“All of my colleagues remarked on the quality of the speakers and the interest everyone had in networking and connecting with other in house practitioners. The topic really gave everyone food for thought and I left feeling motivated and inspired. It was genuinely one of the most enjoyable work events I had been too!” [Testimonial from a senior in-house legal counsel]

” Well done on a truly fantastic event Colin!!!! All the speakers were exceptionally inspiring and articulate. So lovely to lift the head from the day job to listen to their stories…And also to meet so many others there! Thanks again for the invite, and hopefully next time I’ll get a chance to catch you in-person.” [General Counsel]

” Hi Colin, thanks for a lovely afternoon.  Well done on organising such a professional event with such inspirational speakers.  I was sorry I missed  [  ]  and [  ].”

” Congratulations and thank you for hosting such a fantastic event today with the hashtag#LawyersBDCLUB. Such a great crowd in attendance and really excellent speakers- it certainly brightened up a very wet and dreary January afternoon! “

“Great meeting you in person today, and well done again for organizing such an interesting conference.  The calibre of speakers was excellent and I loved the opportunity to network with people from such a broad spectrum of industries. I’ll be looking forward to the next one!”

” I hope you are well today and rightly feeling the success of yesterday’s GC event.  I found it to be an incredible gathering, with inspiring and insightful stories shared and lots of opportunity to connect with old & new friends and colleagues. “

General Counsel Summit, Dubin

We had a stellar line-up of guest speakers for our General Counsel Summit which took place on 28 January 2025. Our Summit was hosted in the incredibly impressive event space at 1 Windmill Lane, Dublin 2.

Our guest speakers joined us for a series of 1:1 fireside chats to discuss their respective career journeys, leadership and lessons they learned along the way.

Sponsor: Pinsent Masons

My thanks to Pinsent Masons for very generously sponsoring and and hosting our Summit in their stunning event place.

Our Guest Speakers

Eleanor Daly

Director & Associate General Counsel – Global Corporate, Meta

Eleanor is a Director & Associate General Counsel with Meta, where she leads Meta’s International Corporate Governance Team. Eleanor has many years’ experience in the areas of corporate governance, company law, risk and compliance. Within Meta, she acts as a trusted advisor to global entity board members, executive management and cross functional partners in all aspects of company law and corporate governance.

Eleanor is currently the Chair of the Business Law Committee of the Law Society of Ireland and is the External Examiner to the Law Society of Ireland’s Certificate in Company Secretarial Law and Practice. From 2014 to 2018 Eleanor was a member of the Irish Company Law Review Group (the CLRG), a statutory advisory expert body charged with advising the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation on the review and development of company law in Ireland. Eleanor is a co-author of the Irish Company Secretary’s Handbook (Bloomsbury,1st ed, 2011). In addition to being a Solicitor and Chartered Tax Advisor, Eleanor is also a Fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute in London. In 2022, Eleanor was the Chair of the American Chamber of Commerce of Ireland’s General Counsel Forum.

Maureen Daly

General Counsel of the Irish Life Group

Maureen Daly is General Counsel with the Irish Life Group. Maureen graduated from the University of Limerick with a degree in Law and European Studies in 2002 and qualified as a solicitor with the Law Society of Ireland in 2005.  Maureen’s legal career began in 2003 with the Irish corporate firm, William Fry. Maureen joined Irish Life in 2015 where her original focus was on providing the legal support for the Irish group’s mergers and acquisitions activities. Maureen was appointed General Counsel in 2020.

Niamh Hodnett

Online Safety Commissioner

Coimisiún na Meán

Niamh is the Online Safety Commissioner at Coimisiún na Meán. She oversees the organisation’s Policy & Research Division, including responsibility for the development of the Online Safety Code. Niamh has extensive experience in designing, enforcing and managing compliance with regulatory obligations at both an Irish and EU level. Her expertise spans online safety, data protection, cybersecurity, competition, consumer protection and communications regulation. Niamh has brought criminal prosecutions for regulatory breaches, as well as civil enforcement compliance proceedings. She has in-depth litigation experience of appeals and judicial reviews. A qualified solicitor, Niamh has previously worked at ComReg, Ireland’s communications regulator, at law firms in both Ireland and Brussels, and in a variety of in-house legal and regulatory roles. She has co-authored books on European law and Irish regulatory law.

Stephen MacKenzie

General Counsel with Citibank Europe plc

Stephen MacKenzie is the General Counsel for Citibank Europe PLC, and a member of the bank’s Executive Committee.  Stephen also acts as site lead for Citi in Dublin, leading a team of nearly fifty lawyers and legal professionals.

Stephen graduated from University College, Dublin with a first class degree in Law, before obtaining a Masters in Banking and International Finance Law with distinction at King’s College, London. 

Stephen trained at Linklaters (London and Frankfurt) before qualifying into their Derivative and Structured Products Department in London.  Prior to joining Citi in Dublin, Stephen worked at Barclays Bank PLC (London and New York) and BTG Pactual (London).

Stephen is qualified as a Solicitor (England and Wales), as an Attorney (New York) and is a Foreign Registered Lawyer in Ireland.

Ruth Murphy

Head of Legal for Google Ireland (Google’s EMEA HQ)

Ruth is Head of Legal for Google Ireland (Google’s EMEA HQ). Prior to joining Google, she was General Counsel at BT. Ruth is an accomplished lawyer and business leader with over 20 years experience in the multinational tech sector. She is a trusted advisor to boards and executive management teams with strong communication, change and people management skills.

Ruth has been featured on the Legal500 GG Powerlist (Individual and team). In addition, she was the Winner of the 2018 In-House Lawyer of the Year at the Inspirational Women in Law Awards. Ruth was also a Board member of the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition Limited (2019-2021).

Ruth graduated in law from Trinity College Dublin and qualified as a solicitor in Ireland in 1999, beginning her legal career with Eversheds. She is admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales and holds a Diploma in Corporate Law and Governance (Law Society of Ireland).

Emma Redmond

Associate General Counsel, Head of EU Data Protection, OpenAI

Emma Redmond is Associate General Counsel, Head of Privacy and Data Protection at OpenAI. She was formerly Global Head of Privacy and Chief Privacy Officer at Stripe, with previous roles as the Head of International Data Protection at both Ancestry and LinkedIn. Emma is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Law at University College Dublin and was honored with a selection for the Leadership in Law programme at Harvard Law School in May 2017. She is a member of the Government of Ireland’s AI Advisory Council and featured in the 100 Top Tech People in Ireland. 

Joanne Ross

Group General Counsel with Kerry Group plc

Joanne is Group General Counsel with Kerry Group plc, where she leads Kerry’s Legal & IP team across its global footprint and is a member of the Executive Leadership Team. 

In Joanne’s diverse career to date she has worked across the technology, energy and food & beverage sectors, and has led legal, strategy, regulatory & corporate affairs functions.  Prior to joining Kerry she held a number of executive roles with Centrica plc including as Chief of Staff & Director of Group Strategy, General Counsel for British Gas and Director of Legal, Regulatory & Corporate Affairs for Bord Gais Energy. She is also an experienced trustee and director and was formerly Chair of the board of the Electricity Association of Ireland.

Joanne is a practicing solicitor in Ireland and England & Wales. She holds a BCL in Law from UCD and a Diploma in Company Direction from the Institute of Directors.