Advertise on podcast: Digital Irish Podcast

Have you ever wondered what it's like to leave the fast-paced world of the private sector for the impactful, yet complex, realm of public service? In this episode, we chat with Niall Brennan, the Senior Advisor for Data Strategy to the CDC Director, who made exactly that switch. We delve into their motivations for this career shift, and explore their experience in Washington DC. In his role, Niall provides guidance to the CDC Director on the multi-billion dollar CDC Data Modernization Initiative (DMI), as well as working directly with CDC Centers and Offices to accelerate implementation of the DMI. Prior to coming to CDC, Brennan was Chief Analytics and Privacy Officer at Clarify Health, where he led Clarify’s analytics and informatics strategy. He joined Clarify following his role as president and CEO of the Health Care Cost Institute, from 2017–2022, and previously served as the Chief Data Officer at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid, from 2010–2017, where he led the Obama administration’s healthcare transparency efforts, built an advanced analytics enterprise, and played a key role in implementing numerous Affordable Care Act provisions, including the Qualified Entity Program and the Physician Payments Sunshine Act. He has also worked for numerous leading think tanks and Congressional advisory bodies. Brennan is a graduate of Georgetown University’s MPP program and has an undergraduate degree from University College Dublin. Join us for a fascinating conversation that explores leadership, purpose, and the power of making a difference, all through the lens of a remarkable individual's journey.

www.akara.ai  In this episode, we sit down with Niamh Donnelly, the visionary co-founder of Akara Robotics, a trailblazing company at the forefront of healthcare automation. Join us as we delve into the fascinating world of revolutionizing cleaning and sanitization in care homes and hospitals. Niamh Donnelly is a co-founder and Chief Robotics Officer at Akara Robotics, a healthcare robotics company building groundbreaking technology to enhance infection control and patient safety in hospitals. Niamh holds a Bachelors degree in Engineering and a Masters in AI and Machine learning. She has previously held engineering positions at Etsy and Syze (AI start-up based in Dublin) and has also worked as an AI consultant at some of the biggest insurance and banking firms in Ireland.  She has won national awards for her AI research in the area of Convolutional Neural Networks, was named by Silicon Republic as one of "20 women doing fascinating work in AI, machine learning and data science" and was awarded the prestigious 'EU Top Rising Innovator' award by the European Commission. At Akara, Niamh oversees the development of artificial intelligence and machine learning. She played a key role in the development and validation of the 'Stevie' robot, which featured on the cover of Time magazine in 2019. Tune in to gain a deeper understanding of the transformative power of robotics in healthcare, and how Akara Robotics is leading the way towards a new era of smart, efficient, and hygienic care environments. This is an episode you won't want to miss—empowering, enlightening, and at the cutting edge of healthcare innovation!

www.mediahq.com In this episode of the Digital Irish Podcast, join us in a captivating conversation with Jack Murray, the visionary CEO and Founder of MediaHQ. From the charming landscapes of Ireland to the forefront of media innovation, Jack shares his journey and the profound impact his Irish roots had on shaping his love for storytelling. As we delve into the roots of his passion, Jack unveils the inspiration behind establishing MediaHQ and how this platform is revolutionizing the way stories are told in the digital age. Discover the challenges he faced, the milestones he conquered, and the invaluable lessons learned on his entrepreneurial journey. Whether you're a seasoned storyteller or just embarking on your narrative journey, this episode is packed with wisdom and inspiration. Join us for a conversation that transcends borders and explores the boundless possibilities of storytelling in the digital era. Buy your copy of The Magic Slice here: https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Slice-Master-Storytelling-Business-ebook/dp/B09HZFKYKY/

