Pictured: Michaela Hagenhofer, General Manager, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine Ireland.
This week sees new and notable appointments at Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine Ireland, Sky Ireland, Mason Hayes & Curran and Bundledocs.
Michaela Hagenhofer, General Manager
Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine Ireland
Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine has appointed Michaela Hagenhofer as General Manager of its commercial operations for Ireland. Michaela will be responsible for leading all aspects of the commercial business in Ireland, focused on driving sustainable business growth through enhanced access to innovative therapies.
Michaela brings a wealth of experience to her new role, having previously served as Commercial Director for Specialty Care at J&J Innovative Medicine in Austria. During her tenure, she achieved consistent business growth across key therapeutic areas including immunology, central nervous system, and cardiopulmonary therapies, driven by a customer-centric approach and a commitment to talent development.
She has dedicated her career to date to the pharmaceutical industry, having previously worked for Takeda, AbbVie and Merck in roles with increased responsibility across many therapy areas including haematology, oncology and gastroenterology.
Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine innovates with purpose to lead where medicine is going. Its ambition is to tackle the toughest health challenges, where patient need is highest. Currently, its research and development are focused on the areas of oncology, immunology, neuroscience, cardiopulmonary and specialty ophthalmology, with a commitment to changing the standard of care including evaluation of new medicines and therapeutic interventions that are personalised for optimised clinical outcomes.
Based in Dublin, Michaela is enthusiastic about the opportunities that lie ahead. Commenting on her appointment, Michaela said, “Taking on the role of General Manager for Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine Commercial Operations Ireland is an exciting next chapter in my career. As a business, we are committed to leading where medicine is going, identifying the patients with the highest unmet need and developing increasingly personalised care for specific sub-sets of patients. I am committed to continuing to collaborate with our talented team in Ireland to seek timely access to these innovative treatments, working in partnership with the Government, patient groups, the health service, academia and the wider industry to make a tangible difference in the lives of people, health systems and society here.”
With a presence in Ireland since 1981, J&J Innovative Medicine employs over 1,200 dedicated individuals at its two sites in Cork spanning manufacturing and R&D, together with its commercial office in Dublin. The company applies rigorous science with compassion, to confidently address the most complex diseases of our time and unlock the potential medicines of tomorrow.
Michael Forry, Commercial Director
Caroline Donnellan, Director of Marketing & Brand
Aideen Chambers, Director of Mobile
Sky Ireland
Sky Ireland has announced three new appointments to its senior leadership team with Caroline Donnellan, Aideen Chambers and Michael Forry all taking on new roles within the business.
Michael Forry has been appointed Commercial Director. Michael’s previous role as Director of TV & Broadband saw him lead Sky Ireland’s customer growth strategy in a highly competitive market since 2022. His most notable wins during this time include driving Sky Broadband business to record growth in 2023 and the successful launch of Sky Stream in the summer of 2023.
Michael joined Sky Ireland in 2016 and has played a pivotal role in the launch and growth of the NOW brand in Ireland, and driving key trading performance metrics for the business.
Caroline Donnellan, currently Director of Marketing & Brand at Sky Ireland, has expanded her role to include responsibility for the NOW brand in Ireland. In her new role, Caroline will continue to lead Sky’s award-winning marketing team while also steering the brand strategy for NOW.
Caroline has been instrumental in leading some of Sky’s most significant marketing initiatives, including the launches of Sky Glass and Sky Stream, as well as the highly successful OUTBELIEVE campaign for the Women’s National Football team, and its expansion to the Men’s National Team. Caroline’s leadership has earned her the title of Marketer of the Year 2023 and, under her guidance, her team won Marketing Team of the Year 2023.
Aideen Chambers continues her role as Director of Mobile but will now also serve on Sky Ireland’s Senior Leadership Team. Aideen has been at the forefront of Sky Mobile’s highly anticipated launch into the Irish market later this year. Prior to joining Sky in 2022, Aideen garnered extensive background at Vodafone Ireland, O2, and Three Ireland, positioning her perfectly to drive Sky Mobile’s growth.
Commenting on the appointments, JD Buckley, CEO of Sky Ireland, said: “I am delighted to announce the appointment of Caroline, Aideen and Michael to the Senior Leadership Team at Sky Ireland. Each of them brings a wealth of experience, strategic insight and customer focus that has been instrumental in driving our business forward.”
Catherine O’Flynn, Employment Law Partner
Mason Hayes & Curran
Mason Hayes & Curran has expanded its Employment Law & Benefits team with the appointment of Catherine O’Flynn as partner. Catherine brings over 20 years of deep employment law expertise, with a strong focus on equality and age-related issues.
Catherine provides expert advice to clients on a wide range of employment matters, helping them to manage risks and stay ahead of market trends and legal developments.
Melanie Crowley, Head of Employment Law & Benefits at Mason Hayes & Curran, commented: “Catherine is an accomplished and senior lawyer whose extensive experience will be a tremendous asset to our firm. As Ireland’s largest and most experienced employment law team, we help some of the biggest domestic and multinational companies to navigate the evolving legal landscape. Catherine’s appointment further reinforces our position as a leader in the field.”
Catherine O’Flynn said: “I am delighted to join Mason Hayes & Curran and look forward to working with Melanie and the team to help our clients tackle their most pressing employment law challenges. The last 12-18 months have seen significant legislative changes and developments in the area of employment law. This trend is set to continue apace, particularly with the commencement of the AI Act and changes around pay transparency coming down the tracks. My goal is to provide strategic guidance and support across all sectors, empowering our clients to confidently make the best decisions for their business.”
Catherine is a committee member and former Chair of the Law Society of Ireland’s Employment and Equality Law Committee. In these roles, she has made various submissions to the Irish Government on matters of Irish employment law.
A graduate of Trinity College Dublin, Catherine’s professional memberships include the Law Society of Ireland, the European Employment Lawyers Association, and the Employment Lawyers Association of Ireland.
Lisa Walsh, Chief Operating Officer
Bundledocs
Bundledocs, the Irish cloud-based document bundling software provider, has announced the promotion of its Co-Founder Lisa Walsh to Chief Operating Officer as the company continues to expand. Walsh previously worked as the Director of Marketing and Business Development since the cloud-first service was launched in 2019. Her remit was to grow the customer base across key territories and scale the offering across new jurisdictions. During this time, she grew the business across 35 countries and the customer base to over 1,600 customers.
Commenting on the appointment, Brian Kenneally, Bundledocs CEO, said: “Lisa has been instrumental in Bundledocs’ growth so far, having come on board in 2019 to initially help develop the product. She has led the team in expanding the company across Europe, APAC and North America, hitting milestone after milestone, while ensuring our customers and team are looked after at every point. I’m looking forward to what Lisa will achieve in her new role and am delighted to have her on board as COO following a fantastic five years.”
Speaking on her new role, Lisa said: “I’m delighted to step up to the role of COO of Bundledocs. It has been a privilege to work with my fellow Co-Founders, Brian Kenneally and James Hogan, over the past five years and growing the company. We have an exciting and ambitious growth plan in place, and my key priority will now focus on continuing to scale the business internationally from our Irish HQ. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to work across all areas of the business and help each of our teams and customers achieve further success.”
Growing at a rate of approximately 30-40% each year, Bundledocs has become the market leader in the electronic document bundling space, working primarily within the legal sector. They recently announced the milestone of signing over half of the UK’s Top 200 Law Firms as customers.