Here is a selection of people starting new roles with SHS Group, Freenow, William Fry, Bank of Ireland, ZeroMission and Bowe Property.
Bernie Orr has been appointed as chief financial officer with food distributors SHS Group. She will oversee the financial strategy and operations of SHS Group, driving the group’s strategic initiatives and fostering further business growth, including the finance, finance shared service and IS functions. With over 15 years of senior leadership experience, Bernie returns to SHS Group, bringing a wealth of knowledge and expertise from across a range of industries. Having trained with PwC, Bernie was previously divisional financial controller for shs Drinks and subsequently held finance roles at Morgan Stanley, Allen & Overy, Dale Farm and Genesis Bakery and Pasta King.
Danny O’Gorman has been appointed as general manager for the Irish market with the taxi app Freenow. He replaces Charlie Gleeson as GM. Danny will oversee Freenow’s operations in Ireland, with a focus on expanding and enhancing the company’s taxi services across the country while continuing to support Ireland’s largest fleet of driver partners. He will oversee the growth of Freenow’s electric vehicle fleet. He previously held senior roles at Amazon, leading its new seller partnerships and managed logistics and operations projects; and at Catawiki, where he oversaw scaling sales teams and improving commercial operations across Europe. He holds a Law degree from TCD.
Sean Murray has been appointed as a partner with law firm William Fry Tax Advisors. Sean is a respected and experienced financial services tax practitioner. He brings 20 years of experience in advising domestic and international clients on financial services tax matters, including investment management, structured finance, banking, capital markets and private equity. Sean joins William Fry from DLA Piper, where he was head of the financial services tax practice in ireland. He is a chartered accountant and a chartered tax advisor. William Fry Tax Advisors is exclusively Taxand Ireland. With more than 700 tax partners and over 3,000 tax advisors across 50 countries.
Akshaya Bhargava has been appointed as chair and governor of Bank of Ireland Group, effective January 1, 2025. He has been on the bank’s board since January 2024. He was previously on the boards of Wealthify Group, Mindtree, Barclays Asset Management, Vahanna, and Avendus Wealth Management. Akshaya has extensive governance and leadership experience across the financial services ecosystem; including as CEO of global wealth and investment management at Barclays and as founder of a number of fintechs. Akshaya has held lead positions in wealth management, financial services, fintechs and emerging technologies. He founded and led Bridgeweave, where he currently serves as executive chair.
Alan Crowley has been appointed as chief technology officer (CTO) with EV commercial fleet software firm ZeroMission in Tipperary. He will lead tech innovation, using AI, machine learning and data analytics within electric mobility and zero emission vehicle (ZEV) fleet management. He was head of delivery with digital transformation specialist Version 1, and technical lead at enterprise software firm DeCare Systems Ireland (DSI). He has also held senior roles at SS&C Technologies, Irish Community Rapid Response and Real World Solutions, working in edge computing, data analytics and IoT. He brings 25 years of tech experience across e-mobility, utilities, global supply chain and manufacturing.
Linda O’Donovan has been appointed as senior negotiator with Bowe Property, attached to the firm’s Ballincollig Cork offices. Linda has operated within Cork property since 2016, working previously with Sherry Fitzgerald Cork. Brendan Bowe, managing director, stated: “We are delighted Linda O’Donovan has decided to join our existing professional property team and will service our existing strong business base and grow our market share in Ballincollig/Ovens and surrounding areas including southern suburbs of Cork city, whilst maintaining our reptation as established and proven property agency.” Founded in 1997, Bowe Property has offices in Ballincollig, Bandon and Kinsale with a strong network of clients.
