Meta Ireland head Anne O’Leary has been appointed as president of Ibec. Pictured with Ibec CEO Danny McCoy. Photo: Conor McCabe Photography.
Ibec has appointed Anne O’Leary as its new president for the coming year.
Ms O’Leary was appointed as the head of Meta Ireland in April 2023. In this role, she oversees the work of Meta in its Dublin head quarters, as well as in its data centre in Meath and Reality Labs in Cork.
She first joined the tech giant in September 2022 as its vice president in the tech giant’s sales-focused Emea global business group.
She previously led Vodafone Ireland for nine years and also holds seats on the boards of ESRI and Greencore. She also worked as managing director of BT Ireland and also held the position of regional director at Esat Telecom.
Ms O’Leary succeeds Pfizer Global Supply senior vice president Paul Duffy as president of the lobby group.
“In my various roles with businesses in Ireland, I have always placed great value on Ibec’s role as the voice of business and employers,” Ms O’Leary said.
She pointed to factors driving Ireland’s economic growth, including its openness to trade, capital and people.
“We must continue to be agile and responsive to new investment, support Irish businesses in internationalising, and ensure that Ireland remains a place where careers can grow and develop,” she said, adding that Ireland must also make strategic investments in order to “future-proof” the country’s success.
“Anne has a deep understanding of the global business landscape in Ireland and, through her many roles, has worked closely with the Irish SME sector,” Ibec chief executive Danny McCoy said.
“Anne is not only a brilliant champion of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion but also someone who works hard to uphold these principles through her leadership of Meta Ireland, a global giant based in Ireland with a diverse and global workforce representing over 110 nationalities, he added.