Aditya Mohan is a Senior Scientific Officer at the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) where he manages the National Standards Committee of AI experts to ISO and CEN. He has contributed to the Government of Ireland’s Working Groups on the European AI Act, Responsible AI and the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs for AI. He has also been nominated as the Irish representative to ‘Global Partnership on AI’. Aditya is a contributor to the European ‘ICT Rolling Plan’ and a Standards Expert for the HS Booster programme of the European Commission. He was also a contributor to NSAI’s ‘Top Team on Standards for AI’, which led to the publication of the AI Standards and Assurance Roadmap. Prior to joining NSAI, Aditya was previously a Solution Architect for the IBM Watson AI Platform.

Derick Mitchell is the CEO of IPPOSI – the Irish Platform for Patient Organisations, Science & Industry’. IPPOSI is a patient-led organisation that works with patients, science, industry, and public health agencies. IPPOSI believes public deliberation is an important part of our democratic society and has a wealth of experience in bringing together different stakeholders to discuss complex (and sometimes controversial) health topics. Since 2020, IPPOSI has delivered a number of Citizens’ Juries - where 25 members of the public agree to explore perspectives on ‘tricky’ health topics, and deliver a ‘verdict’ that is representative of the Irish population. The 2024 Citizens’ Jury is on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare in Ireland. ( www.ipposi.ie ).

John Lonsdale joined CeADAR in September 2024 as Chief Executive Officer. Previously, John led technology transfer, investment and enterprise activity at the University of Edinburgh, which included working on the university’s £350m Data Driven Innovation programme, which covers data analytics and AI innovation, adoption, skills and infrastructure in multiple sectors. Before that he was Director of Innovation and Enterprise at UCLan, overseeing all university innovation activity including European funded programmes and international linkages. Possessing MBA and DBA qualifications, John spent the first 15 years of his career working in industry for Rolls-Royce plc and National Nuclear Laboratory in a wide range of commercial roles.

Catherine Dempsey is the Head of the Data Management & Analytics Division in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM). Her team is a mix of statisticians, data scientists and data engineers and they work on creating accessible data science solutions for DAFM in areas including Animal, Health and Welfare, Climate and Agricultural Payments.

Dr Amelia Kelly is the CTO at SoapBox Labs, a company that develops accurate and secure voice technology for children. With an extensive academic and professional record, including a Master’s and PhD degrees in speech technology from Trinity College Dublin, she now leads SoapBox Labs’ team of speech engineers and linguists in building speech recognition technology. Amelia was named AI Person of the Year at the AI Ireland Awards 2023 and received the AI Project Leader of the Year award at the Business Post’s CIO/IT Awards. She is also a board member of the IAB Masters in AI at the University of Limerick and has previously advised the Government on AI strategy as a part of the AI Top Team programme.

Abeba Birhane is a Senior Fellow in Trustworthy AI at Mozilla Foundation, and an Adjunct Lecturer/Assistant Professor at the School of Computer Science and Statistics at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. She researches human behavior, social systems, and responsible and ethical AI—work for which she was recently featured in Wired UK. Birhane’s work explores the challenges and pitfalls of automating human behavior through critical examination of existing computational models and audits of large scale datasets. She demonstrated patterns of problematic data collection, labeling, and use of large image datasets like MIT's 80 Million Tiny Images, which was taken down as a direct result of one of her papers. She demonstrated that these datasets—which were used to develop countless AI algorithms and systems—carry racist and misogynistic labels that cause direct downstream harms, especially to women and people of color. She was awarded the 2019 NeurIPS Black in AI Best Paper Award, a 2020 VentureBeat AI Innovations in computer vision Award, a 2022 FAccT Distinguished Paper Award, and a 2022 Lero Director's Prize, among many other honors.

Dr Jonathan Bright is a Fellow at the Turing Institute, where he leads teams researching the use of AI for Public Services and understanding Online Safety. Before joining the Turing he was an Associate Professor at the Oxford Internet Institute. He is a widely published author in the area of government digitialisation, artificial intelligence and online harms and safety. He is a former editor of the journal Policy & Internet.

