Business movers: People starting new jobs in Ireland

Aileen Tennant has been appointed director with Fota Wildlife Park, which welcomes 450,000 visitors annually. Aileen replaces Sean McKeown, who retires after 40 years in the role. She will oversee all aspects of park management, including plans for a new education, conservation and research conference centre. She previously ran the Discovery & Learning Department at Dublin Zoo, which she expanded significantly, delivering award-winning programmes and visitor experiences such as Zoorassic World and Himalayan Hills. Aileen was a key player in Dublin Zoo’s recent developments and delivered its first-ever Conservation Education Master Plan. A Carlow native, she is a DCU Science Education graduate.

Mark O’Shea has been appointed as head of engineering with Kwayga, a services provider for food and beverage supermarket buyers and suppliers. Mark plans to triple the size of Kwayga’s engineering team, expanding the design and engineering department, overseeing the platform’s development from concept to commissioning, and spearheading continuous enhancements to the sourcing engine. He brings a wealth of engineering and management experience, with notable expertise in architecting systems using cutting-edge cloud technologies, including AWS, Azure, and GCP. He oversaw ITV’s deployment of a £3m pilot TV show and interactive mobile app. He has worked in India, Eastern Europe, Holland, the UK and China.

Barbara Neeson has been appointed as a senior account manager with PR firm Bannerton. A writer, broadcaster and communications consultant, she brings a wealth of experience spanning politics, media, the arts, technology and hospitality. She has held marketing roles with Bewleys and The Irish Times, and has written, presented and produced for multiple media platforms including BBC TV and Radio, ITV, Sky News and Irish Independent. Barbara studied at University of St Andrews and holds a Masters in Political Lobbying and Public Affairs from Ulster University. Also an experienced event manager, she has co-ordinated retail and hospitality showcases, workshops, conferences and corporate events.

Colm Purcell has been appointed as chief financial officer with Origin Enterprises, the agronomy-services group, effective from July 15. He will be appointed as an executive director in September. Aged 45, Colm is currently CFO of the nutritionals division of Glanbia plc. He has worked in the US and Ireland with Glanbia for 11 years, notably as group financial controller and director FP&A of the North American Glanbia Performance Nutrition business. Prior to Glanbia, Colm was an audit director with KPMG and qualified as a chartered accountant with KPMG in 2001. He holds directorships with Glanbia companies, APS BioGroup and Foodarom Group.

Yvonne Doyle has been appointed as director of broadcast operations with Virgin Media Television (VMTV). She will be responsible for all broadcast operations, including digital growth and player functions. Yvonne was part of the launch team 25 years ago and rejoined VMTV in 2018 following a period in external managerial roles. In her new role she will report directly to Áine Ní Chaoindealbháin, VMTV’s managing director. Prior to rejoining VMTV, Yvonne worked as head of production services in UTV Ireland, as well as broadcast manager in Maximum Media. Yvonne was also recently appointed a member of the board of directors of TAM Ireland.