FinBiz2030 Irish
Task Force

Michael J Walls

Michael qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2011 and is currently the Head of Finance at &Open. He trained with KPMG Belfast and has worked in the industry for the past several years.

His experience includes working at Google and UrbanVolt, Ireland's First B Corporation. Michael was the 2nd co-host of the FinBiz webinar ‘Equality, Diversity, Opportunity’ in September 2020 and has since taken on the co-chair role of the newly created Ireland Task Force which was launched late 2020. During 2018, Michael was selected as Chartered Accountants Ireland’s “Young Chartered Star” and represented the profession at the One Young World conference. 

He has also contributed to Accountancy Ireland magazine, writing articles on technology and the future of work.

What are you most excited for (related to FinBiz), in 2021?

Getting to work on some FinBiz projects

Sinead Fox-Hamilton

Sinead is a Law graduate and qualified Chartered Accountant with a strong passion for people and education. She has enjoyed a diverse career spanning varied Finance, Recruitment and Consulting positions. Her day job now is with Chartered Accountants Ireland where she promotes Chartered Accountancy and the wider profession (including its accessibility) along with developing training openings with employers helping create more quality opportunities for the next generations coming through.

Sinead has a long history of organising events and initiatives aimed at inspiring, connecting and educating young talented future leaders. She was noted in Northern Ireland’s ‘Top 40 under 40’ and ‘Top 20 Inspiring Women’ listings and was also recognised for her ‘Services to Accounting and Finance’ in the Northern Ireland Women’s Awards. In 2017 she was the winner of Chartered Accountants Ireland ‘Chartered Star’ competition and attended the One Young World Summit in Bogota, Colombia as part of the Chartered Accountants Worldwide delegation and is now a One Young World Ambassador.

What would you like to achieve in the Task Force for both society and yourself individually?

Keen to lead the development of a strong Task Force for Ireland that will drive awareness of the SDGs on the island and also develop sustainable projects that will make a positive impact on society at home and globally.

What are you most excited for (related to FinBiz), in 2021?

Working with an energetic collective of young finance and business leaders to make a meaningful difference.

Ailbhe Mac Greevy

I work as a Senior Tax Associate in PwC Ireland within the Financial Services sector.

Tell us about your workstream

The main aim of our task force is to help promote a green agenda within organisations. We hope to do this by assisting organisations in their understanding of sustainability and by providing a framework for the development and execution of a green strategy within organisations in Ireland. We hope that these steps will then ultimately lead to wide adoption of Integrated Reporting by organisations.

What would you like to achieve in the Task Force for both society and yourself individually?

I hope the task force successfully assists organisations in adopting a green strategy and helps achieve the targets outlined in Ireland's Climate Action Plan. Sustainability is something I've always been really interested in and I hope to develop my own knowledge in the area.

What are you most excited for (related to FinBiz), in 2021?

I'm excited to launch our project and to meet the team in person once lockdown ends!

Aileen Noonan

I am a One Young World Ambassador currently working with the Climate Action subgroup of the Irish FinBiz2030 taskforce.

Cristiana Parise

My name is Cristiana and I recently joined eShopWorld as a HR Analyst. I am a CIPD Qualified Associate Member. My work in HR has always been accompanied by actively participating and leading CSR initiatives in every company I have worked for.

Tell us about your workstream

Our group is aiming to assist corporates to understand and implement the changes required from SDG 13 on Climate Action.

What would you like to achieve in the Task Force for both society and yourself individually?

I want to educate myself further on the SDGs and I want to play an active role in making the changes in the society I live in. The Task force involves people that share the same passions and values as me in this area and I look forward to spreading awareness provide practical support to companies that want to join forces in reaching sustainability goals.

What are you most excited for (related to FinBiz), in 2021?

I'm excited about the great discussions and knowledge sharing that happens during our meetings, followed by action plans that put into practice what we would like to achieve beyond are own network. It's great to be part of a group of like-minded people willing to spend personal time for a great common cause!

Derek Lowry

Senior Director Finance for MongoDB with responsibility for all of MongoDB's entities across the EMEA and APAC regions. I recently took on the role to lead MongoDB's global sustainability efforts and am a founding member of our Greenteam.

Tell us about your workstream

I am co-lead of the Climate Action workstream. Our workstream is focused on creating awareness of the importance of SDG 13 Climate Action. We want to educate and empower finance and business professionals to take ownership of the climate crisis in their role from trainee to C suite. We believe that businesses are one of the biggest levers for change in our society and we would love to see more proactive approach to Climate Action within the Finance and Business community.