Dara Calleary TD is the current Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation. As a Minister of State in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Minister Calleary is responsible for promoting responsible and sustainable trade, ensuring fair and better regulation for all businesses, and that markets work effectively for consumers and for the economy as a whole. He also has a specific focus in the continued digital transformation of enterprise and ensuring Ireland maintains or improves its position of 5th in the DESI, and remains a digital frontrunner at the heart of Europe. He represents the Irish Government at the EU Competitiveness Council which works to enhance competitiveness and increase growth in the EU, as well as the D9+ forum and OECD Digital for SMEs Global Initiative. A native of Ballina, Dara Calleary has been a TD for Mayo since first being elected at the 2007 General Election. He was previously Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment with responsibility for Labour Affairs from 2009-2011 and Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Finance with responsibility for Public Service Transformation from 2009-2011. He served as Minister for Agriculture and as Government Chief Whip in 2020. Dara served as Deputy Leader of Fianna Fáil from 2018-2020 and has also served as Spokesperson on Justice, Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Public Expenditure and Reform and Social Protection portfolio. Prior to entering politics Dara was involved in the banking and business sectors.

Dr Conor Judge is a Consultant Nephrologist, Electronic and Computer Engineer, PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and Senior Lecturer in Applied Clinical Data Analytics at the University of Galway. His primary focus is applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions to enhance patient care, particularly in the realm of chronic conditions like hypertension. He leads the development of an AI Clinical Decision Support System (AI-CDSS) for Hypertension management at the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Galway. This project uses data from randomised controlled trials to predict complex treatment decisions for persons with hypertension and is a testament to his commitment to pushing the boundaries of what's possible with AI in healthcare. Dr Judge’s experience extends beyond research. He is a clinical mentor with the Bioinnovate programme in Galway, and has interacted with multiple companies for needs validation. He has worked on three separate inventions and one patent application. Dr Judge has received several awards in recognition of his research including The HRB’s Clinician Scientist Fellowship 2023, Enterprise Ireland Clinical Innovator Award 2023, the Cleveland Clinic Award in 2020, an Irish Canada University Foundation Scholarship, and the Wellcome Trust HRB Irish Clinical Academic Training (ICAT) PhD Fellowship (Adaptive Clinical Trials). He also has received research funding from SFI (Future Innovator), HRB (Secondary Data Analysis Project), and the Department of Public Expenditure (Public Service Innovation Fund for AI Natural Language Processing).

Matt Armstrong-Barnes, is Chief Technology Officer at Hewlett Packard Enterprise with a passion for Artificial Intelligence & Data Science. As a strategic leader he works to drive innovative technical solutions across industries and technology trends. He has a diverse background with 10 years at HPE and 25+ years in the industry. His history includes numerous senior leadership positions, winning, architecting, and delivering sizable, complex transformation programmes. He is a published thought-leader and has written papers on building sustainable AI, and the pitfalls that many organisations face during deployment. He is a technical stream reviewer for the British Computer Society (BCS) SGAI International Conference on Artificial Intelligence hosted at the University of Cambridge, specialising in Deep Learning and Large Language Models. He has a Degree in Computer Science, a Masters in AI, is a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering and Technology, a Chartered Fellow of the BCS, Chartered Engineer and Chartered IT Professional.

Jean Carberry is the Assistant Secretary of the Digital, EU and Climate Programme Division at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Her responsibilities include: coordinating Ireland’s position at the Competitiveness Council, advancing the department's EU agenda across government and at EU level and leading the department's planning for its upcoming Presidency of the EU council in 2026. Jean also leads Ireland’s positions on the EU digital economy platform and artificial intelligence policy and regulation proposals for enterprise, and on policy to support enterprise adoption of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence and leading on the implementation of a suite of programmes to incentivise and support the Irish enterprise sector to reduce carbon emissions. Jean led the development of Ireland’s AI Strategy, published in July 2021, and is responsible for implementation of the enterprise strand of the strategy. Before she joined the civil service, Jean worked for AXA, Standard & Poor’s and Ernst & Young. Jean is a Chartered Accountant and has an MBA in Finance from Fordham University in New York, USA.

