Our Keynote Speaker

Marie Gleeson is a former Irish Navy Captain and Managing Director of NavMar Leadership. With over 20 years of service, she rose from cadet to Commanding Officer of the naval vessel LE AOIFE.

Her career included leading teams in high-pressure environments and facing complex challenges at sea, shaping her expertise in decision-making, resilience, and leadership. One of the first female officers in the Irish Navy, Marie is a powerful voice on leading in traditionally male-dominated environments. Today, she works with organisations across the public and private sectors, helping leaders and teams build high performance, resilience, and strong support systems through practical, experience-driven insights. 

Pat Lucey, M.Eng., PMI-ACP, PMP, CDir, has served on the Board of Directors of Project Management Institute since 2024, including as the Chair of the Goverrnance Committee. He is a long-time PMI volunteer and is president emeritus of PMI’s Ireland Chapter, where he served as a President and/or Director for 10 years. 

Lucey is a co-founder of Aspira, an international consultancy delivering technology, project management and business advisory services, and served as Aspira’s CEO and chairperson from 2007-2022. Prior to Aspira, he was director of project management at Motorola for 17 years and an engineer with Siemens. 

He is a regular speaker at conferences around the world, where he shares practical entrepreneurial and project management skills. 

Lucey holds master’s degrees in Engineering and Telecommunications Engineering from the University of Limerick, Ireland. 

Navjot Sawhney is the founder of The Washing Machine Project, a UK-based social enterprise that designs and distributes manual washing machines for low-income, remote, and displaced communities.

After studying Aerospace Engineering at Queen Mary University of London, Nav worked at Dyson before volunteering with Engineers Without Borders UK in South India. There he met his neighbour Divya, who spent up to 20 hours a week handwashing clothes. Wanting to help, he returned to the UK and built the first prototype, founding the organisation in 2019 while studying at the University of Bath.

The project now operates in 14 countries, reaching around 50,000 people globally.

Justin Conry is Chief Performance & Planning Officer at Three Ireland, where he recently led the company’s transformation to Enterprise Agile. He has delivered major digital transformation programmes across both Three Ireland and Three UK, and most recently served as Integration Delivery Director for the Three UK and Vodafone merger.

At Three, he is responsible for embedding an Enterprise Agile operating model and driving agile maturity to support sustained performance improvement across the organisation. Passionate about the role agility plays in enabling high-performing teams and organisations, Justin has spent much of his career leading change and transformation across companies including Vodafone, Aviva, Microsoft, and BearingPoint. 

Kathleen Walch is Director of AI Engagement and Community at Project Management Institute (PMI), where she focuses on advancing practical, responsible AI adoption across the project management profession. In this role, Kathleen works at the intersection of education, community, and real‑world practice to help professionals confidently lead AI‑enabled initiatives. 

As an experienced data-focused analyst with a background in marketing, Kathleen’s expertise and experience in project management issues around organizational adoption of data led to the development of the CPMAI methodology. Kathleen is a dynamic presenter, researcher and thought leader on emerging technology best practices. She is a sought after keynoter and presenter speaking to audiences worldwide. Kathleen is also the host of the AI Today podcast and a frequent contributor to publications including CIO, Fortune, Forbes, and TechTarget SearchAI. 

Tammy Snook is a strategist and project leader from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, and the founder of Rising Tide Consulting.

Her work sits at the intersection of project management, community development, and entrepreneurship, where she transforms organizations from theoretical vision to practical action. She serves as Director of Outreach for the Project Management Institute Newfoundland and Labrador Chapter, where she leads initiatives that expand awareness of project management across the province.

Proud of her longstanding Irish heritage, Tammy brings a perspective rooted in place, people, and possibility. Outside of her busy schedule, Tammy enjoys travelling and supporting local coffee shops in search of the perfect caramel macchiato.

Laura is the founder of Colectivo, a boutique consultancy driving design and innovation for sustainability. She is recognised as one of the Top 100 Women in Social Innovation by Euclid, an initiative supported by the European Commission, as well as an Under 35 Changemaker by PMI and PWC.

Laura is a multi-award winning faculty member of Design and Innovation for Sustainability at IE Business School, where she previously held Director-level roles in the areas of Learning Experience and Social Innovation. She is passionate about design, sustainable innovation and education, with a project portfolio spanning across Latin America and Europe.  

John Kelly is an experienced leader in the electricity sector with over 25 years at ESB. Throughout his career, he has worked across Engineering, Generation, Renewables, Networks, and international roles, building a broad and practical understanding of the industry. 

He currently serves as Networks Project Delivery Manager, leading several project management teams responsible for delivering key infrastructure programmes. His work is focused on building resilient networks to support the future expansion of the Irish national grid, in line with Government objectives. 

John is passionate about delivering major project programmes aligned with project management best practice, bringing a strong focus on execution, collaboration, and long-term infrastructure development to support Ireland’s evolving energy needs. 

Jay is a Partner in the Planning and Environment Law team at Mason, Hayes & Curran LLP.

He works for developers and infrastructure promoters, advising on all stages of the planning process and all aspects of environmental law.

Additionally, he advises businesses in different sectors on health & safety, circular economy and sustainability legal matters. Jay was recently ranked by the Legal 500 as a next generation partner.

Jay previously worked for five years as an environmental consultant, managing the environmental impacts of large infrastructure projects and advising businesses on how to improve their sustainability performance.

Stephen Dunne is a Manager in Network Projects within EirGrid’s Chief Infrastructure Office, where he leads a team responsible for delivering critical transmission system reinforcements essential to a secure and future-proof power system.

He graduated in Energy Systems Engineering from University of Galway and began his career in site civil engineering before moving into the power sector. Since joining EirGrid, he has held a variety of project, programme, and portfolio management roles before moving into management in 2024. He also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Sustainable Energy, combining practical site experience with a strategic focus on the delivery of sustainable infrastructure.

Project management principles are central to Stephen’s work, helping ensure Ireland’s evolving power system needs are met through the successful delivery of complex, large-scale capital projects and programmes of work. His role, and that of his team, sits at the forefront of Ireland’s energy transition.