What would you like to achieve in the Task Force for both society and yourself individually?

We really want to create a tangible offering that will spark a flame in those who may not have heard of the SDGS or be that extra fuel for those already championing SDG 13 Climate Action. For me personally, I would like to work with like minded individuals to make a positive contribution towards tackling the climate crisis.

What are you most excited for (related to FinBiz), in 2021?

Post covid I believe that the climate crisis is the next major issue for society to address and overcome and I am excited to be part of that change.

Fiona Smiddy

I am a Chartered Accountant and Founder of Green Outlook (www.greenoutlook.ie), a sustainable living online shop. At Green Outlook we are passionate about supporting local, sustainable, natural and plastic free alternatives. We help customers to reduce their use of single use plastic and to reduce their carbon footprint.

Tell us about your workstream

We aim to educate and assist companies to take action on SDG 13 Climate Action. We understand the power of the individual but also the potential within an engaged workforce. We will look to educate and empower employees with regards reducing their impact on the climate crisis through establishing or participating in company initiatives. We plan to measure this awareness of the SDGs and particularly SDG13 and actions taken over the course of our project.

What would you like to achieve in the Task Force for both society and yourself individually?

I would like to raise awareness of practical actions individuals can take to reduce their environmental impact.

What are you most excited for (related to FinBiz), in 2021?

Meeting like minded individuals and idea sharing. There is so much to be said for learning from the group and I'm really looking forward to having open discussions on the UN SDGs and more.

Martin Kennedy

My name is Martin Kennedy. I am a Chartered Accountant (ACA) working as Head of Internal Audit in Azelis. I am from Ireland but living in Luxembourg for the past 6 years.

Tell us about your workstream

We are currently building our workstream and deciding on a mission statement and what our end goal is in terms of having an impact in how companies tackle climate action.

What would you like to achieve in the Task Force for both society and yourself individually?

I feel a lot of companies are at the start of the sustainability journey. This is not a project, but an ongoing topic to manage. I would like if our Task Force achieved education around the topic and identified clear steps companies can use to implement a climate action strategy.

What are you most excited for (related to FinBiz), in 2021?

I'm excited to be involved in the group and hopefully build a strategy template that companies could follow to implement more sustainable practices.

Martina Carroll

Senior Financial Accountant at Chanelle Pharma. Broad experience across multiple industries and overseas experience in both New Zealand and Australia. Current Finance Officer of Junior Chamber International Galway. Previous experience volunteering in the humanitarian sector in Australia which I am passionate about. Interested in all things Fintech, data and technology.

Tell us about your workstream

Our Task force is working towards SDG 13 Climate Action. Our task force team has recently been formed and we are hoping to solidify our aims & goals in the coming week to ensure we can make tangible progress towards this SDG.

What would you like to achieve in the Task Force for both society and yourself individually?

I hope our work will contribute towards keeping global temperatures within 1.5 degrees of pre-industrial levels. A monumental task but it must be done. On a personal level I hope through my involvement I can look back in the future and know I played a very small part in halting the effects of climate change.

What are you most excited for (related to FinBiz), in 2021?

Working with like minded people and achieving tangible results.

Caroline McGroary

Caroline is a Chartered Accountant and Lecturer who is passionate about the role of education in transforming lives and society. Originally from Donegal, in the North West of Ireland, Caroline trained as a Chartered Accountant with Deloitte. Soon after qualifying, she joined Dublin City University (DCU) as a Lecturer in Accounting in its Dublin campus. Since joining DCU Caroline has lectured on a range of programmes, at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, in both Dublin and in the DCU campus in Saudi Arabia. Caroline’s holistic approach to education has allowed her to successfully align her work in the classroom with burgeoning global social issues such as gender equality and sustainability. Her work has been presented at international conferences and has been nominated for several awards for innovation, excellence in teaching and impact. Caroline recently received the Chartered Star Award from Chartered Accountants Ireland and will represent the profession at the One Young World summit in 2021.

Tell us about your workstream
The Financial Literacy workstream seeks to highlight the role of financial literacy in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In parallel, it seeks to help promote awareness of the importance of being financially literate and to provide tools and resources to help individuals develop this skill.

What would you like to achieve in the Task Force for both society and yourself individually?
Reflecting on the words of  Annamaria Lusardi, a thought leader in this area,  "financial literacy is an essential skill to thrive in today's society”. Therefore, being part of this task force affords each of us the opportunity to help address this skills gap both for the better of society and for us individually.  