Join us for a dynamic discussion with leading experts from Ireland's booming Fintech scene. We'll dive into the powerful synergy between government, academia, and businesses, exploring how they're: Sparking a culture of innovation: Discover how government initiatives and organizations like Enterprise Ireland are nurturing a fertile ground for disruptive Fintech solutions. Building the talent pipeline: Learn how universities and research institutions are equipping the next generation of talent with the skills and knowledge to conquer the global market. Fostering collaboration: Dive into the unique partnerships between established financial institutions and startups, driving rapid development and market adoption. Scaling for global impact: Unravel the secrets behind Irish Fintech companies' success in expanding beyond their borders and leaving their mark on the world stage. Our panel includes: Conor White, Daon, https://www.daon.com/ - Conor is part of the core team that founded Daon. He joined the company as Chief Technology Officer in 2001 with the goal of designing and delivering trusted experiences that put human beings back at the center of digital transactions. In 2015, Conor accepted the role of President of the Americas, where he led all Daon activities across North, South, and Latin America. Then, in 2023, he accepted the role of President, New Industries, where he leads efforts to find Daon’s “next big thing.” Patrick Horgan, Valid8me, https://www.valid8me.com/ - CEO and Co-Founder of valid8Me. Patrick is responsible for leading the development and global rollout of valid8Me, comprising general operations, business development strategy, and client relationships. Patrick is an experienced leader in the investment management and professional services industries, recognized for building and leading teams to deliver sustainable business value. Stephen Walsh, Keeper Solutions, https://keepersolutions.com/ - Stephen Edward Walsh has been working in the IT industry since 1994. In 2011, they founded Keeper Solutions Worldwide, providing high-quality tailored fixed-price managed services to corporates, scaling tech firms and fintechs. Our guest host on the podcast is Maria Gagic - who is currently SVP of Financial Technology and Services in the Enterprise Ireland New York office; Maria’s role is to support Irish Fintech companies to start and scale their businesses in the USA

Links: www.imr.ie Smart Industry Readiness Index (SIRI)  https://imr.ie/what-we-do/services/smart-industry-readiness-index/ Details: This podcast explores the human side of industrial digital transformation. We talk to leaders who are harnessing the power of technology to create a more connected, collaborative, and agile workforce. We discuss the challenges and opportunities of digital transformation, and we share stories of how people are coming together to create a more sustainable, prosperous, and inclusive future for industry. Join us as we explore the intersection of people, collaboration, and technology in the age of industrial digital transformation. Listen and learn how: People are the key to successful digital transformation Collaboration is essential for breaking down silos and driving innovation A shared vision can help organizations navigate the challenges of change Digital transformation can create a more sustainable, prosperous, and inclusive future for industry Our panel includes: Dr Andrew Lynch, Chief Innovation Officer, Irish Manufacturing Research (www.imr.ie). Andrew is the Chief Innovation Officer at Irish Manufacturing Research.  He is the international Vice President of the EUREKA SMART Manufacturing Board of Directors, chairs the ManuFuture ETP Working Group (State Aid Strategies- Research & Innovation) and is the national delegate to the European manufacturing policy platform, ManuFuture High Level Group (HLG). Andrew has recently been nominated by EFFRA to the Made in Europe Partnership Board, an expert board which meets regularly with the European Commission to discuss the scope and modalities of the Partnership and future call topics. Joe Peppard, Professor and Academic Director at UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School - teaching and consulting in the domains of IT leadership, digital strategy and innovation, the execution of digital transformation programs, the creation of value from IT investments, and in the role, structure and capabilities of the IT unit in contemporary organizations.

This episode is brought to you in partnership with www.enterprise-ireland.com Cybersecurity is a complex and ever-evolving field, but one thing remains constant: people are the most important element. In this podcast panel episode, we discuss the importance of collaboration and keeping people as the focus of cybersecurity work. Our panelists are experts in the field, and they share their insights on how to build a strong cybersecurity culture, how to effectively communicate cybersecurity risks to employees, and how to create a more inclusive and diverse cybersecurity workforce. Our panel includes: Ryan Lasmaili, CEO and Co-Founder of Vaultree, has built his career on a profound fascination for groundbreaking technology. His journey, marked by over a decade of experience in tech startups, is distinguished by strategic problem-solving, analytical insights, and forward-thinking solutions. Dennis Dayman is a Resident CISO for Proofpoint with more than 30 years of experience as a leader in security and privacy with a focus on information security and data privacy, data governance issues, protecting and improving data through industry policy, regulatory policy relations, and technical solutions. He is the co-author of Startup CXO: A Field Guide to Scaling Up Your Company’s Critical Functions and Teams at StartupCXO.com. He has also held leadership roles in privacy and security at several other organizations, including Maropost, Return Path, and Eloqua. Dennis was appointed Advisor to the Data Privacy and Integrity Committee by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary. Brian Honan is CEO of BH Consulting an independent cybersecurity and data protection advisory firm based in Dublin, Ireland. Brian is an internationally recognised expert on cybersecurity. He is a member of the Advisory Group of the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA). Brian has previously acted as a special advisor to Europol’s Cybercrime Centre (EC3), and is the founder of Ireland’s first Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT). Our guest cohost is: Claire Walsh - who is currently a Senior Market Advisor for Cybersecurity in the Enterprise Ireland New York office, Claire’s role is to support Irish cybersecurity companies to start and scale their businesses in the USA

