Maria McCann is an organisational psychologist and former Director of the Health Identity Management Services in HSE; lead for the Data and Informatics Programme for the HSE UKR crisis response and Programme lead for Human Digital Transformation. She was responsible for the identity management services of the HSE in particular the delivery of the Individual Health Identifier (IHI) for individuals as well as unique identifiers for practitioners of health services; She is a passionate advocate on how technology can impact healthcare and its delivery. With more than 25 years in people focused roles in the public and private sector, Maria uses this experience to put people at the centre of everything she does. Maria is a board member for the charity Spunout, was awarded CIO and IT Leaders Crisis Technology Award in 2023; nominated for HealthTech Ireland Healthcare collaboration award 2023 and believes strongly on the positive impact of diversity and inclusion to drive change. Maria has an undergraduate degree in Psychology, an MSc in Computers and Information Systems and an MSc in Organisational Psychology and is currently studying a post graduate diploma in Leadership at UCD Executive Smurfit.
 

Audrey leads the Talent and Organisation practice within Accenture’s Strategy and Management Consulting business in Ireland. Audrey has spent most of her career working on large scale business transformation programmes both in Ireland and the UK. In recent years, she has led a range of workforce transformation programmes, spanning Digital & IT change, cost reduction and outsourcing as well as supporting a number of clients on their reskilling and talent management agendas. Audrey works closely with our clients, particularly C-suite HR, helping them define and execute talent strategies, from talent acquisition and retention, rapid re-skilling and learning, organisation model design, future workforce planning and cultural change management and engagement.
 
Audrey has held a number of internal positions in Accenture. She is one of Accenture’s global leads on Change Capability and Enterprise Agility, topics she is passionate about bringing to clients who truly want to drive organisation transformation. During the Covid-19 crisis, she led Accenture Ireland’s Remote Working Campaign for its 4,500 employees in Ireland. She is part of the T&O global leadership team. She has authored and contributed to a number of Accenture research papers and Points of View on Enterprise Agility and Future Workforce, Remote Working, Culture and Experience and more recently on Gen AI led workforce disruption.

Adebola Olomo, with a rich background in law and a Master's in Marketing, is a standout figure in the tech industry. Her professional journey includes a period at HubSpot, but her most notable achievements are as the founder and leader of Deefrent Media Agency.
 
A recipient of the KPMG Outstanding Young Person of the Year award, Adebola's excellence in her field was recognized early in her career. Her role as the Communications Director for Women in AI Ireland is a reflection of her commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion in the tech world.
 
In addition to her professional pursuits, Adebola is a passionate mentor and co-founder of ThriveInclusion. Her efforts here focus on bridging the digital divide, emphasizing a more inclusive and equitable tech industry. Adebola's leadership, mentorship, and dedication to innovation make her a pivotal figure in shaping the future of technology and marketing.

Andrew Finn is the Director of Academic Affairs and Programme Development for FIT.  Andrew has significant experience in the further and higher education sectors and has been part of the leadership team that has steadily grown the Tech Apprenticeship model in recent years. Advocating a forward-thinking and partnership approach, Andrew has led internal teams and external stakeholders to develop innovative workforce development initiatives on a national basis that continue to scale at pace for the betterment of technology and related sectors.  

Barry Lowry has been the Chief Information Officer for the Irish Government since April 2016 with the primary task of taking forward the Government’s digital agenda. This includes developing the use of shared services, digital ID, digital services and data to better serve the people of Ireland and ensure that Ireland is well-placed to influence and exemplify the EUʼs digital ambitions for 2030.
 
Barry is also the Chief Adviser to Government on all Digital matters affecting the State and its citizens.
 
Barry was previously the Director for IT Shared Services and Strategy and Head of the IT Profession within the Northern Ireland Civil Service.
 
Barry is a Fellow of the Irish and British Computer Societies and is a former winner of the BCS Northern Ireland IT Professional of the Year. He was awarded an O.B.E. for services to the Northern Ireland Government and the Northern Ireland Computer Industry in 2017, an Honorary Fellowship of the Analytics Institute of Ireland in 2022 and the Government / Public Sector CIO/IT Leader of the Year for 2023.

Niall Collins is Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science with special responsibility for Skills and Further Education. He was appointed to this role in July 2020.

He has been a TD for the Limerick County constituency since 2016, and previously from 2011 to 2016 for the Limerick constituency and from 2007 to 2011 for the Limerick West constituency.

He served as a member of Limerick County Council for the Bruff Local electoral area, being first elected to the council at the 2004 local elections.

With over 18 years in recruitment for the Irish market, specializing in Technology, I have a proven track record of meeting the intricate resource needs, driving revenue, and enhancing employer branding. Passionate about continuous learning and innovation, I’m committed to delivering exceptional recruitment services to all customers.

John McKeon is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Gallarus Industry Solutions limited. Leading the company in its vision and mission, to deliver innovative services and solutions to our clients, supporting a seamless transition in the complex evolution of Industry 4.0. In recent years, John’s focus has been primarily on leading design changes and technological innovation in the pharmaceutical sector. His mindset is very much tuned to solving a business need with innovative and tailor-made solutions. He has achieved over 25 years as an engineer in the international marketplace bringing a unique blend of leadership spanning several major sectors in engineering and technology. Among them; aviation (heavy air-frame maintenance), semiconductor manufacturing, medical device manufacturing, large scale pharmaceutical finishing plant infrastructure, production line equipment engineering, and design.