What are you most excited for (related to FinBiz), in 2021?
The FinBiz task force was set up to unite and mobilise the finance and business community to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Our team is made up of very inspirational people, from various backgrounds, who are all committed to tackling some of the most pressing issues facing society today. I am therefore most excited about learning from this diverse group of people and to have an opportunity to work with them on some very impactful projects. 

Emma Noonan

I'm a 3rd year Associate in the Risk Consulting Department in KPMG. I am a past Chair of the CASSI committee and currently the CASSD Secretary.

Tell us about your workstream

Provide educational resources to specific target groups such as young professionals, primary and secondary school students. Our key priority is to enhance their understanding of financial literacy and highlight its importance in our everyday decision-making.

What would you like to achieve in the Task Force for both society and yourself individually?

The ultimate goal for society, I believe, would be to have Financial Literacy as a fundamental pillar in the education we provide to students across Ireland. Studying as a Chartered Accountant will give me the opportunity to give back in an area I truly value and I find this really rewarding.

What are you most excited for (related to FinBiz), in 2021?

Meeting like minded individuals and idea sharing. There is so much to be said for learning from the group and I'm really looking forward to having open discussions on the UN SDGs and more.

Karen Wray

Hi I am Karen Wray, I am an Assistant Manager in the Advisory Department within Grant Thornton (NI) LLP. I specialise in Insolvency. I am a Chartered Accountant and qualified with Chartered Accountants Ireland. I attended the 2019 London One Young World (OYW) Conference and am a current OYW Ambassador. I have joined the FinBiz2030 team recently and will be focusing on the importance of the SDGs in particular the importance of Financial Literacy.

Tell us about your workstream

To increase peoples financial literacy skills so that they can be empowered to make informed decisions.

What would you like to achieve in the Task Force for both society and yourself individually?

To be able to be part of a team to enhance peoples financial literacy skills by providing various projects.

What are you most excited for (related to FinBiz), in 2021?

Being part of a team who are all like minded who all are passionate to make a change.

Oliver Gillet

VAT Analyst at BioMarin Pharmaceuticals. Part-Qualified Accountant at ACA Ireland.

Tell us about your workstream

Improve the education and understanding of financial literacy amongst different segments of society. Create a better understanding of the importance of financial literacy in everyday life. Shape a society that allows for open discussion of personal finance and finance planning.

What would you like to achieve in the Task Force for both society and yourself individually?

Introduce formal financial education at primary education level to better equip children to deal with personal finance and its importance at an early stage. Create a greater awareness of future planning such as pensions and investments, to combat the reliance of pensioners on the state pension and remove many from the bread line.

What are you most excited for (related to FinBiz), in 2021?

Working as a collaborative to tackle the issues surrounding personal finance, and gain experience and knowledge from other task forces on how such issues are dealt in their jurisdictions.

Rachel Allister

I currently work as a Senior Financial Analyst for Head Office at Pearson PLC. I work with the Head Office Finance team, Group Accounting team and Treasury team in London but I am based in Belfast. I qualified as a Chartered Accountant (ACA) with EY in April 2020.

Aisling McCaffrey

I currently work as an Associate Director in Financial Services Advisory with Grant Thornton Ireland. I am the 2020/21 Joint Chartered Star and will be representing CAI at the OYW summit this year. I am a co-founder of the Green Team Network and a current board member of Ireland Touch Rugby Association.

Tell us about your workstream

I am co-Project Lead for workstream focused on SDG 5 & SDG 10. Our key priorities are to develop awareness campaign and initiatives that deal with specific challenges surrounding gender equality and diversity issues with an Irish context. We will look to collaborate with grassroots organisations that are already doing work in this area, leverage the FinBiz/CAI network and ultimately work towards having a measurable impact as a group.

What would you like to achieve in the Task Force for both society and yourself individually?

For society - I want to promote an equitable environment for all regardless of gender identity or race and I am hopeful that as a task force we can contribute to this goal. On a personal level - I am really keen to connect with and learn from those who have been successful enacting change.

What are you most excited for (related to FinBiz), in 2021?

The opportunity to connect with like minded individuals who are keen to facilitate change and work towards creating positive social impact.

Marion Kane

I am a Chartered Accountant and the founder of She Means Business. She Means Business provides financial education, mentoring and consulting services to small business owners. I am also a director of Now Training & Employment Enterprise, a social enterprise which supports people with learning difficulties and autism into jobs with a future.