On this episode of the Digital Irish Podcast, we delve into the world of Life Sciences and the impact Irish Businesses are having in the field. To help us understand this space, we speak with John Power. Serial Entrepreneur and former European Entrepreneur of the Year, John leads Aerogen, Irelands largest indigenous Med-tech company and the world leader in Acute Care aerosol drug delivery. Aerogen’s award-winning products have to date helped treat 14 million critically ill patients in more than 80 countries globally.  John is recognized as both a technology and business innovator, credited with many commercialized international patents. His company was at the forefront of the Covid-19 pandemic response, developing the World’s First Aerosol Vaccine Delivery System used to vaccinate over 50 million subjects.  He is an investor and Board member of several Irish and US based Med-tech companies and in his extensive career he has ‘run the gauntlet’ of corporate transactions from Boot-strap start-up, through In /Out Licensing to IPO and Leveraged MBO. A founder faculty member of the National University of Ireland Galway Bio-Innovate program, he has actively mentored many indigenous early stage Irish companies.  A Chartered Engineer and FIEI, he holds an MBA from Oxford Brookes University, is an Adjunct Professor at NUIG where in 2016 in recognition of his contribution to the development of the Irish Medical Device sector John was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate. John is the current chair of Connacht Rugby.

On this episode of the Digital Irish Podcast, we host a panel of entrepreneurs and tech innovators who are working with AI to grow their business The first part of the conversation focuses on demystifying AI and its use, before shifting focus to the specific role of AI in business and the future of AI in Ireland. This conversation provides a comprehensive overview of AI and its potential impact on Irish Businesses. A fascinating conversation for anyone who is interested in learning more about this rapidly evolving technology. Our guests include: Rafael Pagés - Co-founder and CEO of Volograms (https://www.volograms.com/), a Trinity College Dublin spin out using AI to create volumetric 3D holograms for immersive communications. Rafa is an expert in immersive technologies with more than 10 years of experience, both as entrepreneur (with another startup founded in the field) and as a researcher (with a PhD in Computer Vision and 25+ published papers and patents). As Volograms co-founder, he was nominated for the Enterprise Ireland HPSU Founder of the Year Award in 2019.   Alan Gormley - CEO of Shopbox (https://www.shopbox.ai/). Alan has over 26 years at the forefront of AI working with the largest companies across Europe. Frustrated by the huge barriers to entry for most companies, Alan founded Shopbox AI in 2020. His mission is to enable any retailer to benefit from deep AI, with no effort. Dr Amelia Kelly - CTO, Soapbox Labs (https://www.soapboxlabs.com/). Dr Kelly is an artificial intelligence engineer and manager, specialising in speech recognition and natural language understanding. Masters and PhD in Speech Tech from Trinity College Dublin. Fulbright Scholar. For the last 8 years she has helped build a cross-functional team of engineers and researchers and create the SoapBox Engine, a speech recognition and analysis system specifically for children's voices and use-cases. Noel Kenehan - Lead, AI/ML Center of Excellence, Google Cloud Partnerships This episode is hosted by Dave Byrne, alongside guest host Martha O'Byrne-O'Reilly  Martha is Senior Vice President of Digital Technologies at Enterprise Ireland, she is based in San Francisco. In her role Martha works proactively with Irish enterprises to support them reach their full potential in the US market. Martha joined Enterprise Ireland in April '23 with over 10 years' experience working in tech both in the Bay Area and in Ireland. Her previous roles included Head of Messaging Partnerships at Meta and Global Sales Partnerships Lead at Twitter. In her own words: "It's a privilege to represent Ireland's thriving digital tech ecosystem and I'm looking forward to building successful, long-term business relationships between US customers and Irish enterprises"

