Ken Hickey
CFO, Microsoft Worldwide Operations, Microsoft
Ken Hickey leads a global finance organization supporting Microsoft’s Worldwide Operations. Microsoft Operation’s activity spans the entire company covering product launch, partner management, operationalizing new business models, agreement to cash and supply chain processes. The Operations Finance team provides wide ranging business and finance support including strategy development, financial planning & business insight, controllership & accounting, cost optimization and compliance with statutory, revenue recognition, licensing and tax models. Ken’s Operations Finance team comprises 200 professionals with a global footprint across USA, Puerto Rico, Brazil, India, China, Singapore and Ireland. Prior to his current role, Ken was the Senior Finance Director for Microsoft’s World-Wide Communications Sector business based in Seattle and Senior Finance Director for Microsoft’s EMEA Operations Centre based in Dublin. He joined Microsoft in 2007. Prior to joining Microsoft, Ken spent 5 years as the Director of Financial Operations for Hertz Europe and 12 years in the financial services industry, holding a number of financial management roles in General Electric, AIG Global Investment Group and Cambridge Group plc. Ken is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA) and a Fellow of the Association of Corporate Treasurers (MCT). He received his Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from Warwick Business School. Ken is lecturer and module co-ordinator for Business Strategy in UCD’s part time Bachelor of Business Studies degree program.
Louise Keating
Director Finance Transformation, Deloitte
Louise is a Director in the Finance & Performance team in Deloitte Consulting. Louise has 24 years’ experience working in the Finance Functions of large multinational financial services organisations. Louise has spent 7 years with Deloitte Consulting providing advisory and consulting services with a particular focus on large scale transformation programmes within the Financial Services industry. Louise has led a number of large scale local and global Finance projects focusing on the operating model and technology to support Finance teams of the future. Louise also leads up the Business Finance offering within Deloitte Consulting. Louise is a Chartered Financial Accountant (FCCA).
Jackie Noakes
Chief Operating Officer, Bank of Ireland
Jackie joined Bank of Ireland as Chief Operating Officer in August 2018. In her role as Chief Operating Officer she oversees a range of services across technology, infrastructure and operations. A Tipperary native, Jackie’s career has been largely in the UK where she has held a number of senior positions in the financial services sector, most recently at Legal & General (UK) as CEO of Mature Savings. Jackie also held the roles of Managing Director of Legal & General’s Savings business, as well as Group IT & Shared Services Director and Chief Operating Officer for the firm’s largest operating entity, Legal & General Assurance Society. As a member of the UK’s Financial Advice Market Review (FAMR) industry expert panel, Jackie led the FAMR working group response covering Employer Best Practice. Prior to her time at Legal & General, she spent 13 years with American Express where she held the role of IT Vice President of American Express Bank Business Solution Delivery services. Jackie has also held roles with IBM (Australia), Blue Cross & Blue Shield (USA), Sun Alliance (UK) and Fireman’s Fund Insurance (UK & USA), Bank of Ireland (Dublin) and Ericsson (Sweden & Ireland). She studied IT and Data Processing at University of Limerick and holds MIT Certificates in Fintech Future Commerce and AI in Business Strategy.
Dr. Katriona O'Sullivan
Lecturer, Trinity College Dublin and Maynooth University
As a Teenager Katriona dropped out of school, despite being academically bright, as she dealt with a crisis pregnancy, homelessness and isolation. Despite an incredibly tough setback, she’s achieved a lot in life and her career.She has developed a significant body of work evaluating the impact of programmes which attempt to raise the educational aspirations of underrepresented students. Her work seeks to increase the capacity of teachers to develop teaching practices which match the 21st century workplace. She is currently partnering with Oxford Department of Education on the impact of alternative access routes to higher education on students’ capability to participate. Katriona herself is a graduate from the Trinity Access Programme; she completed a BA in Psychology in TCD in 2008 and a PhD in Psychology in 2012. She has held teaching positions in UCD and DBS, lecturing in a range of Psychology and research method modules at undergraduate and postgraduate level and also taught on the Foundation Course in the Trinity Access Programmes for 8 years.
Clodagh Allen
Senior Finance Manager, Microsoft
Clodagh is a Senior Finance Manager in Microsoft focused on the financial assessment and enablement of Microsoft’s Strategic Ventures. Clodagh has spent 4 years at Microsoft, where she also serves as the Business Manager to the CFO of Operations Finance. In addition to her finance roles, she leads the Microsoft Ireland Events Team, who organise numerous initiatives virtually and across the site. Clodagh is a Chartered Accountant (ACA).