Tell us about your workstream - Our priority is to develop campaigns and initiatives that highlight and address specific challenges relating to gender inequality and diversity. Our aim is to collaborate with/ support established organisations that are already making strides to address these issues, leverage the FinBiz/CAI network and ultimately make a measurable impact in achieving SDG 5 and SDG 10.

What would you like to achieve in the Task Force for both society and yourself individually? - For society, I would like every individual in Ireland to be aware of the SDGs, to understand their relevance to our daily lives, and to promote ownership in achieving the SDGs. I would also like to highlight the work being carried out by organisations to achieve a more equal society. Personally, I am looking forward to working with likeminded people, and collectively, contributing to Ireland achieving the SDGs by 2030.

What are you most excited for (related to FinBiz), in 2021? - Connecting with likeminded people, building good working relationships and increasing my understanding of the work currently being performed in this area.

Alessia Pischedda

Born in Trieste in 1994, Alessia is a Trainee Chartered Accountant at Pfizer Inc. - EMEA Headquarters in Dublin. Prior to Pfizer she was an Audit Analyst at Deloitte in Italy, after having obtained a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from University of Bologna with a final grade of 110/110 Cum Laude. Driven by a high-powered passion for positive change, at the end of 2020 Alessia joined the FinBiz2030 Ireland Task Force with the purpose of contributing to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. A firm believer in the power of dialogue and synergies, in February 2021 she was also nominated by Pfizer Global Supply to receive a Bold Move Award for her support to the Global Supply Chain on addressing the patient affordability challenge linked to financial constraints with distributors in a critical market. Alessia enjoys a good Netflix binge and some intense training sessions with weights, but can also be found having fun with Italian cuisine in her kitchen.

Tell us about your workstream

The SDG Awareness project team from the Irish Task Force counts on an interesting mixture of different backgrounds embodied by young, ambitious, resilient professionals from the Finance and Business landscape. We are committed to find and implement effective solutions to raise individuals' and businesses' awareness around the UN's Agenda for 2030, whilst helping these actors align their goals and strategies to the SDG's. And we are getting bigger. I am looking forward to working alongside my colleagues within such a vivid and inspiring atmosphere. Being the communications champion for the Irish Task Force I am also very keen to engage with CAW, OYW and the other task forces to help identify potential areas for the creation of synergies, hence value, across the task forces.

What would you like to achieve in the Task Force for both society and yourself individually?

I hold high expectations at a personal level, at a team's level, at a societal level. I would like to channel my efforts into making this taskforce as a means to generate Synergies among global citizens who in turn will find, support and activate more global citizens demanding global solutions from global leaders and from businesses acting as a force for good. It will not be an easy journey. But our future is our responsibility.

What are you most excited for (related to FinBiz), in 2021?

Whenever I think of FinBiz, I think of how resilient and powerful we can become together if: 1. we connect 2. we drive purpose 3. we build a community of difference makers.

Nuala McAdams

I am a Chartered Accountant and work in EY Belfast as an Executive within the Government and Infrastructure team. I am a former Chair of the Chartered Accountants Ireland student society and currently a member of the Young Professional Groups in Ulster. I am also Director (Treasurer) of the Charity: Centre for Global Education.

Tell us about your workstream

I am the Co-Lead of the SDG awareness project team, our aim is to promote the SDG's to both businesses and individuals and help them understand changes they can make to achieve the goals. Our aim is to make the goals accessible and achievable.

What would you like to achieve in the Task Force for both society and yourself individually?

I would like to achieve a more rounded awareness of the SDG's , that they are more than 'green' issues, but include diversity & inclusion, quality education and economic growth. I would like to see the Task Force achieve this greater awareness and engagement across society - understanding that not all change comes at a cost, there are many simple things we can all do to move towards achieving these goals. For both myself personally, and society, I think this greater understanding and engagement is key.

What are you most excited for (related to FinBiz), in 2021?

Engaging with businesses and individuals across Ireland, seeing others being inspired by these goals and supporting change in our society.

Patrycja Jurkowska

Chartered Accountant (ACA) working with GOAL Global. Active citizen who strives to make a positive change in the world. 2019 Chartered Star. One Young World Ambassador. Founder of Susty Wear. JCI Senator

Tell us about your workstream

In my professional capacity I work as an Operations Accountant with a Humanitarian Aid and Development Agency GOAL. We provide assistance to some of the most venerable communities around the world. And I am proud to support our finance team in the LAC Region. Additionally, in response to fast fashion and its impact on our environment, I have recently established Susty Wear with the aim to promote slow fashion and be part of the solution by providing premium sustainable ethical vegan clothing.

