24 Capability Leaders at Major Employers in Ireland

If you want to understand capability leadership in Ireland, it helps to look beyond a single job title. The people named here work across banking, public health, energy, higher education, technology, infrastructure, retail, sport, professional services and community delivery.

This is a recognition directory. The order is simply a reading order. The people here work in roles that help organisations learn, lead, adapt and perform.

The common thread is practical capability. These leaders sit close to the systems that help people learn, lead, change, collaborate and deliver well.

Why capability leadership matters.

Capability is not a course catalogue. It is the way an organisation helps people do good work repeatedly, especially when the work is complex, regulated, fast-growing or public-facing. That includes leadership development, learning, culture, workforce planning, organisation design, transformation and the everyday conditions that help people contribute.

The roles below show how varied that work can be. A public health CPO has to think about workforce planning and national employee relations. An infrastructure people leader has to connect capability with projects, safety and long-term investment. A university learning leader works through development programmes, mentoring and organisation development. Those are different settings, but they all require practical judgement.

1. Dave McCormack.

Chief People Officer, AIB.

Dave McCormack is the Chief People Officer at AIB. AIB’s Centres of Excellence support employees through the full career journey and employee lifecycle.

2. Matt Elliott.

Chief People Officer, Bank of Ireland.

Matt Elliott is the Chief People Officer at Bank of Ireland. The role sits within the bank’s executive management structure.

3. Anne Marie Hoey.

Chief People Officer, Health Service Executive.

Anne Marie Hoey is the Chief People Officer at the Health Service Executive. Her remit includes workforce planning, HR services, staff development and employee relations.

4. William Molloy.

Chief People Officer, People and Workplace, Central Bank of Ireland.

William Molloy is Chief People Officer, People and Workplace at the Central Bank of Ireland. His people and workplace remit sits within the bank’s senior leadership structure.

5. Barbara O'Malley.

Chief People Officer, Irish Life.

Barbara O'Malley is Chief People Officer at Irish Life. The role sits within the group’s senior leadership team.

6. Eleanor Nash.

Chief People Officer, An Post.

Eleanor Nash is Chief People Officer at An Post. Her experience includes industrial relations and organisational change.

7. Michelle Healy.

Chief Human Resources Officer, Kerry.

Michelle Healy is Chief Human Resources Officer at Kerry. Her remit includes leadership capability, talent pipelines and organisational effectiveness across a global business.

8. Kristin Lane.

Chief Human Resources Officer, CRH.

Kristin Lane is Chief Human Resources Officer at CRH. Her people remit sits within CRH’s global executive team.

9. Annette Malone.

Chief People Officer, RTÉ.

Annette Malone is Chief People Officer at RTÉ. She brings experience in employee relations, employment law, labour frameworks and team leadership.

10. Lorraine Culligan.

Group Director of People and Culture, Primark.

Lorraine Culligan is Group Director of People and Culture at Primark. She oversees the people and culture agenda across a large, multi-market colleague population.

11. Daragh O'Mahony.

Chief People Officer, National Broadband Ireland.

Daragh O'Mahony is Chief People Officer at National Broadband Ireland. He leads the HR and Facilities teams that support the talent and workplace needs of the National Broadband Plan.

12. Eimear Reilly.

Director of People and Culture, Rehab Group.

Eimear Reilly is Director of People and Culture at Rehab Group. Rehab’s service teams work across more than 170 locations, giving the remit a substantial delivery footprint.

13. Dr Rita Day.

Director of Learning, Rehab Group.

Dr Rita Day is Director of Learning at Rehab Group. The dedicated learning remit links development to the wider people and culture work.

14. Patrick Byrne.

Chief People Officer, Cricket Ireland.

Patrick Byrne is Chief People Officer at Cricket Ireland. The role sits in the senior leadership team alongside high-performance and growth functions.

15. Sharon Vize.

Chief People Officer, Cpl.

