Mayo Ideas Week kicks off today (Monday, September 25 ), with the Spirit of Change seminar at GMIT. Chaired by Tommy Marren from Midwest Radio, this is a ‘must’ event for every entrepreneur in Mayo. Spirit of Change will explore the challenges and opportunities arising across the changing international, political, social, and business environments. Inspirational speakers will outline their vision for the future and their strategies for managing change.
The speakers include Yvonne Holmes, head of business performance and analytics, AIB. Ms Holmes is a member of the Retail and Commercial Banking Senior Leadership team in AIB and leads a team of some 80 data scientists and information analysts. She was a very influential leader in leading a number of key programmes across AIB Group, including retail transformation, core systems replacement, digital customer experience, and enhanced analytics. Ms Holmes also held the position of head of direct service. She is a member of the Diversity and Inclusion board in AIB and has a master's in IT.
Mayo-born Willie Ruane, CEO, Connacht Rugby, played professional rugby for Connacht, Ireland, and the Barbarians in the late 1990s. After 15 years in the banking sector he took up the role as Connacht CEO in 2014 and has spearheaded an exciting phase in its development including winning the PRO12 Championship in the 2015/16 season. Other speakers are Dr Mark White, manager of Marine Development Team, Marine Ireland, and Fiona Slevin, chief operating officer, ORRECO.
Spirit of Change takes place in St Mary’s Hall GMIT, Castlebar, from 5.30pm to 8pm. The event is hosted by Mayo LEO in association with AIB, and is supported by GMIT, WestBIC, Enterprise Ireland, Údarás na Gaeltachta, and Mayo Ideas Lab. A range of agencies and organisations supporting innovation will also be represented at the event. To register see the website: www.spiriteventwest.com
