Alan Irwin

Alan Irwin is the Vice President of International Products & Solutions for Global Payments, a fortune 500 payment technology company, and co-founder of Calcutta Connect, an NGO whose commitment is to deliver access to education for underprivileged communities in West Bengal, India. He’s spent the last 12 years working across many areas within the fintech industry and has a genuine passion for all things technology, payments and development education.

Alan is based in Dublin, Ireland and leads product management teams internationally who are responsible for delivering some of the biggest innovations in payment technology for many of the largest multinational merchants; examples incl. GP TOM – Europe’s leading SoftPOS solution and GP Ecommerce – one of the world’s most successful Ecommerce gateways.

Alan is a Maynooth alumni who considers his years and memories spent here as some of his best ever. He attributes much of his success to the learnings and experiences he gained thanks to the University. He relishes the rare opportunity to have an afternoon walk around the grounds of the campus with his wife (whom he met while studying here) and their beloved dog Bear.

Paul Delahunty

Paul Delahunty is Chief Information Security Officer at Stryve, a leading Irish multi-cloud and cybersecurity company and ICTTF Cyber Security Company of the Year 2022.

As CIO and IT Leaders Security Leader of the Year 2023 and 2024, and Tech Excellence CIO of the Year 2024, Paul has established himself as one of the top Information Security experts in the country.

A certified CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional), ISO 27001 Lead Auditor and DORA Certified Compliance Specialist (ICTTF) with over twelve years of experience in information security, Paul started his career as an engineer with Ericsson before venturing into the start-up world as Operations Director with moQom. More recently, he worked as an Information Security and Audit Manager for Hostelworld, before joining the rapidly expanding team at Stryve. Paul is CIO and IT Leaders Security Leader of the Year 2023 and 2024, and is the Tech Excellence Awards CIO of the Year 2024.

As a founding member of the Southeast Cyber Ireland committee, Paul shares his knowledge helping to build a cybersecurity community across the country which links with Cyber Ireland’s national activities. He is also an active ICTTF (International Cyber Threat Task Force) member.

Paul is a popular keynote speaker at national and international cybersecurity conferences and events, including IDEAM’s “Smart Industrial Control Systems”, AtlanTec, Tech Connect, Kyte Consulting’s “The Evolution of Cloud” and Maynooth University’s “Innovation Value Institute” Summit 2024. He is a regular contributor to the national conversation on cybersecurity in print media, radio and television.

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.

Kammil Mahajan

Kammil Mahajan is a cybersecurity expert, entrepreneur, and thought leader with over a decade of experience leading and transforming information security and IT operations. As Managing Director of Advice Bytes, he bridges cybersecurity and AI security, empowering organizations to tackle evolving digital threats. He has worked with global giants like Facebook, Google, and Maynooth University and is currently pursuing a PhD in AI Security at ATU. A certified CISM and ISO 27001 professional, Kammil also lectures on cybersecurity, sharing his expertise with the next generation of professionals. His expertise and experience make him a trusted speaker on AI security, compliance, and building resilient businesses.

Mark Kirwan

Mark Kirwan is the CEO and co-founder of Positive Carbon, a trailblazing sustainability company that combines AI and data-driven solutions to tackle the global challenge of food waste. With a proven track record of driving innovation in sustainability, Mark has guided Positive Carbon to become a leader in helping businesses reduce food waste, save costs, and meet ambitious sustainability goals.

Under Mark’s leadership, Positive Carbon has achieved partnerships with high-profile organizations such as Gather & Gather, The Merrion Hotel, and KPMG, achieving waste reductions of over 30%. The company’s cutting-edge technology and results-driven approach have earned it recognition as a Top 100 Start-ups in Ireland and finalist at the All-Ireland Sustainability Awards and Business and finance award 2024 for innovation of the year.

Mark is a sought-after voice in sustainability and technology, offering unique insights into how AI and data can accelerate change. His engaging storytelling and practical expertise make him a powerful advocate for using innovative technology to solve complex environmental challenges.

At the IVI Summit, Mark will inspire audiences by sharing actionable strategies and a forward-thinking vision for a sustainable, data-driven future—demonstrating what’s possible when technology meets responsibility.

Dr Claudia Roessing

Claudia Roessing has completed her PhD at Maynooth University, where she investigated the variations of data lifecycles based on data requirements in the Smart City scenario. She has years of experience in the software development industry with a background in Business Analysis and Consulting and Computer Science. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the VISION project, which is financed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and focuses on reducing the use of virgin materials in the Irish building sector.

Sander Frank, MA

Sander Frank conducts research and works as a research associate and doctoral student at “The Open Government Institute” of Zeppelin University, focusing primarily on the implications and potentials of the intersection between digitalization and sustainability in politics and public administration within the context of the “Twin Transition.”