Colonel Damian Griffin serves as the Digital Transformation Officer for the Irish Defence Forces, leveraging over 30 years of experience in a security-focused environment. In his role, he leads digital transformation initiatives across land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace. He holds an MSc from the University of York and is a graduate of NUIG, Smurfit Business School and The Military College.

Carmel O’Hare works as A/Director of Corporate Services & Innovation with Monaghan County Council. She has over 20 years’ experience in Local Government and is the driving force behind the award-winning digital transformation project MyCoCo.ie, which aims to be a one stop shop for local authority digital services. In her previous role as Head of Information Systems she led a diverse team delivering digital transformation in a broad set of business areas for Monaghan County Council.

Barry O’Sullivan is a full Professor at the School of Computer Science & IT at University College Cork and a visiting professor at Northwestern (Illinois, USA). He works on artificial intelligence, constraint programming, operations research, AI/data ethics, and public policy. He contributes to several global Track II diplomacy efforts related to geopolitical aspects of AI. He is founding director of the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics at UCC and the SFI Centre for Research Training in AI. He served as Vice Chair of the European Commission’s High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence which formulated the EU’s ethical approach to AI. He currently represents the European Union at the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence. Professor O’Sullivan is a Fellow and a past President of the European Artificial Intelligence Association. He is also a Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. He is a member of the Royal Irish Academy and holds a number of ministerial appointments, such as Chair of the National Research Ethics Committee for Medical Devices and member of Ireland's AI Advisory Council. He conducts his diplomacy work in collaboration with INHR (Geneva, Brussels, Washington DC), the Center for New American Security (Washington DC), and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy. His awards include Science Foundation Ireland Researcher of the Year (2016), Member of the Royal Irish Academy (2017), IPEC-EATCS Nerode Prize (2020), Science Foundation Ireland Best International Engagement Award (2021), and the European AI Association’s Distinguished Service Award (2023).

Mairéad Pratschke is Professor and Chair in Digital Education and Associate Director of eLearning and Teaching Innovation in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures at the University of Manchester. She is a Research Fellow [aialoe.org] at the USA's National AI Institute for Adult Learning and Online Education (AI-ALOE [aialoe.org]), where she is also a member of the Advisory Board, and a Visiting Professor at Abertay University in Scotland. She holds a Ph.D. from McMaster University in Canada and an M.A. from K.U. Leuven in Belgium, and has been working at the forefront of digital innovation in education for 25 years, where her career has straddled the worlds of higher education, education technology, professional and continuing education, and edtech start-ups. Irish-born, she has worked in Canada, the USA, the UK, Ireland, Belgium and Spain, in multiple languages and sectors, as a researcher, designer, lecturer, director and consultant for digital programmes in the arts, humanities, social sciences, sports and business. Her book on Generative AI and Education is forthcoming in September 2024.

