Speakers
Brian McElligott, partner, Mason Hayes & Curran
Brian is a Partner in the Technology Law team at Mason Hayes & Curran and is Head of their Artificial Intelligence (AI) team.
He re-joined the firm in 2023, having spent time in-house as Chief Intellectual Property counsel with an Irish AI fintech start-up. During that time, he gained significant experience in operationalising and commercialising AI platforms and solutions. He led AI invention harvesting and international patent and trademark portfolio filing projects. He was also part of a team that conceived and developed a bespoke inhouse software invention and R&D tagging tool that has applications in the trade secret space also.
Brian helps clients prepare for compliance with the AI Act, including strategy and compliance planning, high-risk AI systems threshold analyses and advising LLM/GenAI providers on their compliance obligations.
Orla Joyce, legal director, Heineken Ireland
Orla Joyce is from Cork and holds a BCL from UCC. She trained and worked with ALG for almost 20years working in the Corporate Litigation Dept. She then moved in house to Bord Gais(ERVIA) as the head of legal for Irish Water project. In 2014 Orla joined HEINEKEN Ireland as Head of Legal and in 2022 she was appointed to the Management Team as its legal director.
Lindsay Stevens, head of legal, Ireland, Danske Bank
Lindsay Stevens is Head of Legal at Danske Bank Ireland, a large corporate and institutional banking business which counts some of the largest companies in Ireland and Europe among its customer base. She is an Irish and UK qualified lawyer,and is also compliance qualified. She has worked in the financial services industry in both private practice and in house roles, having started her career in one of Ireland’s “Big Five” law firms. She also worked for a period in the UK. Lindsay is skilled in large corporate lending, property and project finance, cash management, banking regulation, legal risk, restructuring and refinancing and data protection law. Lindsay is also a published legal author, and her work includes contributions on lending to directors, property finance, and guarantees and indemnities. Lindsay is a lecturer, tutor and examiner in the Law Society of Ireland and is also a member of its Business Law Committee.
Lisa Gallagher, general counsel, An Post
Lisa Gallagher is General Counsel at An Post, Ireland’s national postal service and a commercial State body operating across postal, retail, logistics and financial services. She leads the in‑house legal function and advises on strategy, governance, major transformation initiatives, regulation and public‑service delivery.
Prior to joining An Post, Lisa worked in financial services, as Head of Legal Services in Irish Life/Canada Life, and also spent two years in an Innovation Hub in Irish Life, supporting new business models, product development and cross‑functional initiatives. She brings a practical, business‑partner approach to legal leadership, with particular experience advising in regulated, fast‑changing public‑ and private‑sector environments. Lisa is a firm believer in life-long learning and has qualified as a tax consultant, financial advisor along with completing numerous other diplomas/certificates and more recently completed the UCD Diploma in Corporate Governance.
Margaret Maguire, general counsel, Fexco Group
Margaret leads the Fexco Group legal function, and has been with the firm since 2016. Margaret and her team advise Fexco on the broad range of specialised services offered across its three divisions; Payments & FX, Business Services and New Ventures. Since joining Fexco, Margaret has lead multiple corporate, strategic and tactical legal initiatives on a largely in-house basis.
Prior to joining Fexco, Margaret trained and worked in private practise in a top tier Dublin firm.
Emer Walsh, chief legal officer, Gas Networks Ireland
Emer is the Chief Legal Officer at Gas Networks Ireland and is a member of the Executive management team.
Gas Networks Ireland is the semi-state organisation responsible for the ownership and operation Ireland’s €3bn national gas network, ensuring the safe and reliable delivery of gas to almost 725,000 homes and businesses across the country. In 2025, gas generated 40% of Ireland’s electricity.
Emer has 20 years’ experience in advising clients as well as extensive knowledge and experience of the legal and regulatory landscape associated with energy and renewables sectors in Ireland and across Europe. As CLO, Emer is responsible for the leadership and direction of all legal, corporate governance and data protection activities across Gas Networks Ireland. Prior to being appointed to her current role in 2024, Emer held the position of Head of Legal at Gas Networks Ireland for a period of seven years. Emer started her career in a large commercial law firm and worked with regulators in the financial and healthcare sectors. Emer is also a qualified professional life coach.