Louise Dowling is currently Head of HR Business Partners in Fidelity Investments Ireland and a commercially focused HR leader with global experience and a proven record of business enablement across Ireland and US. She has over 18 years’ experience primarily in Financial Services with broad experience in both strategic HR business partner and HR COE roles. Her key strengths include business consulting, organization change & effectiveness, culture alignment, employee relations, employee experience and leadership. Louise has a BA Degree in Human Resource Management, Higher Certification in Business Studies & Diploma in Employment Law.

Caitlin Jager has worked as a Systems Specialist on the GPO team for two years. She was recently presented with the Apprentice Advocate of the Year Award and appointed as one of Salesforce’s Apprentice Champions. She is deeply passionate about apprenticeships and their transformative impact.

Antonio Catone is a friendly & creative troubleshooter, currently working as a field technician / NOC support engineer at Telent after completing FIT’s two years networking apprenticeship.

Between 2020 & 2023, he has sampled everything that FIT had to offer, from the pre-apprenticeship program to the full two year apprenticeship, and he is really glad that he did.

During the apprenticeship, he was appointed class representative by his cohort, and that gave him a very unique insight to the entire programme.

Leo is 28 years old and currently working as a Trainee Software Engineer with Fidelity Investments in Dublin. Outside of his apprenticeship duties, he competes internationally in the 60, 100 & 4x100 meter sprint events. He has a passion for photography & videography, creating short form social media videos on weekends for clients & his own personal accounts.

Aaron Lynch has over 30 years of experience operating at the leading edge of the Financial Services Industry. He is currently SVP Business Transformation & Professional Services and responsible for BNYM Global Relationship. He is also Director and Board Member of FIT, Mentor / Coach and Mental Health Advocate, former MD of Lynch Professional Services, Consulting Firm to multiple Blue chip Clients at C-Suite Level. Aaron has lead multiple strategic change initiatives at the C-Suite Level, working with and for some of the largest Asset Management firms and Financial Services companies around the globe. This includes leading Mergers / Takeovers, Global System Implementations, Major Client Onboarding and Change of Service Providers, Process Reengineering and Global Strategic Partnership Development.

Aaron believes in “Ubuntu” i.e. Giving back, Helping others, Shared Success, Developing Win / Win partnerships that must always be based on Integrity, honesty, truthfulness and humility.

Neil is half way through his cyber security apprenticeship. He has spent the past year between college and working for the civil service. He is part of the SecOps team in his department and works closely with other ICT units. He has spent time working on the roll out of ICT awareness training for each member of staff in the organisation. He has also contributed to threat analysis and vulnerability scanning.

Previously Neil studied for a degree in accounting and finance. He worked in auditing and then moved on to work in retail for three years. During which he gained many key skills that have helped him progress in ICT. He studied part time attending an ICT college in Dublin and learning online.

Neil would like to get as much experience as possible in his current role and sees studying and maintaining strong team relationships is key to success.

Kerri Rusk is 22 years old and works as a Product Analyst, following completion of the FIT Software Development Apprenticeship. She is currently studying to pass the Oracle Database Administrator exam. Outside of work, she likes to read, listen to music, and bake.

Jenny is a Software Development Engineer Apprentice, where she focuses on honing her skills in cloud development and databases. Before starting her apprenticeship, Jenny worked as a Gym Manager. When the pandemic hit, she decided to pivot her career and pursue a path in tech. Driven by a newfound interest in programming, Jenny committed herself to learning Python and exploring the realm of software development. As she enters the final semester of her apprenticeship program, she is eager to share her experiences and inspire others who aspire to transition into tech careers. Jenny is also a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion in the tech field, striving to create a more welcoming and equitable environment for everyone. She actively participates in the Women in Tech community, aiming to empower and support women pursuing careers in technology.

Jessica is a Software Development Apprentice and has completed a year of the program thus far and she is enjoying the experience. Gaining industry experience and getting to work and learn alongside industry professionals has been a worthwhile experience. She hopes that she can continue to build upon her skills and knowledge and is grateful for the apprenticeship for giving her the opportunity to do so.

Mary is the Director at the Office of the Government CIO (OGCIO) in the Department of Public Expenditure NDP Delivery and Reform where she heads up the Strategic Implementation and Governance Unit. As the Director, Mary has a broad remit including strategy and policy development such as Connecting Government 2030: A Digital and ICT Strategy for Ireland’s Public Service and Digital for Good: Ireland’s Digital Inclusion Roadmap, client engagement and communications, oversight and approval of ICT and digital initiatives across the Public Service, as well as being the ICT Profession lead for the Civil Service.

Mary leads the Civil Service ICT Apprenticeship programme which are delivered in partnership with FIT on behalf of the Civil Service ICT community. Mary is a #GenerationApprenticeship Ambassador for her work on the Civil Service ICT Apprenticeships.

Mary is a career ICT professional in the Civil Service and holds a Master’s Degree in Information and Knowledge Management as well as a professional certificate in Corporate Governance. Mary was previously the Head of ICT at the Department of Foreign Affairs prior to joining OGCIO.