List of Engineering Sector Mentors
Aisling Foley is an accomplished marketing professional with 30 years international marketing experience. She has lived in London, Brussels, Dubai and Dublin, specialising in marketing across all geographical regions. Aisling’s marketing experience includes market strategy, research, product marketing and marketing communications. Aisling has enjoyed expanding her industry range from early specialisation in technology to a wide range of industries including retail, professional services and health. She brings enthusiastic, professional and focussed energy to all her clients. Before 2007, when she set up her consultancy, Aisling worked with international companies including BT, Sabre and i2. She was based in London, Brussels, Dublin and Dubai, marketing to EMEA, Middle East, Asia and North America. As a consultant, Aisling has worked with approximately 50 companies including Irema, Trilogy Technologies, Zinopy, Ubotica, Continuum Commerce, and Enterprise Ireland and mentored around 500 clients. Aisling has a Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK).
Aisling Hurley has over 10 years experience of creative leadership, with a comprehensive understanding of global market dynamics (co-founder teamwoodcraft.com). Has led creative projects and teams for international brands such as Laurence Lewellyn Bowen, British Airways, HSS, Menarini, Covalen. Pioneer in fusing AI with creative processes, enhancing innovation and efficiency. She has designed digital marketing campaigns that resonate across diverse cultures and is experienced in fostering cohesive team development through the strategic use of technology and creative methodologies. In her role as a design strategist, Aisling has developed numerous industry-focused initiatives that drive growth and innovation across a broad spectrum of companies, from start-ups to multinationals. Her expertise includes shaping strategic direction for the implementation of business, product, and service innovations for industry partners. She lectures in various universities including SETUs MBA where she leads programmes that apply strategic design methodologies and her designer’s framework to stimulate innovation and creative problem-solving. She is also the host of The SME Community Podcast. Key Skills - Digital Marketing Science, National & International Markets, Innovation & Creativity, Business Strategy, Emerging Tech Trends including AI, AR, XR, Corporate Governance.
Caitlin O’Connor is a mentor since 2005, retained by Enterprise Ireland, European Commission and LEOS. Her focus is on scaling, growth and export with continuous improvement (LEAN qualified) aligned with exporting. Her core areas are around commercialisation, export, digital, transformation, strategic vision, innovation, new market & new product and sales and marketing, all aligned with revenue generation. Sectors include ICT/Digital/Shared-economy/Telecommunications/ Agri-tech, SMART cities & aviation. She acts as a catalyst to scale, grow & develop export capability aligned with strategic vision. She also delivers value via her product “Strategy Away Days”. Caitlin was instrumental in the launch of ESAT with de-regulation & was core to the launch of Irish Broadband. As global marketing director of Point (CRM) Caitlin created an international brand with Ireland retained as the development centre. Caitlin focus’ on growth & export with domestic/international growth aligned to customer strategies, sales/marketing, strategic development, innovation & revenue combined with export gap analysis. Value proposition is also an area of focus. Caitlin holds university qualifications in Marketing, Direct Marketing Project Management, Coaching, Leadership Leaning Methods & LEAN green belt. Caitlin is also an adjudicator on grants and guides scaling companies through this process.
Christian Shaw. Product Design Consultant Christian graduated with First Class honours in BA Industrial Design (Engineering) in Manchester in 1984, following studies at Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology. For a number of years he worked as a product and interior designer with the national design service for Ireland (Kilkenny Design Workshops) and in 1989 helped to form Kilkenny Design Consultancy as a private concern. His Christian faith has helped to shape the conviction that design should be elegant, functional and worthwhile, attributes seen throughout the created world. His track record includes product design for multinationals (including Krups, Ferno and Abbott) as well as many smaller indigenous companies and individual entrepreneurs. With an interest in sustainable materials and wide experience of processes, he has harmonised styling, ergonomic and engineering demands in consumer, healthcare, electronics, food, industrial and giftware sectors, and has helped generate intellectual property for a number of clients
Colm Reilly. Dr. Colm Reilly is an experienced professional with a track record of significant outcomes and international experience in SME Development, R&D, International Trade and Entrepreneurship. In the past 15 years, Colm has worked as a senior executive in a global consulting organisation where he has been responsible for delivering the commercial results. In this role, he was asked by clients to create new operations that he has operated for many years. Many of the operations he created were the first of their kind with no existing template – These and other projects have required new strategies and solutions, within existing organisational structures, to new and developing challenges of significant complexity that have required a blend of people, process, and commercial skills. Colm has also founded three SME companies – Aviareto, Eureto and BiotherapeuticsMD which still currently operate.The operations created are known for their innovation and creativity but more significantly the delivery of the results expected whilst operating within existing constraints and a changing, and uncertain, external environment. Colm has worked with SME programmes in the USA (Virginia, Georgia), Italy, Germany, and Spain in developing practical approaches to business challenges recognising the real constraints of time, money, size and human capacity. This experience has informed Colm that in an accelerated technological environment, it remains people who matter most – whether this is in large corporations, SMEs, or start-up organisations. He believes that this is the essential ingredient in connecting strategy and implementation. Whilst processes create conformity and technology seems to have no limitations, it is the deployment with people that makes the difference. Colm has constantly worked on improving his communications skills and currently operates supporting SMEs in bringing their intentions and strategies into operational reality in terms of what people do, how they are motivated and the appropriate technology they use to do this. He is the author of three books on SMEs – The Information Paradox (how SMEs need to use Information Technology), Managing Value Price and Profit and No Frontiers – How SMEs can export (2025).
