Fintech Awards

Gareth Walsh brings nearly 20 years of strategic leadership, compliance, and corporate governance expertise within the FinTech sector. He currently serves as a Non-Executive Director and Chair at both Rippling and SumUp, and also holds board positions at Linked Finance and Lendermarket. Gareth’s dynamic career includes key roles at SumUp, where he served as CEO of the Irish Entity, Global Head of Corporate Governance, and Global Head of Risk & Compliance. His 12-year leadership was instrumental in SumUp’s meteoric rise to a valuation exceeding €10 billion.

Gareth’s extensive experience with numerous FinTechs positions him as a distinguished leader in the industry. He is adept at guiding companies through the complexities of market entry and scaling in a regulated environment.

Dr. Mark Dowds is the Founder & Chief Executive Officer of RESPONSIBLE, a technology company focused on reducing the consumption of new fashion products. He is a Venture Partner at Anthemis Group, a VC firm with the mission of cultivating change in the financial sector. He is also the Co-Founder and Chair of Ormeau Labs, a Belfast based technology innovation hub housing over 200 entrepreneurs, and the Chair of Mantis, an AI software company transforming the trucking industry.

In 2012 Mark co-founded Trov, the world’s first on-demand insurance platform that was later acquired by Travelers Insurance. He previously co-founded ServiceCloud that was acquired by SFDC. He was also the co-founder of BandofCoders and did a management buy out after several years of successfully scaling the company internationally. Mark was the Chair of Techstart Ventures, which invests in entrepreneurs to build successful technology businesses from the ground up in Northern Ireland and Scotland. He was also an LP in Bullet Time Ventures, an early seed investor in Uber and Twilio, and is an advisor to several companies including StageTEN, and LoweConex.

Charlie Taylor is the Technology and Innovation Editor at The Business Post. He edits Connected, a tech-focused magazine, and hosts the Connected AI Podcast. Before joining The Business Post, Charlie spent 15 years at The Irish Times in various editorial roles.

Glenda Deveney is a cybersecurity and digital transformation consultant with deep expertise in ISO 27001, operational strategy, and change management. As Head of Partnerships & Community for Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS) UK & Ireland, she leads initiatives that promote inclusion and innovation across the cybersecurity sector. Glenda brings a unique blend of technical insight and strategic leadership, drawn from her work across SaaS, grant management, and public sector transformation.

Andrew is the former Course Director of Accountancy & Finance programmes at Dublin Business School. During his 8 years at DBS, as Course Director, Andrew lectured extensively and was responsible for the design, development and management of numerous programmes.

Andrew joined PAT Business School in  June 2020 and designed a range of new programmes focused on the evolving skills demanded the contemporary Fintech, Risk & Compliance professional.

Andrew recently resigned from his role at PAT Business School, has co-founded FIDEO-Global and is working closely with numerous partners in the Fintech ecosystem, including Rideau Fintech Ventures Ireland.

Andrew emphasises the active involvement of industry in all of his programmes development and delivery, and he collaborates closely with a wide number of universities, colleges, financial service providers & professional bodies.

Prior to his move into education & training Andrew had a broad experience of the financial services industry, including working for banks, hedge funds, and an investment consultancy

Leah joined Banking and Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) in January 2023 as Payments Scheme Manager, and more recently was appointed Head of FPAI and Digital Assets. Having worked in financial services for close to 25 years, Leah has extensive experience in the payments industry, working in varied roles across sales, digital transformation, relationship and stakeholder management, and customer centric product development.

Siobhán Hanley is the Head of Fintech & Payments at IDA Ireland, responsible for overseeing a global portfolio of companies ranging from high-growth disruptors to long established multinational corporations. She plays a strategic role in supporting both existing investors and potential new entrants, fostering foreign direct investment (FDI) and driving the expansion of Ireland’s fintech and payments sector

Eoghan Quigley is the 136^th President of Dublin Chamber and has been a member of Dublin Chamber Council since 2015 and a member of the Board of Directors for over 5 years. 

Eoghan is an experienced investor in seed and scaling companies having backed 100 ventures spread across Ireland, the UK, continental Europe and the US.  He is on the boards of several companies including serving as Director of Strategic Partnerships for exciting Irish fintech business Alt21 and is the chairman of Evercam, the category leading Irish construction visibility platform.

Eoghan was with KPMG for 30 years and provided tax structuring advice to a wide range of Irish and multinational corporate and private equity clients across a range of industries, including life sciences, technology, retail and manufacturing.

Eoghan is Fellow of the Chartered Accountants Ireland and has a B Comm from NUIG, a Masters in Accounting from UCD and an MSC in Taxation from DCU. 

Lory Kehoe is the founder and Chair of Blockchain Ireland, the country’s leading voice for the blockchain and crypto industry. He was the CEO of MSX, a UAE-regulated stablecoin company, and previously served as the Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International at M2, a UAE-based crypto exchange. With extensive experience across finance and technology, Lory has held senior positions at Coinbase, BNY Mellon, and ConsenSys. He is an Independent Non-Executive Director (INED) with Push, a company within the Avara group, and an adjunct assistant professor at Trinity College Dublin, where he teaches on the MBA and a specialised crypto program. He is also pursuing a PhD in Web3 entrepreneurial ecosystems with Trinity Business School.