Additionally, he is involved in the institute’s core research areas and supports the institute’s director, Prof. Dr. Jörn von Lucke. Since 2019, he has been a member of the municipal council of the city of Friedrichshafen and served as a member of the Advisory Board for Sustainable Development of the Baden-Württemberg State Government from 2017 to 2021.

Jane Corr

Jane is a recognised Information Security & IT leader who has a track record of building successful
teams. She is known for her ‘Can Do’ attitude while always keeping the customer in mind. With over
30 years’ experience in a variety of IT infrastructure roles, Jane moved into Information Security ten
years ago. She has held Chief Information Security Officer and Head of Cybersecurity roles in both
private and public sector. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from Trinity College Dublin and has
attained CISSP, CRISC and CISM security certifications.

Dr. Tim Calahan, MS, MBA, DBA

Dr. Tim Calahan is a seasoned executive and clinical technology leader specializing in
cloud transformation and hosting Epic in the cloud. With a foundation in engineering, two
master’s degrees, and a doctorate, Dr. Calahan combines technical expertise with strategic
vision to drive innovation. He has over 30 years of professional experience, including 25
years in healthcare and 15 years in management consulting. Currently, he serves as the
Chief Technology Officer at Michigan Medicine and the Chief Executive Officer at EHC
Consulting, where he leads initiatives to optimize healthcare IT and advance digital
transformation through public cloud solutions.

Trudi Brook

A passionate, practical, and people-focused IT leader, Trudi has over 25 years’ experience
in the tech industry. Following a degree in mechanical engineering from UCD, she developed
project management skills and experience through the consulting world of Deloitte and then
as part of the telecoms world with BT Ireland (www.BTIreland.com) delivering many
successful technology solutions for customers to a time, cost and quality agenda. Managing
teams of project managers for BT came next, where she had responsibility for multiple
customer portfolios as well as hiring, leading and developing talented PM professionals.
More recently she has been applying her skills within the Technology office of BT where she
leads the Service Enablement team and owns the strategy, budget, communications and
governance on behalf of the CTO. She is a founding member and driving force behind the
BT Ireland Inspiring Women in Business network and externally is part of the leadership
team of Connecting Women in Technology (www.CWiT.ie)

Dr. Nicola Mountford

Dr Nicola Mountford is Associate Professor and Director of the PhD programme at the School of Business, Maynooth University. Dr Mountford’s research focuses on the organisation of healthcare, in particular government roles and patient voice in decision-making processes. She has published in journals such as Organisation Studies, International Journal of Management Reviews, Journal of Business Research, Studies in Higher Education, and co-authored two (of eight) papers for a special theme issue of Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) on connected health technologies. Dr Mountford was the only academic from the discipline of business to contribute to this special issue. She has led work packages in two European projects – CHAMELEONS which designed interdisciplinarity and intersectorality into the PhD experience for Connected Health; and OPENING DOORS which developed an online open science and open innovation module. These EU projects showcase Dr Mountford’s additional research focus on redesigning doctoral education to facilitate digital health technology design and uptake. In 2016 she held a Fulbright TechImpact scholarship, funded by Enterprise Ireland in the area of Digital Health. She is currently working with colleagues in Maynooth University Biology on a Future Innovator Challenge Award, funded by Science Foundation Ireland, that seeks to reduce neonatal mortality due to sepsis in Uganda.

Dr. Gültekin Cakir

Dr Gültekin Cakir is a lecturer and academic programme coordinator at the Faculty of Business, Technological University Dublin, and a member of the Strategy & Leadership Group in the School of Management, People and Organisations. He holds a PhD in Business and Management from Maynooth University and a Master’s degree in General Management from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Dortmund, Germany. He teaches modules on undergraduate, graduate, and executive levels in Strategy and Digital Innovation & Emerging Technologies. Before joining TU Dublin, Gültekin was a Research Fellow at the Innovation Value Institute, Maynooth, where he worked with companies, start-ups, other institutes and collaborators on diverse research projects centred around digital innovation and organisational digital maturity. Gültekin is a member of the Digital Retail Research Cluster at IVI and was a recipient of the EU Horizon Europe Marie Curie Skłodowska scholarship award within “PERFORM”, a European training project focusing on the digital transformation of the retailing industry, where he was also chair of the ESR Committee.

Dr. Sabarathinam Chockalingam

Dr. Sabarathinam Chockalingam is a Senior Researcher in Cyber Security at the Institute for Energy
Technology (IFE), Norway. Saba has a PhD within Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Security from the
Delft University of Technology and Master of Science in Cyber Security and Management from the
University of Warwick. He has managed and worked in national and international research projects
related to Cyber Security like CPSEC, RECYCIN, and SecuRoPS. Currently, he is leading the activity
on Distinguishing Attacks and Faults to Support Effective Response in the international OECD
Halden Human Technology Organisation (HTO) project. Finally, he also served as an Organization
and Program Committee member in various international conferences and workshops in addition
to being a reviewer and (guest) editor for high-quality journals in the field of his expertise like the
International Journal of Information Security, and Computer Standards and Interfaces.