Kate Robson Brown was appointed as UCD Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact on 1 March 2024. Before her tenure at UCD, Professor Robson Brown began her career at the University of Cambridge, where she received her PhD in Human Phylogenetics at Newnham College, and then held a Research Fellowship at Downing College. Her research explores the microstructure of living tissues and their response to changing and extreme environments; human factors; forensics; biomimetics in engineering design, and multi-scale modelling of complex material structures and systems. Moving to the University of Bristol, Kate held a fractional appointment across two Faculties (Science and Engineering / Arts Social Sciences and Law) as a Professor of Engineering Mathematics and Biological Anthropology. She was the Director of the Jean Golding Institute for Data Science and AI from 2017-2014. In 2017, she was also awarded a Fellowship from the Alan Turing Institute (the UK National Institute for Data Science and AI) and later was formally seconded to the Turing Institute as the Chair of their Research and Innovation Advisory Committee. She was honoured with an Honorary Fellowship in 2024 for her extensive contributions. Professor Robson Brown was the University of Bristol lead in the West of England Space Cluster ‘SpaceWest’ and a Lay Chair for NHS Postgraduate Medical Education South West (Severn Deanery). She retains her status as a Visiting Professor in Data Science at Strathmore University in Nairobi and as an advisor to the ESA Human and Robotic Exploration Directorate. Kate is co-chair of the Space Academic Network, a Board member of the UK Life and Biomedical Sciences Association, and a member of the Space Partnership Board.

Sivan Prendergast is a Project, programs and portfolios expert with over 17 years of experience. She was one of the 2025 AI awards judges and implemented hundreds of projects that incorporated AI elements. She has PMI, MSP, BSC, scrum master and scrum product owner certifications. She works as a Systems Lead for daa. Her extensive IT experience allows her to easily understand Technology trends, systems vs processes and how AI can potentially deliver measurable value. Sivan is passionate about leveraging AI to drive innovation, efficiency, and sustainable business outcomes.

Stephen Redmond is a Director and Head of Data Analytics and AI at BearingPoint Ireland, where he leads on innovative and impactful projects that help transform businesses using Data and AI. He is an author of several technical books and articles, including the bestselling Mastering QlikView. Throughout his long career he has delivered client value in Data and Analytics, Reporting and Business Intelligence, Data Science and AI. He has worked with clients across multiple sectors, including financial services, retail, manufacturing and healthcare, using data to help them overcome their complex challenges. He is passionate about innovation and emerging technologies, such as Generative AI, and he is committed to developing the next generation of data professionals at BearingPoint. He believes in the transformative power of data and its potential to shape the future of business and the world.

John Lonsdale joined CeADAR in September 2024 as Chief Executive Officer. Previously, John led technology transfer, investment and enterprise activity at the University of Edinburgh, which included working on the university’s £350m Data Driven Innovation programme, which covers data analytics and AI innovation, adoption, skills and infrastructure in multiple sectors. Before that he was Director of Innovation and Enterprise at UCLan, overseeing all university innovation activity including European funded programmes and international linkages. Possessing MBA and DBA qualifications, John spent the first 15 years of his career working in industry for Rolls-Royce plc and National Nuclear Laboratory in a wide range of commercial roles.

David Wall is the Chief Information Officer at Tallaght University Hospital. He is a highly successful business technology leader, strategic thinker, innovator and influencer with significant achievements in leading e-Health initiatives, planning and implementing enterprise wide information and digital solutions to improve and support patient care and to enable efficient and effective business operations. Prior to joining Tallaght University Hospital, David held senior ICT positions in the Children’s Health Ireland, CHI Tallaght and St. Vincent’s University Hospital. David is a member of the HISI Executive, Chair of the HISI ICT Leaders Forum, the Health Mgmt. Institute of Ireland ICT representative to the European Association of Hospital Managers and member of HSE Acute Digital Oversight Group. David is a fellow of the ICS (Irish Computer Society) and a CHIME Certified Healthcare CIO. In 2023 David was named as one of the top 10 Healthcare CIOs in Europe by Healthcare Tech Outlook.

Colin Flaherty leads several digital transformation initiatives under the Public Service Transformation Strategy, Better Public Services, at the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (DPENDR). He is currently leading the development of national guidelines for the ethical use of AI in public services, and has also advanced capacity-building initiatives to upskill both policymakers and practitioners in AI. In his previous role as Head of Public Service Innovation at DPENDR, Colin led projects including the Public Service Innovation Fund and the Future Tech Challenge, which trialled emerging technologies, including AI, remote technologies, and cloud computing, across the public sector.