Leo Clancy is Chief Executive Officer of Enterprise Ireland, the Irish government agency that helps innovative Irish businesses go global Enterprise Ireland’s mission is to accelerate the development of world-class Irish companies to achieve leading positions in global markets. Its network of 39 international  offices encourage international companies to source Irish innovation, and support Irish companies to scale internationally.  Before being appointed as CEO of Enterprise Ireland, Leo was part of the Executive team at IDA Ireland, responsible for a number of areas including Technology and Business Services markets, IT and Marketing. In that role, Leo worked extensively with global technology and services companies invested in Ireland. Prior to his public sector career, Leo spent 17 years in the telecommunications industry, including in a number of management, technical and engineering roles. He was part of the senior leadership team at e|net, a high-growth Irish wholesale broadband provider. He spent the early part of his career at Ericsson, working as an engineer and manager in Ireland and across Europe, the Middle East and Africa within global services on deployment of telecommunications networks. Leo is a graduate of Electronic and Electrical Engineering from Dublin Institute of Technology. He grew up on a farm in County Tipperary and retains a strong fundamental understanding of the agricultural and food sector. This episode is hosted by Dave Byrne

Alan Gleeson is the CEO and Co-Founder of Contento, (www.contento.io) a content management system (CMS) for B2B SaaS and technology websites. Alan started his career in financial services, joining Barclays on their graduate programme. After Barclays he moved to Freeserve, then one of the poster boys for the 'dot com' boom. He subsequently joined Palo Alto Software, a leading Software as a Service (SaaS) company where he acted as the Managing Director for the European subsidiary. In recent years Alan has worked as a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for several  B2B SaaS companies, in a mix of full time and consultancy engagements . Alan is based in London, is on the board of Digital Irish, and coaches at Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club. He also has an MBA from University of Oxford, and an MSc from University College Cork, Ireland. This episode is hosted by Dave Byrne

wio.io  Conall Laverty, is the Founder & CEO of Wia, an Irish startup that provides sustainability companies with cloud infrastructure to utilise the Internet of Things. He is a key figure in the global Internet of Things ecosystem and was listed on Forbes 30 Under 30 for Europe. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he co-founded OSV, one of the fastest growing hardware movements to develop open source ventilators with over 7,000 engineers, designers and medical professionals. From County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, Conall was previously CTO of Big Motive, a creative technology company based in London and Belfast. There he architected and developed products for BBC, Net-a-Porter and Channel 4. He was also Technical Director of Woogie, an innovation consultancy who has worked with Cambridge Silicon Radio, Deezer and startups throughout Ireland. He attained a First Class Honours Masters from Queen’s University Belfast in Computer Games Development.  Speaker engagements include Mobile World Congress, Dublin Tech Summit, RIOT, Web Summit, TechConnect, ICONs Festival, Google, Facebook. Publications include Bloomberg, Forbes, TechCrunch, Yahoo Finance, Irish Times, Fora, Silicon Republic, Sunday Business Post, Business World Awards and Accolades Nominated for Irish Red Cross Humanitarian Awards 2020 JCI Outstanding Young People Awards for 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 2019 Blackbox Connect 23 2018 Sunday Business Post 30 Under 30 2018 Digital DNA Young Person of the Year 2017 IIA Startup of the Year 2017 NDRC Launchpad Winner 2016 This episode is hosted by⁠ ⁠⁠Dave Byrne⁠

After building a viewership of 4 million across two online magazines, Greta Dunne designed Marker Content and launched it last year.  Marker Content is an online library of evergreen articles that you can download and edit for use on your own website or social media platforms. Now reaching 75,000 contributors, she's aiming to build the biggest content marketplace in the world; written by writers, not robots Through all of this work, Greta has faced personal adversity - which offered her unique perspective and learnings she is now applying to her life as a founder and business leader This episode is hosted by Dave Byrne