ICBE Annual Conference Speakers 2025
Damian Hughes - Liquid Thinker
Damian Hughes is a bestselling author who combines his practical and academic background within sport, organisational development and change psychology, to help organisations and
teams to create a high performing culture.
He is the author of eight best-selling business books, including Liquid Thinking, Liquid Leadership, How to Change Absolutely Anything, How to Think Like Sir Alex Ferguson and The Five STEPS to a Winning Mindset.
His latest books, High Performance: Lessons from the Best on Becoming Your Best and How to Change Your Life, have both been number one Sunday Times best sellers. His work has been translated into twelve languages.
He has also been nominated for the 2007 William Hill Sports book of the year award for Peerless, his biography of boxing great Sugar Ray Robinson. He co-authored a critically acclaimed biography of boxing legend, Thomas Hearns and in 2013, his book, Marvelous Marvin Hagler became the UK’s best-selling sports biography.
He was appointed as a visiting Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Change for Manchester Metropolitan University in September 2010.
He is the co-host of The High Performance Podcast, an acclaimed series of interviews with elite performers from business, sport and the arts, exploring the psychology behind sustained high performance. The podcast has over 250 million downloads.
He has served as a member of the coaching team for England Rugby League, England Roses, Scotland Rugby Union and a wide range of international and national sporting teams.
He is also the founder of The School Coat Charity, a charity which addresses the challenges of children living in poverty, by providing coats for those most in need.
Micheal Geraghty - Vice President of manufacturing & Site general Manager - Coca Cola Ballina
He has more than 30-year experience across engineering and manufacturing in industries ranging from semiconductor test to the non-alcohol beverage industries. Micheal has worked in Ireland, the US, Singapore and Africa.
Micheal is current General manager of Coca-Cola Ballina the first Beverage company globally to attain accreditation from the World Economic Forum for its digital transformation journey. Coca-Cola Ballina is a company lighthouse where many of the transformation use cases are first tested prior to rollout across the company network.
Brian Holliday is Managing Director for Siemens Digital Industries and Chairman of Siemens Digital Industries Software, a technology company serving the UK and Ireland’s manufacturing and industrial-infrastructure sectors.
He is co-chair of the UK Government Made Smarter Commission and Industry/AI Innovation Accelerator. He is the incoming chair of Make UK, The Manufacturers’ Organisation’s Strategic Policy Group, having been a board member since 2015. He has formerly been a board member of the UK High Value Manufacturing Catapult, Chair of the CBI’s Manufacturing Council and member of the Royal Society’s Science Industry and Translation Committee.
He is a keen advocate for engineering, innovation, skills and advanced technology deployment, contributing regularly to media, policy forums and peer networks.
A 2022 Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Brian started his career as an apprentice with Texas Instruments and has degrees from Cardiff and Manchester University in addition to an honorary doctorate from Middlesex University.
Mary Ann Fleming - President - PennEngineering
Mary Ann is the current President of PEM® Europe, which involves the management of the PEM® business in Europe across the 27 EU countries as well as the global Haeger® Machine group, with facilities in Oakdale California, Oldenzaal Holland, and Galway.
In addition, Mary Ann sits on PennEngineering®’s global executive leadership team.
Laurent Blanchet - Director of Business Excellence - EssilorLuxottica
Title now includes - Commercial and Operational Excellence
Laurent Blanchet is an accomplished expert in business excellence with over two decades of experience across multiple B2B sectors. A certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt and Lean Black Belt, he has led numerous process improvement initiatives globally. Over the past seven years, Laurent has focused on leveraging AI technologies, including advanced analytics models and robotic process automation, to transform business processes and drive commercial effectiveness and operational efficiency. His expertise lies in combining data-driven strategies with practical process improvements, making him a key player in the digital transformation space.
Eoin O'Reilly - Head of AI & Data - EY Ireland
Eoin O’Reilly is the Head of AI and Data at EY Ireland. In his role, Eoin helps organisations design and deliver data-driven strategies to help grow revenues, optimise cost and manage risk. Eoin has deep experience delivering analytics and AI projects including reporting and visualisation, predictive analytics, simulation modelling, machine learning and text/image processing. Eoin has a BA in Management Science and Information Systems from Trinity College Dublin, an MSc in Security and Forensic Computing from Dublin City University and is a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
Kieran Noonan
Chair and Director of the ICBE
Executive Board Member of the Shingo Institute
Global ID Opex and Strategy Lead, Abbott Rapid Diagnostics
Kieran is an accomplished leader in the global Life Science and MedTech industries, with many years of experience in leading Site Operations and Business Excellence for corporations, as well as Board Directorships, (NED’s) . Kieran’s also has a proven track record in strategy development, accelerating profitable growth, and enabling digital transformations.
Currently Part of the Abbott Global ID team, (Rapid Diagnostics), defining strategy and Operational Excellence over multiple sites across EMEA and US.
He has held senior positions at renowned companies including Site Director of Operations and Global Lens Enterprise Excellence for Bausch + Lomb, one of the world’s largest suppliers of contact lenses and eye-care products.
Also, Previously;
- Senior Global Leader with Boston Scientific Corporation for Business Excellence and Operations.
- Senior Director of Business Excellence at Merit Medical.
- COO for Atlantic Aviation the largest independent MRO in Europe.
Anton Savage - Compére
MC, Chair, Communications Trainer, Broadcaster and Journalist.
Director of the Communications Clinic.
Board Member ICBE.
Anton is a broadcaster, journalist and communications advisor. He has presented numerous Current Affairs and Magazine TV and Radio Programmes, including The Sunday Business Show, Ireland AM, The Tonight Show, The Last Word and Savage Sunday. He currently presents the PPI Gold-Medal winning Anton Savage Show, a lively, current affairs show, on Newstalk. He also writes a column for The Business Post.
Anton is a regular MC at AGM’s, award ceremonies and conferences throughout Ireland and has facilitated a number of ICBE's conferences. Conference participants and speakers alike enjoy his easy presenting style and wonderful ability to inform and communicate important conference messages to an audience.
Aisling Ryan
Member of The Advisory Committee
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Ireland
Award-winning senior executive leader in global business strategy and communications. My career demonstrates a true commitment to creating a more sustainable and equitable world. I create innovative value-led sustainability, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) strategies and successfully embed meaningful and transformational agendas into global organisations.
Elena Montiel-Ponsoda
Senior Lecturer
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
Bio to Follow
Luis Gasco
Senior Machine Learning Engineer
Avature
Bio to Follow