Sharon Vize is Chief People Officer at Cpl. Her people remit sits alongside transformation, recruitment and future-of-work responsibilities.

16. Stephen Connolly.

People Director, Ireland, Mitie.

Stephen Connolly is People Director, Ireland at Mitie. He focuses on aligning HR teams with business goals and building positive, flexible cultures.

17. Catrin Lee.

Human Resources Director, UK and Ireland, Fresenius Kabi.

Catrin Lee is Human Resources Director, UK and Ireland at Fresenius Kabi. Her remit covers HR, HSE and Facilities across the region.

18. Joe Cronin.

Chief Human Resources Officer, ICON.

Joe Cronin is Chief Human Resources Officer at ICON. He is responsible for people practices and organisational leadership and culture that support the company’s strategy.

19. Ciara Ruane.

Chief People Officer, Avolon.

Ciara Ruane is Chief People Officer at Avolon. She leads the company’s people strategy, including leadership capability, performance culture and talent development.

20. Joanne McMullan.

Chief People Officer, FINEOS.

Joanne McMullan is Chief People Officer at FINEOS. Her remit includes global HR and learning and development.

21. Seamas McManus.

Director of Human Resources, Trinity College Dublin.

Seamas McManus is Director of Human Resources at Trinity College Dublin. He leads the university’s HR function.

22. Michele Ryan.

Head of Learning and Organisation Development, Trinity College Dublin.

Michele Ryan is Head of Learning and Organisation Development at Trinity College Dublin. Her team supports leadership development, mentoring and organisation development.

23. Tristan Aitken.

Chief People Officer and Director of SIRC, Legal Services and Transformation, University College Dublin.

Tristan Aitken is Chief People Officer and Director of SIRC, Legal Services and Transformation at University College Dublin. The combined remit connects people, transformation and broader university operations.

24. Sinéad Kilkelly.

Executive Director, People and Sustainability, ESB.

Sinéad Kilkelly is Executive Director, People and Sustainability at ESB. Her work connects people development, organisational development and sustainability.

How to use this directory.

Use the list as a starting point for better questions. If you are planning a partnership, begin with the organisation’s current work and the leader’s stated remit. If you are studying leadership, compare how the capability role changes with the organisation’s mission, scale and operating model. If you are recruiting, check the source page and the current organisation context rather than relying on a title alone.

Use the linked organisation pages to learn more about each leader’s work. Roles and organisations can change, so treat the directory as a starting point rather than a final answer.

Frequently asked questions.

What does capability leader mean here?

It means a current people, learning, organisation development, culture, workforce, transformation or closely related role with a clear connection to how an organisation builds its ability to perform.

How is the order chosen?

The order is simply a reading order, and the people here are included for the practical capability relevance of their work.

Why are some well-known names missing?

This list is selective. It focuses on leaders whose work sits close to people, learning, culture, workforce or change in Ireland.

How often should this page be checked?

Leadership roles can change at any time. Recheck the linked organisation page before relying on an entry for a public statement, proposal, invitation or partnership.

Can I suggest a correction?

Yes. Please email jonno@consultclarity.org with the name, the correction and a link to the official organisation page.

Conclusion.

Capability leadership becomes visible when purpose turns into better work. The people in this directory work in very different settings, but each role shows that organisations need more than good intentions. They need systems that help people learn, lead, adapt and deliver.

If you are looking for practical leadership ideas, start with one question: what would make this organisation easier for good people to trust and easier for its teams to deliver through? That is where capability becomes Monday morning leadership.

Related reading.

For related reading, see 22 Key Professional Development Leaders in Dublin, 35 Influential Learning and Development Leaders and 50 Influential Thought Leaders in Change Management.

About the author.

Jonno White is a Brisbane-based leadership consultant, keynote speaker and Certified Working Genius Facilitator, and the author of Step Up or Step Out. He works with schools, corporates and nonprofits around the world. To enquire about a keynote, workshop or facilitated leadership session, email jonno@consultclarity.org.