The Dublin Leadership Summit Returns for 2024! After the resounding success of previous years, we’re excited to announce the much-anticipated return of the Dublin Leadership Summit, proudly hosted by AAB and The Dublin Network.

This year, we’ve secured an esteemed panel of renowned Irish leaders in business and sport. Each is a recognised authority on leadership, ready to share their practical experiences and leave you invigorated with insights that inspire, influence, and drive transformation.

Register your place. Mark your calendars. This is an event you do not want to miss.

Leadership, when mastered, is the catalyst for unprecedented success and innovation.

THE PANEL

Our host and MC for the event will be “guru of global philanthropy”…

Renowned expert networker and CEO of The Networking Institute, Kingsley Aikins, believes strongly in the power of networking and has developed a methodology that shows professional business people how to survive and thrive by building strong and diverse networks. Born and brought up in Dublin, Kingsley has had an extensive career of working in Trade Promotion, Philanthropy and Diaspora Engagement. Having lived and worked in six different countries, Kingsley became passionate about the importance of networking and his mission to this day is to teach networking skills that schools, colleges and companies simply do not. Kingsley has been published extensively for his insights and has spoken at events such as TEDx. He was awarded a CBE for his work on British Irish relations and is also involved in many other non-profit bodies.

CEO of Core Optimisation

Caroline Dunlea is the CEO of county Clare based company, Core Optimisation.  Caroline co-founded the award-winning digital growth and transformation agency in 2015, which supports digital transformation and digital performance growth for businesses within the Irish and UK markets.  With over 15 years of experience in the digital sector, Caroline’s visionary leadership and innovative strategies have gained her significant recognition and accolades. Notably, she was named finalist in the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year Emerging category in 2022 and won the Entrepreneur Award from the Dublin Tech Summit, Women in Tech, in 2019.

Caroline is the current Chairperson of the lobbying and representative body, Digital Business Ireland. She is a regular speaker and panellist at business, marketing and digital transformation events and leads Core Optimisation’s management of the ground-breaking Digital Transformation Programme “Digital that Delivers” for Failte Ireland.

Former VP of Paypal Ireland & Current Board Member of Ryanair

Louise Phelan is a highly experienced Strategic Advisor, having worked with leading global companies listed on international stock exchanges. She engages directly with CEOs and senior leadership teams, showcasing her global expertise through senior independent board memberships such as Ryanair. With a background as former CEO of Phelan Energy Group and Global Vice President at PayPal, Louise has demonstrated leadership in Fortune 500 companies. She is a member of the Irish Government’s Top-Level Appointments Committee and the President’s advisory group at Technological University Dublin. Louise’s achievements have been widely recognized, including being the first woman to receive the Sir Michael Smurfit Business Achievement Award. Her expertise lies in strategic planning, organisational design, commercial planning, innovation through change, operational excellence, and stakeholder engagement. Additionally, Louise invests in entrepreneurs and supports initiatives for female entrepreneurs.

Founder and Chairman of Ergo

Since co-founding Ergo over 30 years ago, John Purdy has steered the company through extraordinary growth, creating a €200m business with 750 employees, spinning off two companies (Fenergo and FlowForma) and acquiring five others (CDSoft, iSite, Micromail, Asystec and BoatyardX). First as CEO and now as Chairman, his leadership and vision have been invaluable to Ergo and the other businesses he advises. In 2024, he earned the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year, Industry award. His contributions were also celebrated with the Tech Excellence Lifetime Achievement Award, recognising his significant and excellent contributions to technology.

A recognised voice in media and conferences, John is known for his candid insights and commitment to leveraging technology for business improvement and positive change.

CEO of Shamrock Rovers F.C

John Martin is the Chief Executive Officer of Shamrock Rovers F.C., a position he assumed in June 2023. His extensive background includes playing, coaching, and managing at League of Ireland level. Beyond his sports career, John has nearly two decades of experience in the corporate sector, having worked at Irish Life. During his time there, he was involved in various aspects of the organization, particularly focusing on large-scale strategic programs in his later years. Additionally, John serves as a Director of the Shamrock Rovers Community Trust, which aims to deliver CSR projects to the local community. He is also a representative on the European Club Association (ECA) Commercial & Innovation Working Group for the 2024-2027 UEFA cycle.

Take a look back at last year…