Ellie Fitzpatrick is Director of Data Strategy & Governance at BearingPoint Ireland, with over 22 years of experience leading data transformation across public, financial, and professional services sectors. She has pioneered pragmatic data governance frameworks that balance regulatory compliance with innovation, including AI integration. Formerly a Director in PwC UK's Chief Data Office, Ellie shaped enterprise-wide data strategies and operating models. At the conference, she will explore the evolving interplay between AI and data governance, highlighting how structured data practices are essential to unlocking AI’s full potential.

Martin Bailey is the Head of Unit, AI for Societal Good in the EU AI Office of the European Commission. He began his career as a lawyer for an international law firm in London, where he specialised in anti-trust, regulation and intellectual property, before joining the European Commission. As well as a stint at the Court of Justice of the European Union, his career at the Commission has spanned a wide range of areas including the single market, anti-trust, technology and economic regulation, and the legal aspects of international agreements. While his expertise is now firmly rooted within the AI Office, he has long been interested in developments in AI, particularly within Europe. He has been a visiting Professor between 2018 and 2023 at the College of Europe, Bruges, since 2018, where he taught EU digital law and policy.

Gerard Hayes is a Director at BearingPoint, based in Dublin, Ireland, with extensive experience in consulting and strategic transformation across both public and private sectors. With over two decades of service, Gerard has played a pivotal role in shaping and delivering impactful solutions for government clients, particularly in areas such as citizen services, digital transformation and organisational change. Gerard’s career has been marked by a strong focus on public sector innovation, where he has led multidisciplinary teams to drive improvements in service delivery, policy implementation and stakeholder engagement.

Jean Carberry is the Assistant Secretary of the Digital, EU and Climate Programme Division at the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. Her responsibilities include: coordinating Ireland’s position at the Competitiveness Council, advancing the department's EU agenda across government and at EU level and leading the department's planning for its upcoming Presidency of the EU council in 2026. Jean also leads Ireland’s positions on the EU digital economy platform and artificial intelligence policy and regulation proposals for enterprise, and on policy to support enterprise adoption of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence and leading on the implementation of a suite of programmes to incentivise and support the Irish enterprise sector to reduce carbon emissions. Jean led the development of Ireland’s AI Strategy, published in July 2021, and is responsible for implementation of the enterprise strand of the strategy. Before she joined the civil service, Jean worked for AXA, Standard & Poor’s and Ernst & Young. Jean is a Chartered Accountant and has an MBA in Finance from Fordham University in New York, USA.

In 2022 Ruth Kennedy was appointed as Revenue Commissioner. Prior to her appointment, Ruth held various senior management positions in Revenue, including Assistant Secretary of Personal Division and Project Manager for PAYE Modernisation. Ruth is a member of the Revenue Board. Six divisions report directly to Commissioner Kennedy, namely Large Corporates Division, High Wealth and Financial Services Division, Medium Enterprises Division, Accountant General's and Strategic Planning Division, Customs Division, and Investigations, Prosecutions and Frontier Management Division. She joined Revenue in 2012 from Accenture where she was a senior manager in the Revenue and Customs Client Service Group.

Paula Lyons is Assistant Secretary, Service Development at the Department of Social Protection. She re-joined the department in May 2019, having previously worked there until 2007 when she moved to the Courts Service as Regional Manager. She subsequently worked in senior management roles with the National Shared Services Office, initially as Programme Manager for the Payroll Shared Services project and subsequently as Assistant Secretary with responsibility for employee shared services.

Dr Dónal Mulligan is a lecturer and researcher in Media & Communications at Dublin City University. His specific areas of teaching and research relate to Technology & Society - and in particular the effects and applications of emerging media technology. His recent focus has been on AI, especially generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and he has been involved in research and policy development around the opportunities, concerns, and impacts of GenAI in third level education. He is the co-host of a podcast series on these themes (EnoughAboutAI.com) and has contributed to related government committees, public seminars, media, EU projects, and training.

