Business group Ibec has appointed Anne O’Leary, Head of Meta Ireland, as its new president for 2024 to 2025.
She succeeds Paul Duffy, Senior Vice President at Pfizer Global Supply.
Anne O’Leary joined Meta in September 2022 as the Vice President of Mid-Market Global Business Group in EMEA. In May of last year, she was appointed Head of Meta Ireland.
She also holds seats on the boards of ESRI and Greencore and previously spent nine years as CEO in Vodafone Ireland, as well as spending time in BT Ireland as Managing Director and Esat Telecom as Regional Director.
“I am immensely proud to have been appointed as Ibec President. 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,” Anne O’Leary said.
“Ireland’s economy is in a very strong position, thanks to factors such as our 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.
“However, I believe the position we are in now is predominantly due to the hard work of businesses and their ambition to grow and scale. As a country, we have a real opportunity to make strategic investments that will ultimately future-proof our success so that businesses can continue to thrive,” she added.
Ibec CEO Danny McCoy said that Ms O’Leary has a deep understanding of the global business landscape in Ireland and, through her many roles, has worked closely with the Irish SME sector.
Anne O’Leary will address Ibec members and stakeholders at the organisation’s annual President’s dinner this evening in RDS where Taoiseach Simon Harris will also speak.