Tamara is a community-builder, sense-maker and innovator. She earned her stripes in entrepreneurship as CEO and co-founder of EIO Diagnostics, an agriculture technology start-up using computer vision and machine learning to screen for one of the most persistent and costly problems in the dairy industry. Now she is putting her network, energy and strategic vision to work with Dogpatch Labs to catalyze growth and nurture a world-class innovation ecosystem. Before moving into technology and entrepreneurship, Tamara founded Shiny Bird Communications, a practice focused at the intersection of agriculture, innovation and climate adaptation. She is sought after as a speaker on AI in agriculture and women in tech leadership, and is an award-winning agriculture journalist and communicator. She has earned distinction as an alumni of the Creative Destruction Lab (2024), and the Gaingels 100 (2022).

Michael Browne is a Senior Development Advisor in Enterprise Ireland’s Fintech & Financial Services Department. He has a portfolio of clients across the fintech spectrum at every stage of development from innovative early-stage start-ups to unicorns who are leading global players in their marketplace. He also leads Enterprise Ireland’s Global Fintech team, which has representatives spanning the world from Sydney to San Francisco. Previously, he worked in Enterprise Ireland’s Equity and Commercial Evaluation Departments. Prior to joining Enterprise Ireland, Michael worked as an Equity Analyst in the Research Department of Goodbody Stockbrokers. He has completed a summer internship in the Taxation Department of Arthur Andersen. Michael has a Bachelor of Business Studies degree from Trinity College and a Masters in Investment & Treasury Management from DCU. He is a CFA Charterholder and a Fellow Member of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. He is currently studying for a certificate in ESG Investing.

Derek Foley Butler is Executive Chairman of GRID Finance, leading Fintech and B-Corp in Ireland. Derek has spent his life between the private and third sector working for PwC, GOAL, Goodbody Stockbrokers and EY before founding GRID Finance in 2013. He was an early advocate for peer-to-peer lending. Derek founded the SME recovery campaign in 2020 which advocated for a government response for SME’s to the pandemic. He sees a vital need to recognise the best of Irish Fintech that are contributing to building a better financial system in Ireland. He will chair the awards as the founder of the awards programme

Patricia Callan is an Ibec Head of Sectors and is also the Director of Financial Services Ireland (FSI) Group. FSI is the Ibec group representing the full suite of financial services companies in Ireland. Its 160 members are involved in fintech, banking, insurance, fund administration, investment management, corporate treasury, international financial services, securitisation and aircraft leasing. Established in 1984, FSI supports the development of the financial services industry both at domestic and international levels. Specifically in the fintech space, Patricia is a member of the CBI’s Financial Industry Stakeholder Forum and facilitates the industry contribution to its Innovation Sub-Group, one of the outcomes of which was the CBI’s new sandbox programme. FSI has published a report on “Ireland’s Fintech Future”, and on AI use in Financial Services . It is also leading the development of a feasibility study for the creation of a National Fintech Hub, which it successfully lobbied for inclusion as a commitment in the Programme for Government. Previously, Patricia was Director of Drinks Ireland (2017-2022) and Director of the Small Firms Association (2006-2017). She was a voluntary Director of IASIO from 2016-2023 becoming Chair in 2020; and before that was a voluntary Director of Business in the Community (Ireland) from 2007-2014 and of Clondalkin Enterprise Group from 2000-2006. Patricia holds an MA in International Studies (UL), BA in Economics (TCD), Diploma in Management (TUD), Diploma in Employment Law (NCI).

Sinead works and advises in the fintech world, following a period in banking after her qualification as a barrister. She led teams in the legal, compliance and risk divisions of a global fintech organisation during its unicorn days, before moving into the role of Senior Legal Advisor and Irish Branch Lead for the Electronic Money Association (EMA) until mid 2025. She now acts as an INED on the Board of fintech firms. She has a passion for well-being, providing mentoring and coaching in the innovative financial services sector. She founded Financial InnovateHER, a Group promoting Mentoring, Networking and Learning amongst women in the sector, in 2024. Sinead is a member (previous Secretary) of the Ethics Committee within the Compliance Institute, holds the LCOI, and is registered on the Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA). She also holds an LLM and Diploma in management studies. She went on to qualify as a Notary Public, then moved into studies and qualifications as a Personal, Leadership, Corporate Wellbeing and Team Coach in 2020.

With 20 years’ experience in the funds industry, Ruth is the Irish Funds lead for Emerging Technology and Innovation Working Group and the Digital Assets Working Group in Irish Funds. Irish Funds is the voice of the international investment funds and asset management industry in Ireland. We have been the industry’s representative body for over 30 years. With 150 member companies, Irish Funds represents the entire ecosystem of the investment funds and asset management industry in this country. These include fund managers, depositaries, administrators, transfer agents, professional advisory firms and other specialist firms involved in the international fund services industry in Ireland. Prior to her role in Irish Funds, Ruth worked as a Service Director for a global financial institution which offers custody, depository, and administration services. The role provided an extensive knowledge base in terms of service provider capabilities, asset manager needs, as well as navigating the Irish regulatory landscape and evolving trends in the industry. Ruth graduated from University College Dublin in 2002 with an Honours Degree in Economics and hold a First- Class Honours postgraduate H. Dip in Business from the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School since 2005.