Business Leaders were awarded with distinction at the IoD Chartered Director Programme Graduation on Thursday, 13th February 2025.
The graduation included recent business leaders who had successfully passed their Certificate and Diploma in Company Direction exams, which constitute part of the IoD’s gold standard Chartered Director Programme. It also recognised members who became accredited Chartered Directors in 2024 and 2025.
IoD Ireland Chief Executive Officer Caroline Spillane CDir welcomed the graduates to the ceremony and commended them all on their achievement. Caroline noted that while all graduates are now at the end of their Chartered Director Programme journey, they continue to be part of a dynamic and influential network of directors. She encouraged graduates to leverage their IoD membership going forward to stay connected, exchange ideas, and share best practices. Caroline then welcomed Fiona Tierney CDir, Council Member, IoD Ireland to the stage as part of the graduation ceremony proceedings.
Special recognition was also granted to thirteen graduates who achieved the highest marks in the Diploma and Certificate exams. All of these graduates were gifted with a certified native Irish broadleaf tree from IoD Ireland, each of which will be planted and certified in the graduates’ names by Wolfgang Reforest. Each graduate was presented with a certificate including the coordinates of where the tree is planted in Co. Wicklow. Wolfgang Reforest is a not-for-profit social enterprise, whose mission is to start a movement of citizens and companies planting trees, thereby reforesting Ireland acre by acre.
The graduates were:
- James Bowen, Managing Director, newwellconsulting.com
- John Britton, Chief Operating Officer, FIRE1
- John Browne, Director of Asset Sales / Non-Executive Director and Trustee, Ulster Bank
- Brian Clavin, Partner, KPMG
- Seana Cunningham, Director of Enforcement and Anti-Money Laundering, Central Bank of Ireland
- Jennifer Farrelly CDir, Portfolio Chief Finance Officer
- Marie Hayden, Managing Director, Grid Enhancing Technologies Ltd
- Olivia Leonard CDir, Senior Director Product Marketing, Meta
- Kevin McLoughlin, Director, Collaborative Cures
- Anne O'Dwyer, Former Managing Director, Kroll
- J.P. Scally, Président / Chief Executive Officer, Lidl France
- Daniel Sheils CDir, Managing Director, Public Service Industry, EMEA, Accenture
- Lawrence Vesey, Partner, Sia Partners & Company
An award returning this year was the Tom Byrne award. This award recognises excellence in academic achievement as well as individual participation in, contribution to and engagement with the Chartered Director Programme. J.P. Scally, Président / Chief Executive Officer, Lidl France, was awarded this to commend him for his dedication throughout the programme and his results that underline this. IoD Ireland CEO Caroline Spillane CDir presented J.P. with the award, alongside Programme Director for the Chartered Director Programme in Ireland Eileen Gleeson CDir.
[Pictured L to R: Caroline Spillane CDir, Chief Executive Officer, IoD Ireland, J.P. Scally, Tom Byrne Award Winner and Président / Chief Executive Officer, Lidl France, Eileen Gleeson CDir, Programme Director for the Chartered Director Programme in Ireland]
The graduation also took the opportunity to mark and commend members who had become accredited chartered directors in 2024 and 2025 to date. Caroline Spillane CDir, Chief Executive Officer, IoD Ireland, welcomed those who recently became accredited to the ceremony and invited them on to stage to receive their certificates.
Congratulations to all of our graduates.
