Ireland 2022 – GC Powerlist
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Ireland 2022

  • Industries

  • Powerlist

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Āine O’Connor

Head counsel | Sky Ireland

Telecommunication services

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Alan Daly

Group head of legal | Electricity Supply Board (ESB)

Energy and utilities

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Alan Johnston

Chief counsel, global retail markets, Europe and South America | Liberty Mutual Insurance

Financials

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Alex Potlog

Legal director, UK & Ireland | AbbVie

Healthcare

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Alicia Foley

Associate corporate counsel – real estate legal, EMEA & India | Google Ireland

Information technology

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Antoinette Murphy

Legal director | DePuy Ireland

Healthcare

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Aoife Gibson

Senior legal advisor | National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA)

Financials

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Aoife Marrinan

Senior director, legal | Gilead Sciences

Healthcare

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Brian Marshall

General counsel | Smurfit Kappa

Consumer products

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Bryan O’Boyle

Vice president and associate general counsel | ICON

Healthcare

What impact did the pandemic have on the Pharmaceutical and Medical Technology Industries in Ireland?    The pharma and med tech industries were challenged to identify and deliver efficient and effective...

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Carol Leland

Legal director | Janssen Sciences Ireland

Healthcare

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Caroline Dee-Brown

General counsel and director of legal services | Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg)

Non-profit / public sector

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Cian Farrell

Head of legal | Huawei Ireland

Information technology

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Ciara Farrell

Global head of legal compliance and ethics | ICON

Healthcare

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Claire McAndrew

Head of legal, Ireland | BNY Mellon

Financials

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Colin Fuller

Head of legal | Rabobank Dublin

Financials

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Colm MacCarvill

Assistant general counsel, director and company secretary | Squarespace

Information technology

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Colm O’Connor

Director of legal affairs | SCOR Ireland

Financials

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Conor O’Sullivan

Senior legal counsel | Statkraft

Energy and utilities

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Damien Flaherty

Senior legal counsel, head of legal EMEA | ICBC International Leasing Company

Financials

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Damien Moynagh

General counsel and company secretary | UDG Healthcare

Healthcare

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Darren Isaacson

Head of legal | Mercury Engineering

Industrials and real estate

David Dobbyn

Vice president, general counsel EMEA | Aptiv

Consumer products

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David Johnston

General counsel | CarTrawler

Commercial and professional services

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Davinia Conlan

Associate general counsel for Citibank Europe Plc and head of legal for Citi Ireland | Citi

Financials

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Diarmaid Cunningham

Chief administrative officer and general counsel | ICON

Healthcare

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Eadaoin Rock

General counsel | Central Bank of Ireland

Financials

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Ed Riley

General counsel | Avolon

Financials

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Edward Traynor

Group general counsel and company secretary | Flutter Entertainment plc (previously Paddy Power Betfair)

Sports and media

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Elaine Breen

Head of legal | INDOS Financial

Financials

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Eleanor Daly

Associate general counsel | Fexco

Financials

Emily Ennis

Vice president and assistant general counsel | Aramark

Commercial and professional services

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Emma Redmond

Global head of privacy | Stripe

Information technology

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Emmet O’Grady

General counsel | Storyful

Sports and media

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Eoin Carroll

Associate general counsel | Fexco

Financials

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Ernie Yu

Senior vice president, legal, compliance and transaction management | AMCK Aviation Holdings Ireland Limited

Transport and infrastructure

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Feidhlimidh Wrafter

Assistant general counsel | Western Union

Financials

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Felicity Smith

Associate general counsel | Airbnb

Hotels, restaurants and leisure

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Fintan Jackson

Senior legal counsel for aviation finance | Standard Chartered Bank

Financials

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Gabrielle Ryan

Group general counsel | Bank of Ireland

Financials

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Geoffrey Dunne

General counsel | Enterprise Ireland

Non-profit / public sector

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Helen Dooley

Group general counsel | AIB

Financials

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James Murray

Head of legal | RSA Insurance Ireland DAC (RSA)

Financials

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Jean O’Driscoll

General counsel | FPG Amentum

Financials

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Jennifer Adams

Head of legal, Ireland | Veolia Ireland

Energy and utilities

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Jennifer Coyne

Seller legal lead for Europe and chief risk officer for Ireland | Square

Information technology

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Jennifer Lee

Corporate counsel | Horizon

Healthcare

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Jim Harper

General counsel and company secretary | Zurich Insurance

Financials

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John McEvoy

Global general counsel | Amryt Pharma Plc

Healthcare

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Jolene Gacquin

General counsel  | Greencore

Consumer products

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Jonathan O’Brien

General counsel | AmTrust International Underwriters

Financials

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Juliusz Komorek

Group chief legal and regulatory officer and company secretary | Ryanair

Transport and infrastructure

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Karen Holmes

VP, head of legal and data privacy | Genuity Science

Healthcare

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Kate Cremins

Head of legal and company secretary | Brown Thomas & Arnotts

Consumer products

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Killian Kehoe

Associate general counsel | Patreon

Information technology

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Laura Fitzgerald

Associate general counsel  | Udemy

Information technology

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Laurence Gourley

Chief corporate affairs officer | Aer Lingus

Transport and infrastructure

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Linda NiChualladh

Director, chief privacy and AI counsel | Citi

Financials

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Louise O’Connor

Senior commercial lawyer - group | Speed Fibre Group - home of Enet and Magnet Plus

