Business movers: People starting new jobs in Ireland

Here is a selection of people starting new roles with ABP Food group, Irish Times Training, The Samuel, eir, Aviva Insurance Ireland and hummgroup.

Sharon Whitehead has joined the board of ABP Food group as a non-executive director. She is group VP of HR at Smurfit Kappa. Prior to joining Smurfit Kappa, she worked with Kerry Group in various international HR leadership roles, including global VP of HR. She is a fellow of the CIPD, the professional body for human resources and people development, and holds a degree and various industry qualifications. ABP provides red meat products to leading European retailers and food service providers. It employs 13,200 people in its food processing facilities in nine countries and has a turnover of over €4bn.

David Magee has been appointed as managing director of Irish Times Training (ITT). David was previously head of sales and corporate membership with the Irish Management Institute (IMI), and brings a wealth of experience in financial services and executive education sectors. David was also a steering committee member of 30% Club Ireland, which promotes gender balance in business, spearheading the cross-company mentoring programme. He also completed a Global Leadership programme during his time at RSA Insurance Group. David will build on the solid foundations of ITT, leveraging the wider Irish Times Group and developing future-focused learning solutions for individuals and organisations.

Ann-Marie Traynor has been appointed as general manager of The Samuel, the newly opened hotel in Dublin, part of Dalata Hotel Group. Originally from Co Limerick, Ann-Marie has held various GM roles within the group since 2007. She was GM of Maldron Hotel Kevin Street when it opened in 2018, leading the team and creating a supportive and driven culture. Working in the industry for 25 years, she has risen from entry level to GM in a range of roles. While attending GMIT, she undertook a placement in Dusseldorf, where incidentally Dalata opened its first European hotel earlier this year.

Sandra Donohue has been appointed as director of HR with telecoms company eir. Sandra joins eir from Diageo Ireland, where she was also HR director, working alongside eir’s CEO Oliver Loomes as part of the executive team. An experienced HR leader with an MSc in Strategic Human Resources Management, Sandra has 25 years’ experience, and has held a number of lead roles in HR across the Diageo Ireland and European business units. She succeeds Thérèse Gavin, who leaves to pursue other opportunities after eight years as eir’s HR lead. eir provides fixed line telecoms services in Ireland, with broadband, voice, TV, and data services.

Stephen McCarthy has been appointed chief financial officer at Aviva Insurance Ireland DAC. He has worked with Aviva for eight years, having held senior positions with the firm in Ireland, Canada and the UK. Prior to this appointment, Stephen was head of corporate development with Aviva Group plc. where he led acquisitions and disposals that were instrumental in the reshaping of Aviva. He is a qualified actuary. Prior to joining Aviva in 2014, he worked with Zurich in Ireland, and has also previously worked as an actuarial intern with Transamerica International Reinsurance Ireland. He holds a degree in Actuarial Science from UCD.

Terry Fleming has been appointed as non-executive director with hummgroup, the international consumer payment provider whose parent company is based in Australia. She is currently chair of the Irish business, where she has overseen its growth under PJ Byrne, CEO (Ireland and UK), and his team since 2017. A vastly experienced corporate tax adviser, Terry has previously worked with PWC for 20 years before being taking on directorships in publicly quoted international and Irish corporations, as well as a state board, the Irish Marine Institute. hummgroup has also appointed former CEO of Bank of Queensland Stewart Grimshaw as a non-executive director.