Here is a selection of people starting new roles with Imperial Hotel, Pinsent Masons, FSCom, Stena Line, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and Collins McNicholas.
Kresimir Krezo has been appointed as general manager of the Imperial Hotel in Cork, which was acquired earlier this year by the Louis Fitzgerald Family. He previously held senior roles at the Great Southern Killarney, Lough Eske Castle, Dalata and most recently Luttrellstown Castle Resort. He holds a masters degree in Tourism and Travel Services Management and a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management. A veteran in the hotel sector, Kresimir worked his way up from bellboy to front office manager in a 5-star hotel in his native Croatia. He moved to Ireland in 2014. Kresimir has been living in North Cork for the past four years.
Maureen Daly has joined law firm Pinsent Masons as intellectual property and technology partner, leading its IP team in Dublin and expanding the firm’s pan-European technology, science and industry sector capabilities. She joins from Irish law firm Beauchamps, where she was a partner and head of technology and IP for 18 years. Maureen has led landmark work, including securing Ireland’s first High Court injunction to block the illegal live streaming of a sporting event; and representing the entertainment industry in securing an injunction to block websites using their copyright work without consent. Maureen is the fourth lateral partner appointed in the firm’s Dublin office this year.
Rick Seehra has been appointed as head of banking with governance, risk, and compliance consultancy firm FSCom Limited (fscom), based in Belfast. He brings 13 years’ experience in financial services, and was most recently head of Prudential in Bovill. He specialises expertise is in advising banks, investment firms, asset managers and wealth managers on their prudential risk and compliance advisory needs. Over the course of his career, Rick has built relationships with regulatory authorities and key industry stakeholders. He has also developed partnerships with RegTech providers, contributed to treasury recovery and resolution planning teams in his roles in major banking and accountancy service providers.
Nicola Abernethy has been appointed as PR and communications manager at Stena Line, the Swedish ferry company operating with routes across Europe. Based in the Belfast office, Nicola is part of the group brand and communications team and is responsible for media relations and driving the internal and external communications strategy for the ferry operator’s Irish Sea region. A skilled communications professional, Nicola joins Stena Line from a leading PR and public affairs agency and previously held a communications role in a regional economic development organisation. Stena Line’s route network serves key ports in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Latvia, Netherlands, France, Great Britain, and Ireland.
Ronnie Patton has been elected as global president of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). A retired finance lecturer from Bangor, Co Down, Ronnie will lead 750,000 ACCA members across 181 countries. He is the second member of ACCA Ireland in three years to serve as ACCA president, following Orla Collins from Dublin in 2021-22. He joined ACCA in 1981 and is a former president of ACCA Ireland. He was senior lecturer in Professional Accounting Practice at Ulster University, Belfast, from 2003-23. Patton is joined in ACCA’s global governing Council by deputy president Ayla Majid from Pakistan, and vice-president Melanie Proffitt, from England.
Christopher O’Toole of recruitment agency Collins McNicholas has assumed the new role of senior manager for the West and North West region, which covers Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Roscommon, Leitrim and Donegal with the firm. Previously manager for Galway, he now heads up the integrated Galway and Sligo offices to streamline its operations and offer an enhanced regional service. The firm will maintain its Galway and Sligo offices, acting as a hub for team collaboration and innovation in the region. A Galway native and graduate of University of Galway, Christopher has spent almost a decade with Collins McNicholas since joining the company as a recruitment consultant.