Jim Hoey is an experienced Business Advisor based in Wexford specialising in Operational Excellence initiatives, Strategic Business Growth and International Sales Development. Over the past 14 years Jim has been an approved service provider of Mentoring, Lean methodologies (30 projects completed with savings in excess of €1.0m) and Digitalization initiatives to EI, IDA, Wexford and Carlow LEO’s. In addition over the past 7 years he has been a member of the Business Growth Advisory Panel within EI. During his Industrial career, spanning 30 years he held various positions in Multinational companies in Ireland and Overseas and has specialised in start-up activity (Medtronic, Tarkett and Masonite), Company Scaling and agile Organisation Development. He has experience of the Chemical, Plastics, Life Sciences, Wood Processing, Food andBuilding Products Sectors He holds a BSc in Chemistry, a PhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry and a Masters’ Degree in Industrial Engineering and is a Green Belt Lean practitioner. Between 2006 - 09 Jim held the position of Senior VP for Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East located at the Masonite Corporation CEEME headquarters in Budapest with operating entities in the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, Israel and Turkey. Prior to that he had been Managing Director of Masonite Ireland since 1996 and during this time the company grew from start-up to exporting Building Products to 30 countries in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Jim is a former Chairman of the Irish Productivity Centre and was a member of the National Executive of IBEC and a board member of that Organization for many years. In 2004 this consultant was appointed by the then Tánaiste (Mary Harney) to the newly formed Enterprise Strategy Group which was charged with developing “a medium-term enterprise strategy” and a national policy response to “strengthen the competitiveness of Ireland’s enterprise environment”. The published report was entitled Ahead of the Curve. Areas of Expertise include Operational Excellence including Lean, Digitalisation and Quality initiatives, Strategic Profitable Growth across the 6 pillars of strategic growth, Mentoring individuals, teams and CEO’s, Start-up Management, Management Team Development, Innovation and new product development, Non-Executive Directorships.
JJ O’Hara, Future Cast. Future Cast is a centre for Innovation, Education, and Research & Development, dedicated to advancing the Construction, Manufacturing, and Quarrying industries. They primary focus is on working closely with companies within these sectors and supporting their entire manufacturing supply chains and driving forward the adoption of advanced technologies and optimised processes to enhance productivity, sustainability, and competitiveness
As part of our mission, Future Cast is committed to:
- Researching and sharing the latest developments in Industry 4.0 technologies with our member companies
- Actively exploring innovations such as digitalisation, automation, data-driven decision-making, and smart technology integration
- Providing valuable insights and practical solutions that address real-world industry challenges
- Supporting companies in embracing advancements that strengthen and prepare the industrial sector for the future
We’ll meet with your company directly at your quarry, construction site, or manufacturing facility to understand and develop your innovation ideas first-hand. Our team collaborates closely with academic partners, funding agencies, and the Future Cast technology team to craft a tailored solution and a clear, actionable roadmap for your project’s success. Education is the key to our success in an ever-changing global world. As industries continue to evolve, companies must prioritise up-skilling their teams to stay competitive under the advancements of Industry 4.0. Future Cast offers a range of courses designed to equip your staff with cutting-edge skills in areas such as robotics and cobotics, artificial intelligence, smart data, IoT development, software engineering, virtual and augmented reality, 3D industry printing, and the workplace of the future. Future Cast is supported by a team of academics and industry experts dedicated to advancing the future of construction methods in Ireland and beyond. By leveraging our strong partnerships with industry leaders and academic institutions, we are constantly working to develop innovative techniques and technologies that address today’s challenges and prepare for tomorrow’s needs.
John Haran. An engineering graduate with an MBA in International Business, John has spent the last 35 years, mostly overseas, in a variety of sales and leadership roles. After graduate training and production experience in Med tech, he established a marketing consultancy business (HMC) and spent 12 years in Asia managing a trade and investment team, following by similar assignments in London and New York. Returning to Ireland, he has taken several CEO roles with local technology companies and managed both to successful trade sales. HMC now employs 15 people, with offices in London, New York and Shanghai. Our clients include LEOs, local authorities, state economic development agencies, along with a range of commercial clients across many sectors.
Kate Hickey is a Business Consultant and Executive Director of the Ireland Canada Business Association and Director of the Valentia Cable Foundation. As a Consultant to Department of Trade Newfoundland for ten years Kate provided strategic trade consultancy services to over 95 Canadian SME’s. Previously Marketing Manager with Laura Ashley, Kate has proven skills in retail marketing, branding, PR strategies and buyer engagement. As Experienced Marketing Director and Consultant for Enterprise Ireland Kate works with CEO’s of early stage companies focusing on Strategy and Export Market Development. Equipped with an MBA from Smurfit School of Business Kate works with clients in implementing market entry and sales strategies and is a mentor and trainer with DCCI.
Ruth Larkin is a serial industry entrepreneur, having founded and scaled multi-million euro businesses in a number of sectors including, international distribution of luxury consumer products and manufacturing and global sales of municipal vehicles. Her focus is on market validation, market entry strategy, commercialisation, expansion, management and strategy. She has extensive experience in professional services, consumer goods, retail and distribution, design and manufacturing, health, fitness and wellbeing, fintech and cosmetics.
Sean Phelan brings over 30 years of senior management experience in the manufacturing and engineering sectors, having held executive roles such as Managing Director, Operations Director, Group Director of Business Development, and VP of Business Development. In 2017, Sean founded QCD Solutions, a consultancy dedicated to empowering businesses and government agencies in areas like international business development, strategic growth, supply chain management, and operations optimisation. Sean’s expertise lies in solving complex challenges, driving growth, and enhancing performance for organisations worldwide. With an extensive global network of senior management contacts within OEMs, First Tier Suppliers, and industry bodies, he has a proven track record of securing high-value contracts and delivering impactful results.
