Medical & Surgical Trade Association on behalf of Wellola (2020).

Padraic O’Neill

Padraig is MD and VP of Unum Ireland and is primarily responsible for Unum’s award winning Technology Centre in Carlow. Unum Carlow is at the centre of Digital Transformation within Unum Group, a Fortune 500 US Insurer, access to talent, leading methods and experience has seen this centre nearly double over the last three years. Unum covers nearly 45 million people globally and its mission is to help the working world thrive throughout life’s moments.  Previously Padraig held similar global commercial and technology leadership positions for J2 Global [Nasdaq], Sage [FTSE], Datalex and others.

Dr Jane Carrigan

Dr Jane Carrigan is one of Ireland’s two National Contact Points for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and is passionate about research and supporting researchers. In her current role she provides tailored support to MSCA applicants across all sectors and disciplines and has a particular focus on widening participation in MSCA.

She has over 20 years’ experience of working in higher education in Ireland- firstly as an academic, programme director and module coordinator for both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, and in more recent years in research administration. Jane previously worked in Dublin City University where she was Research Development Officer for the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and Research Officer in DCU’s Institute of Education. Through her roles there she developed a track record in working successfully with researchers applying for EU funding.

Simon Hanratty

Since 2019, Simon Hanratty has been Chief Information Officer at Irish Life, working at the company since 2004. Simon also worked in various roles at O2 Ireland such as Development Manager, Head of IT and Head of Products and Services. His roles in IT, Operations and Strategy across multiple industries have allowed Simon to learn more about how Change can be driven, designed, facilitated and even reversed.

Russell Kane

Russell is the University Engagement Lead for Microsoft across the island of Ireland where he is exploring technologies with students, academics and administrators through hackathons, talks and workshops.

Before joining Microsoft he was an academic within the School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Queen’s University, Belfast for 23 years. His interests within academia were in Innovation Leadership, which developed students’ professional and entrepreneurial skills through engagement with companies by means of projects, competitions, talks and hackathons. Hackathon Evangelist in QUB and further afield including multi-disciplinary Hackathons with other schools & universities which have included areas such as data science, AI, medical, mental health, transport, sustainability to name a few. During his time in academia, he developed and delivered a number of courses and workshops to students both locally and internationally as well as guest speaking on technology at external events internationally. Before academia, he worked in the Public Sector and in Fintech.

Dr. Christoph F. Strnadl

Christoph educated as a research scientist in Theoretical Physics, Dr. Strnadl has over 30 years of consulting and management experience in IT and how to leverage it for businesses. After 10 years as strategy consultant and business manager at Atos he joined Software AG in 2005 where he is now responsible as Deputy CTO for realizing technology innovations both internally in Software AG, with clients, and within industry associations such as Gaia-X or the Mobility Data Space. His expertise combines classical and modern enterprise application integration patterns with the IoT realm to truly achieve IT/OT convergence. He is a recognized public speaker with almost 300 public appearances, university lecturer for BPM technologies, advisor to a blockchain start up, and co-author of/contributor to six books.