Tony Shannon was appointed Head of Digital Services at the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer in the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation in September 2020. He qualified in Medicine at University College Dublin and trained & worked in Emergency Medicine & Informatics between Ireland, UK & the US over 20 years. He has been involved in a range of change/digital programmes and projects at local/regional/national/international levels over the last 20 years, initially in healthcare, then local government, now government/public sector. Tony’s interests lie in change, complex systems, societal & economic wellbeing, leadership, service improvement and information technology.

William Flanagan is a visionary leader at the forefront of integrating AI into digital government solutions. Co-founder of OpenSky, a leading provider of Gov-tech engagement solutions for 20 years, William has been instrumental in bringing future-ready, transformational solutions to many of Ireland's and the UK's major public sector agencies. By harnessing the power of artificial intelligence, OpenSky is demonstrating the transformative potential of AI in enabling a more responsive, transparent and high-quality public service ecosystem.

Sam Waide is the Chief Executive and Accounting Officer of the Road Safety Authority (RSA) in Ireland, leading RSA’s actions within the Government’s Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030, leveraging digital solutions for safer road use and service delivery for customers. Previously, he held leadership positions in the health service and private sector, where he led digital transformation solutions including electronic healthcare records, product lifecycle management, regulatory real time reporting, and supply chains. He is a chartered director and fellow of Institute of Directors.

Sam Waide is the Chief Executive and Accounting Officer of the Road Safety Authority (RSA) in Ireland, leading RSA’s actions within the Government’s Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030, leveraging digital solutions for safer road use and service delivery for customers. Previously, he held leadership positions in the health service and private sector, where he led digital transformation solutions including electronic healthcare records, product lifecycle management, regulatory real time reporting, and supply chains. He is a chartered director and fellow of Institute of Directors.

Niamh Smyth is Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment with special responsibility for Trade Promotion, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation. She was appointed to this role on 29 January 2025.

Tim Willoughby is the Head of Digital Services and Innovation at An Garda Síochána. He was formerly CTO of the LGMA, with over 20 years in several Senior Management and Technical Roles in the Local Government Sector. He has been working in the Public Service for over 30 years. He has a Civil Engineering Degree from TCD and a Masters in Innovation from the University of Ulster.

Andrew Paul Ayres is a senior strategist, AI governance expert, and thought leader in enterprise transformation at Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). At HPE – one of the world’s most innovative edge-to-cloud technology companies – Andrew advises boards, CIOs, and policy leaders on how to navigate the complexities of AI adoption, cloud transformation, and digital governance across highly regulated sectors.

Declan McKibben leads the ADAPT Commercialisation team connecting industry partners with ADAPT Researchers. Adapt research teams work across many industry sectors on ground-breaking innovations. A key function of the commercial team is to align the needs of industry with the relevant expertise. They discover and understand the needs and objectives of our industry partners through a deliberative workshopping process and match these to research experts across a wide range of areas.

Donal Harford is an industry veteran and an EMEA leader in AMD's strategic partnership with HP, leading the launch of the AI PC that integrates advanced AI technology with high performing AMD processors into range of personal systems. Based in Dublin, Ireland, Donal has over 10 years with AMD driving sales and market growth across EMEA, focusing on AI, business computing, and gaming solutions powered by AMD’s cutting-edge processors, graphics, and Adaptive SoCs and historically led sales for AMD Radeon Pro products in EMEA, supporting high-performance computing and virtualisation. Donal’s expertise continues to position AMD at the forefront of AI-driven technology solutions globally.

Ricardo Zapata is a Policy Analyst at the OECD’s Digital Government Unit, specialising in digital government maturity and AI in the public sector. He has co-authored flagship publications, including “Governing with AI” and the “G7 Toolkit for AI in the Public Sector”. Prior to joining the OECD, Ricardo held roles in government and civil society across Latin America, focusing on public governance, democracy, and technology. He holds a Master’s in Public Policy and Digital Technology from Sciences Po Paris.