Jennifer Adams, head of legal and company secretary, Veolia Ireland
Jennifer Adams is Head of Legal and Company Secretary for Veolia Ireland. Veolia is a global leader in water, waste and energy management services, with over 220,000 employees worldwide. Jennifer is a highly experienced, commercially-minded lawyer and works closely with senior management in fostering cross-functional collaboration to achieve sustainable customer-focused solutions. Throughout her career, Jennifer has developed strong expertise in negotiating and advising on complex commercial projects, navigating regulated environments, risk management and dispute resolution.
Dr Don Hughes, VP, general counsel EMEA and M&A, Hitachi Digital Ireland
Dr Don Hughes is Vice President and General Counsel EMEA and M&A for Hitachi Digital, managing the company’s team of lawyers in Europe and responsible for M&A globally. Hitachi Digital is the cloud infrastructure, AI and digital engineering subsidiary of Hitachi Limited, the Tokyo based conglomerate with annual revenues exceeding $80 billion. Prior to Hitachi, Don was Deputy Head of Legal at Cable & Wireless which he joined from Clifford Chance.
Stephen MacKenzie, general counsel, Citibank
Stephen MacKenzie acts as General Counsel (GC) to Citibank Europe PLC (CEP) and is Europe Cluster Legal Head for Citibank, leading a team of 100+ legal professionals located across Europe.
CEP is headquartered in Dublin and has overseas branches located in 22 jurisdictions across Europe. CEP is the largest bank in Ireland by reference to assets on balance sheet. CEP services clients in the services, markets, wealth and banking spaces, and is Citi’s main bank chain entity in the European Union. CEP also holds a 75% controlling interest in Citi Handlowy, a Polish bank headquartered in Warsaw.
Steve acts as advisor and counsellor to the CEP and European leadership team on matters of legal and regulatory risk, supporting Citibank’s execution of its strategic priorities.
Prior to his current role, Steve established the Dublin based securities services legal team in January 2017, managing a team of ~20 lawyers based in Dublin and Belfast. In this role, he acted as trusted counsel to global business leads in the custody and funds services spaces and worked to service some of Citi’s largest clients – sovereign wealth funds, asset managers, investment banks and private funds.
Before joining Citi in Dublin, Steve worked at a magic circle law firm in London and Frankfurt, as well as at investment banks in London and New York. He has a wealth of industry and market knowledge which he is able to bring to bear when advising on difficult legal and regulatory challenges – such as the ENRON and Lehman bankruptcies, the credit crisis, Brexit and the legal and regulatory issues presented by the Russia-Ukraine war.
Ruth Murphy, head of legal, Google, Ireland
Ruth joined Google in 2021 and is Head of Legal for Google in Ireland, based in Google’s EMEA headquarters in Dublin. Before joining Google, Ruth served as General Counsel at BT and began her legal career with Eversheds. She is a recognized leader in the legal profession, having been named to the Legal500 GC Powerlist and winning In-House Lawyer of the Year at the Inspirational Women in Law Awards. Ruth also served as a board member of the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition Limited. Ruth graduated in Law from Trinity College Dublin and holds a Diploma in Corporate Law and Governance from the Law Society of Ireland. She qualified as a solicitor in Ireland in 1999 and is also admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales. Ruth has built a reputation as a trusted advisor to boards and executive management teams, focusing on strong communication, change management, and people management skills.
Lynda Nyhan, partner, head of employment, Taylor Wessing
Lynda is a partner and Head of Employment at Taylor Wessing Ireland. She brings deep international experience advising on complex employment matters, with a strong focus on workforce strategy, risk management, and commercially driven solutions. Her strategic insight helps clients navigate challenging employment issues in a way that supports broader business objectives.
Lynda is a commercial and strategic adviser to domestic and international companies. With deep in-house experience previously working as Head of Employment for EMEA and APAC at ICON plc, Lynda understands first-hand how employment decisions affect everything from operational efficiency to company culture. She has extensive experience supporting leadership teams through workforce reorganisations, collective redundancies, and TUPE transfers, particularly in the context of mergers and acquisitions. She also advises on sensitive internal investigations, executive exits, and contentious disputes, including unfair dismissal, discrimination, and whistleblowing.
Known for her pragmatic and collaborative approach, Lynda delivers clear, outcome-focused advice in high-pressure environments. She works closely with clients to align employment law solutions with operational priorities, helping them manage risk across a range of sectors and business environments.