What would you like to achieve in the Task Force for both society and yourself individually?

I think that our society needs to be better informed of the key issues that the world is currently facing. These are captured in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). If we can increase the SDG awareness of our target audience by at least 50% I’d be happy. On a personal level, I joined the FinBiz Taskforce to further challenge myself, hear other points of view on the subject and learn what else I can do on an individual level to bring us closer to achieving the SDGs by 2030.

What are you most excited for (related to FinBiz), in 2021?

Playing an active part in making a positive difference and working with likeminded people.

Evan O'Donnell

Hi, I'm Evan and I work as an Assurance Associate in PwC, specialising in the International & Domestic Business department. I am involved in the CSR, Sports & Social and the Boost (Mental and Physical Health Club) committees of the PwC Cork office. I am a Chartered Accountant Trainee and enjoying the learning process! I am the Education Officer for Chartered Accountants Students Society Cork (CASSC). I am a Young Leader Young Leader at the Irish U.S. Embassy Young Leaders Council for the 2nd year in a row. I have been an active member of Enactus Ireland throughout college, I was the Project Leader of a project combating social isolation in the elderly community and I have attended national competitions and 2 International World Cup Competitions. I am an SDG enthusiast & an individual who strives to make a positive change in the world!

Tell us about your workstream - The SDG Awareness Project team that I am part of, comprises many skilled individuals from various career paths. The primary function of this project is to educate. We aim to shine light on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals - what they are, what they hope to achieve and what individuals can do to help achieve each individual goal. We aim to target 5 specific groups (1. Individuals, 2. Schools, 3. Local Clubs, 4. Corporations, 5. Local Councils & Education Institutions). We aim to come up with specific guidelines on how each group can specifically contribute to all 17 SDGs, whilst educating society on how we can all become more sustainable aware and proactive in our daily lives.

What would you like to achieve in the Task Force for both society and yourself individually? - I would like to further educate myself on Sustainability, the impact our actions have on our Planet and gain a greater sense of the SDGs and the initiates in place that we all can benefit from, in the hopes of creating a more economical, ecological and fair world. I aim to lead by example from what I will learn and to educate others on the many fantastic Sustainability resources available. I would love to see a change in people's behaviour from a societal point of view and to see Ireland's Sustainable Progress Index significantly improve!

What are you most excited for (related to FinBiz), in 2021? - I'm looking forward to working with the Irish Task Force and collaborating with other Task Forces! I am excited to see the synergies created from the FinBiz community and I am eager to see real change and our work impacting individuals in a positive way!

Enya Murphy

I currently work as a Manager in the Risk, Compliance and Professional Standards Team in Grant Thornton Ireland. I hold a Bachelor of Commerce Degree (BComm) from University College Cork and qualified as a Chartered Accountant (ACA) with Chartered Accountants Ireland in 2018. I am also a One Young World Ambassador and attended the 2019 One Young World Summit in London along with colleagues from the Grant Thornton International Network.

Tell us about your workstream - I am the Co-Lead of the SDG Awareness project team. Our aim is to promote awareness of the UN SDG's to both businesses and individuals locally. Our key priority is to help individuals and businesses (from within large corporations to small businesses) to understand the changes they can make everyday to action the goals for local impact. Our aim is to promote and make the global goals accessible and achievable at a local level.

What would you like to achieve in the Task Force for both society and yourself individually? - Having grown up in a family business I know that the owners know their businesses inside out, have clear strategic goals and have a big impact within their local communities and networks. I want to show Irish businesses and individuals that the SDG's apply to every business and everyone and assist them with where to start their journey. Change begins at home and the networks these individuals are in. Everyone has a responsibility to make a difference. I want to show that not every decision has a cost and some are cost efficient. All strategies and personal goals can align to the SDG's in some way. Sharing ideas, case studies, free/low cost accessible tools as well as professional service offerings will assist decision makers and help Irish businesses and societies grow sustainably as a whole to work towards achieving the SDG's by 2030.

What are you most excited for (related to FinBiz), in 2021? - The opportunity to connect and share ideas with likeminded individuals, engaging with inspiring businesses, knowledge sharing and playing an active part in making a positive change at a local level to support the UN SDG's.