Telecommunication services

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Margaret Cadigan

Assistant general counsel | Workday

Information technology

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Maureen Donohoe

Group general counsel and company secretary | Bord Na Móna

Non-profit / public sector

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Michael Cocoman

Head of legal, EMEA | Stripe

Information technology

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Michael Cooney

General counsel | Aviva Insurance Ireland

Financials

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Michael Cusack

Associate director, legal | Gilead Sciences

Healthcare

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Michelle Feely

Deputy general counsel | Ribbon Communications

Telecommunication services

Miriam Caley

Head of legal UK and Ireland | Optum Ireland

Healthcare

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Muireann Mangan

Legal director, Ireland | Pfizer Ireland

Healthcare

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Neil Culkin 

Managing counsel for REWS Legal - EMEA, India and APAC | Google

Information technology

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Niamh Flood

General counsel Europe and Asia | CRH

Materials and mining

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Nick Haworth

Director, associate general counsel, EMEA head of custody and fund services legal | Citi

Financials

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Nicola O’Connell

General counsel Ireland | Zurich Insurance

Financials

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Nikki Conran

General counsel, Northern, Central and Eastern Europe | Schneider Electric

Energy and utilities

Orla Cullen

VP, associate general counsel, product and commercial | Hopin

Information technology

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Orla Dunlea

Head of legal and ethics, risk, and compliance | Novartis

Healthcare

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Padraic Roche

Group general counsel | Waystone

Financials

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Patrick Daly

Legal director | Fidelity International

Financials

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Patrick Foyle

General counsel | Three

Telecommunication services

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Patrick McEvoy

Director of legal, Europe | ConsenSys

Information technology

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Paul Brady

General counsel | CityJet

Transport and infrastructure

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Peter McCarthy

General counsel | Virgin Media

Telecommunication services

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Peter O’Neill

Director and associate general counsel, commercial | Meta (Facebook)

Information technology

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Philip Merrills-Dearn

Group general counsel | Riley Cillian

Information technology

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Rachel Curran

General counsel | Ulster Bank

Financials

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Rachel Madigan

Solicitor | EDF Energy Renewables UK & Ireland

Energy and utilities

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Rachel Ward

Principal corporate counsel | Microsoft Ireland Operations

Information technology

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Robert Heron

General counsel | Dunnes Stores

Consumer products

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Robert Owens

Practice head, innovation and customer; group legal services | Bank of Ireland

Financials

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Ronan Lennon

Chief legal officer | Clanwilliam Group

Information technology

Rory Sullivan

International developed markets legal lead for manufacturing site support | Pfizer Ireland

Healthcare

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Ruth Murphy

Head of Legal | Google

Information technology

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Sarah Gallagher

Legal director  | Tesco Ireland

Consumer products

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Sarah Irwin

Head of legal  | Tines

Information technology

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Sarah O’Gorman

General counsel and company secretary | Vodafone Ireland

Telecommunication services

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Simon Hollywood

Senior vice president legal and associate general counsel | ICON

Healthcare

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Sinead Gillen

General counsel  | Dairygold

Consumer products

Siun Rogers

Deputy head of legal Ireland | Optum Ireland

Healthcare

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Sonya Mallon

General counsel and company secretary | Bord na Móna

Non-profit / public sector

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Stephen Heary

Associate general counsel, product | Whatsapp

Information technology

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Stephen MacKenzie

Director and EMEA head of securities services legal | Citi

Financials

Suzanne Tucker

General counsel | EY

Commercial and professional services

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Taylor Hicks

Associate Corporate Counsel, Real Estate | Amazon Web Services

Consumer products

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Thomas Schmid

Head of legal | CCB Leasing International

Financials

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Tom O’Malley

Senior corporate counsel, real estate | Google

Information technology

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Valerie Barlow

Head of legal | New Ireland Assurance Company

Financials

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Vincent Drouillard

General counsel | AerCap

Transport and infrastructure

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Yvonne Cunnane

Head of data protection and privacy | Meta (Facebook)

Information technology

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Yvonne Glynn

Head of legal | KBC Bank Ireland

Financials

With Covid-19 restrictions recently being lifted in Ireland, general counsel in the country face an unprecedented challenge. This year’s publication further highlights how imperative the role of general counsel is in a business, as they manoeuvre the unfamiliar environment of hybrid working. It is one thing to ensure that employees adapt to a full-time remote working environment; it is quite another to get the right balance between remote and office working. In this transitional period, corporate bodies are often put in the situation where they have no other choice but to rely on reasonable assumption, as there are no clearly established rules regarding hybrid work. Ireland’s in-house lawyers have been proactive in guiding their organisations and its employees in the right direction by taking a reasonable approach.

