After seven years in private practice with Matheson, Gareth Byrne transitioned to an in-house role with Bord Gais Energy, where he led the Retail Legal Team for over five years. In 2017, Gareth joined WhatsApp as the first lawyer (and employee) to be based outside of WhatsApp’s Menlo Park headquarters in the US. In addition to being a Board Director of WhatsApp Ireland, Gareth assumed the role of Associate General Counsel leading the WhatsApp EMEA Legal team that supported the EMEA business in all aspects commercial, legal compliance with a particular focus on Regulatory (including privacy, competition and consumer protection) and corporate governance. On the privacy side, Gareth championed WhatsApp’s European privacy compliance programmes and led broader regulatory engagement with European supervisory authorities. In 2019, Gareth joined Aer Rianta International (ARI) in 2019 as its first Group General Counsel and became a member of the ARI Group Executive Team. Gareth led the ARI Group Legal team supporting ARI’s global business in driving business growth, general operations and compliance. During his tenure at ARI, Gareth also served as the Group Executive Sponsor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Career Biography

In 2024, Gareth Byrne joined Kerry Group plc as Head of Legal for the Europe and Dairy business. Gareth has built a newly defined role in Europe from the ground up, establishing a Europe Legal Team of senior lawyers and legal professionals in various locations in Europe (including Ireland, Spain, Germany and Ukraine). Gareth is responsible for legal affairs in Europe working closely with the European Executive Team and other senior stakeholders. In addition to supporting all regional sales and procurement contracts in the region, Gareth and the team are providing innovative and proactive strategic support to all functions in Kerry’s European operations. A notable achievement for Gareth and his team this year was the establishment of a robust commercial contract framework. This framework is now underpinned by a best-in-class contract lifecycle management system that went live in June 2025. The system has significantly enhanced the efficiency and effectiveness of contract management processes, ensuring compliance and mitigating risks. Gareth’s leadership in implementing this system has been instrumental in driving operational excellence and fostering a culture of continuous improvement within the legal team. His strategic vision and commitment to innovation have positioned the Europe Legal Team as a key enabler of Kerry’s business objectives in the region.

In the words of a nominator Gareth’s legal expertise and insights are excellent but what stands him out against the rest is his ability to strategically anticipate the unexpected and deliver a commercial approach beyond that of a traditional lawyer.