Damien English T.D

Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail

Damien English TD is the Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, having been appointed on July 2nd, 2020. 

Much of his work at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is with businesses, workers, their representative bodies and the State Agencies to ensure that the economic recovery and growth extends to all parts of the country. He works closely with the SME sector, including retail, on building resilience and on the transition to green and digital economies. 

Minister English has responsibility in Government at international level for EPSCO – the Employment, Social Policy, Health & Consumer Affairs Council, the EMCO – Employment Committee, and the ILO – International Labour Organisation. 

Minister English’s legislative oversight concentrates on matters relating to Employment Permits, Employment Rights, Industrial Relations and Trade Unions, Workplace Relations, Redundancy Payments, Construction Contracts, Workplace Health and Safety, Intellectual Property, including copyright, trademarks, designs and patents, and on Standards for goods and services. 

Minister English has responsibility in Government for a number of State Bodies, including the Workplace Relations Commission, the Labour Court, the Health and Safety Authority, the National Standards Authority of Ireland and the Intellectual Property Office of Ireland. He is also Chair of the Retail Forum. 

Having previously served as Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government from May 2016 to June 2020, he was first appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and the Department of Education and Skills in July 2014. 

Minister English has worked on a number of key, forward-thinking and deliverable initiatives for the Government, including ‘Rebuilding Ireland – Action Plan for Housing’, the National Planning Framework, Project Ireland 2040, ‘Innovation 2020’ – Ireland’s strategy for research and development, science and technology, ‘Housing Options for our Ageing Population’ which provides a policy framework to support our ageing population, the National Marine Planning Framework, the expansion of the apprenticeship system in Ireland, and the ‘National Skills Strategy 2025 – Ireland’s Future’.

David Begg

Chairperson, Workplace Relations Commission (WRC)

Former General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions David Begg was appointed Chairperson of the Workplace Relations Commission in January, 2021. The appointment for a five-year term was announced by Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment Damien English. Mr Begg chairs the Pensions Authority, the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, and the Fire Service National Oversight Implementation Group of the Department of the Environment. 

Mr Begg is also an Adjunct Professor at Maynooth University Institute of Social Sciences. His extensive history in the trade union movement included heading up the ESB Officers Association, the Communications Workers’ Union, and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, holding the latter role from 2001 to 2015 when he retired. Between 1997 and 2001, he stepped away from trade union activities to chair international aid agency Concern. Mr Begg was previously a director of the Central Bank of Ireland between 1995 and 2010 and of The Irish Times Trust from 2001 to 2011.

Alan Price

CEO of BrightHR

A leading authority on employment law and HR, Alan Price is CEO of BrightHR, an international HR software firm and employment law advice service. 

Alan is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD with 18 years’ experience in employee relations, a Chartered Manager and Fellow of the CMI, a certified practitioner and Fellow of the AHRI (Australian Human Resources Institute), and a member of the Canadian Human Resource Professional Association. 

Having demonstrated a significant contribution to business and society, he is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. In 2003, Alan was appointed to her Majesty’s Court and Tribunal Service and was one of the youngest judicial appointments to the Employment Tribunal Service, which he continues to hold. 

From 2015 to 2019, Alan served as a charity trustee and Non-Executive Director for the global HR professional body, the CIPD, which represents over 140,000 HR professionals worldwide. 

As an industry-leading thought leader, Alan’s expertise is sought after regularly. His authoritative commentary on SME and people management issues has been featured in media outlets such as BBC News, BBC Five Live, Sky News and The Telegraph.

Jenny Marsden

Director of Service & Engagement, BrightHR

Jenny Marsden joined Peninsula Group in 2012 as a Service Desk Analyst, to provide customer service and support to clients with the use of its software services. Since then, she has delivered multiple online offerings across the business, ultimately moving to the Group’s global flagship product, BrightHR. Whilst at BrightHR, Jenny has helped the organisation reach half a million active users worldwide and overseen the BrightHR app to make it the highest rated HR app in the Apple App Store. Jenny’s focus is on supporting BrightHR’s clients and users digitally, through multiple contact channels and providing leadership to BrightHR’s global service team of over 70 customer success experts.

Moira Grassick

Chief Operating Officer, Peninsula

Moira Grassick is the Chief Operating Officer of Peninsula, a leading provider of HR, employment law, and health & safety support to 7,000 businesses across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Moira joined Peninsula in 2012 as a HR Consultant and since then her role has progressed significantly into a Senior Director position within the Peninsula Group. 

With full responsibility for the management and development of Peninsula’s Irish operations, Moira presides over 3,600 client monthly service interactions. She also plays a pivotal role in meeting the Group’s ambitious growth goals and building on Peninsula’s outstanding reputation for service and delivery to clients throughout the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Moira’s career has always centred on employment law and HR, and she has a BA in HRM and a Diploma in Employment Law. She is also a certified mediator.

Nóra Cashe

Litigation & Compliance Manager, Peninsula

Nóra Cashe qualified as a barrister in 2008 and was admitted to the Bar of Ireland in October of that year. She obtained an Hons. LL.B Irish Law Degree and studied and obtained the degree of Barrister-at-Law at the Honourable Society of Kings Inns. 

Nóra practiced in the area of Criminal Law before joining the Peninsula Litigation team in November 2014. During her time at the Bar, Nóra also volunteered regularly with the Free Legal Aid Centres and was a member of the Irish Criminal Bar Association. 

Nóra has extensive experience in the area of Employment Law and HR Policies and Procedures, representing clients at Employment Tribunal hearings and Conciliation/Mediation meetings before both the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) and the Labour Court. She has authored a number of articles for Peninsula, coordinated Peninsula’s internal Learning and Development programme, and is a regular contributor at the Group’s Global Legal and Training meetings.

James Kiernan

Director of Relationship Management, Chambers Ireland

James Kiernan, Director of Relationship Management with Chambers Ireland, supports the Chamber network of 40 Chambers and is responsible for coordinating the commercial activities of the national Chamber. He’s also the main point of contact with key national stakeholders

Mr. Kiernan coordinates Chambers Ireland’s activities on the areas of sustainability and the SDGs, including leading the Sustainable Business Council. Mr. Kiernan sits on the National CSR and SDG stakeholder forums and is the Chamber/business representative on water and energy stakeholder forums. He also coordinated the recent all-island Chamber event in conjunction with COP 26. 

Mr. Kiernan is currently undertaking an MBA with an emphasis on the area of sustainability. 

He will be speaking on why it is important for businesses to engage on sustainability and how the Sustainable Development Goals are an opportunity for all.