Ireland is the European hub to thousands of multinational companies. In this regard, general counsel in Ireland have effectively mastered their skills to work across multiple jurisdictions including the Americas, EMEA, and Asia. Notably during the pandemic, they took the key role in navigating their companies around manifold Covid-related legislation and government guidelines of various countries in the following sectors: travel restrictions, health and safety, and data privacy to name just a few. With the successful internal management by Ireland’s finest in-house lawyers, Ireland is one of the few countries in the world that managed to grow during the Covid-19 crisis.

The pandemic put general counsel in a position to make strategic decisions for their company’s business. On top of their responsibilities as a legal advisor and navigator during the pandemic, in-house lawyers also became a business partner for their company’s decision-making bodies. ‘We took strategic decisions based on our legal expertise in response to the covid crisis and to be honest, nobody else within companies or in governments had that kind of expertise. Prior to the pandemic, general counsel had already been in the position of decision making but this time, it became more overt and more declared’, reported one individual.

I would like to extend the warmest thanks to every single in-house counsel who participated in this edition of the GC Powerlist: Ireland 2022. This edition identifies the most impressive counsel who have utilised their legal knowledge strategically to provide business insight in these challenging times for their company’s success. I am extremely pleased to present the list of the most agile, innovative, and exceptional in-house lawyers in Ireland.

Yoonsong Choi
Research analyst:
GC Powerlist Series

Matheson

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Matheson is honoured to once again partner with The Legal 500 and the GC Powerlist 2022 to recognise Ireland’s leading corporate counsel and acknowledge the vital contribution made by general counsel to the strategic direction and growth of their organisations and the industry sectors in which they operate.  We offer our sincere congratulations to all of those who have been included on this year’s list.

Being included in the GC Powerlist is a recognition of the technical and legal excellence of general counsel who are operating in an increasingly complex and fast-moving legal and business environment, one which has been made even more challenging over the past two years by the global pandemic.

In recognising Ireland’s leading in-house corporate counsel, The Legal 500 is again delivering a comprehensive analysis of the excellence we see across the Irish legal industry, highlighting the success of general counsel in shaping and delivering key strategic business priorities and developing innovative technical solutions to complex legal and commercial issues as well as emphasising the increasingly important and expanding role of corporate counsel in today’s business environment.

In addition to their role in managing legal affairs, general counsel have traditionally been the ethical and regulatory advisor for their organisations. They continue to play a key role in helping organisations to prepare for, respond to, and mitigate obstacles which they may face in achieving their strategic goals. In addition to these responsibilities, the challenges that emerged throughout 2020 and 2021 saw general counsel across all industries successfully focus on a wide range of key initiatives, including an even greater emphasis on employee health and wellbeing, safety at work, environmental, social and governance (ESG), diversity and inclusion, and the adoption of new technology. At Matheson we have been pleased to have the opportunity to partner with a number of our general counsel clients to initiate collaborative events between our respective organisations to celebrate and enhance our commitment to shared values.

As Ireland’s largest law firm, Ireland’s top performing M&A firm for 2021, and Ireland’s number one funds law practice for the eleventh year in a row, Matheson is also focused on delivering and achieving excellence.  We continue to grow and expand, and are proud to have become the first organisation in Ireland to retain the Irish Centre for Diversity’s ‘Investors in Diversity’ Gold Standard Award. Earlier this year, we became the first Irish law firm to collaborate with The Legal 500 for the inaugural EMEA Green Guide, reflecting not only our client advisory work but also our commitment to keep ESG at the very core business.

Our focus is to service the legal needs of internationally focussed companies and financial institutions doing business in and from Ireland.  Our clients include the majority of the Fortune 100 companies.  We advise seven of the top ten global technology brands, seven of the world’s ten largest asset managers, and over half of the world’s 50 largest banks.

The 775 people who work across our 30 practice groups and six offices around the world witness at first hand the challenges faced and successes achieved by general counsel in multiple organisations across Ireland, the UK, Europe and the United States.

This year marks the second year in our three-year sponsorship of Ireland’s GC Powerlist, and it is my pleasure on behalf of the partners at Matheson, to congratulate all of the individuals who have been included on this year’s list.  We look forward to celebrating this year’s winners, and to continuing to support future participants.

 

Michael Jackson

Managing Partner

Matheson

GC Powerlist: Ireland 2022

For the first time since a Covid-enforced hiatus, The Legal 500 travelled to Dublin to launch the latest edition of one of our most popular editions in the GC Powerlist series: The GC Powerlist: Ireland 2022. And it was great to be back.