Board of Directors

Barry O’Connell

Board Member & Chairperson

Barry O’Connell is a senior business executive with global experience in driving growth and transformation in emerging and mature markets across Ireland, Russia, Switzerland, Austria, New Zealand, Australia and Malaysia/Singapore. Barry brings in-depth experience across senior strategic roles to the GOAL Board, along with a proven track-record delivering ambitious business outcomes, while ensuring long-term commercial, social and environmental sustainability. He is passionate about building organisational capability to create value, from talent development, to infra-structure and digitalisation. Barry was appointed Chief Executive at Dublin Port Company in November 2022.

Alison Cowzer

Board Member

Alison Cowzer is co-founder of East Coast Bakehouse, and Managing Director of The Company of Food. As an investor and Dragon on RTE’s Dragon’s Den series, she has made investments in a number of start-up enterprises. Alison is also a director of Women for Election and The Ronald McDonald House Charity.

Kieran Kelly

Board Member

Kieran Kelly is a Chartered Accountant who worked for 37 years with Ernst & Young where he served on the Irish leadership team, and was a member of the firm’s European Governance Board.

He has significant experience in leadership, driving transformational change and managing complex projects. As a Partner with EY, he had responsibility for clients across a wide range of sectors, including regulated institutions and charitable organisations. Kieran is currently serving as a council/board member to a number of educational institutions.

Maria Valle Ribeiro

Board Member

Maria Valle Ribeiro is an international development, humanitarian and human rights leader with almost 40 years of experience across the United Nations and international NGOs. She has held senior roles including Assistant Secretary-General/Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Libya, and UN Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian coordinator in various parts of Africa.

Maria has a strong track record of working with diverse stakeholders to build partnerships, mobilise resources, and advocate for the rights and needs of vulnerable communities. Her work has contributed to peacebuilding and humanitarian responses in complex contexts, including challenges linked to Covid-19, drought, and displacement across Africa. Earlier in her career, Maria worked with Concern Worldwide and Save the Children UK.

Maria holds an MScEcon in Development Policy and Planning from the Univerity of Wales. She remains committed to advancing inclusive, equitable, and sustainable development, guided by international humanitarian and human rights principals.

Saad Houry

Board Member

Saad Houry is a former senior staff member of UNICEF. Mr. Houry joined UNICEF in 1978 and served in different capacities at country, regional and global level. He was appointed Senior Advisor to the Executive Director in June 2011, after serving as Deputy Executive Director, Programmes.

Since retiring in 2012 Mr. Houry has been helping UN organisations, NGOs and Foundations active in the development and humanitarian assistance fields.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Chemistry from the American University of Beirut and a Master of Science in Neurobiology from the University of London.

Julie Mernagh

Board Member

Julie Mernagh is an executive leader with deep expertise in culture governance, inclusion, business transformation, and human‑capital risk across complex across  multi‑country organisations. She is Chief People Officer at Bidvest Noonan, where she leads the company’s global People & Culture strategy, focusing on colleague experience, leadership development, diversity & inclusion, and organisational transformation. She is also responsible for social impact in her current role.

Prior to joining Bidvest Noonan, Julie held senior roles at Vodafone, AIB, Accenture, and PwC. Her background spans large‑scale transformation programmes, strategic workforce planning, executive coaching, and inclusive culture initiatives across Europe and beyond.

Julie graduated from Trinity College Dublin with a BA, Business & Politics (Human Resources) and from UCD Smurfit with an MA, Management Consulting.

Edel Briody

Board Member

Edel Briody is currently Head of Corporate Security, Risk and Compliance at Vodafone Ireland having worked in various roles for Vodafone for the last six years. She has more than 20 years of security experience, during which she primarily worked in the telecommunications industry.

Edel’s qualifications range from Business, Legal, Investigations and Risk Management and she is currently completing the Chartered Directors Programme for directors and strategic business leaders.

Edel is married with two children and enjoys countryside living, reading, walking and catching up with friends.

Brian FitzGerald

Board Member

Brian FitzGerald works for the Department of Environment, Climate and Communication as a Community Liaison Officer for Offshore Renewable Energy and has worked in this area since 2021, after he retired from the Defence Forces where he served as the Officer Commanding Naval Operations Command and Second in Command of the Naval Service.

Brian also joined Simply Blue (a leading Blue Economy Project Developer) in March 2021, as Director of External Affairs and Stakeholder Liaison (Ire.)

In 2017, Brian planned and coordinated the rescue of over 3,000 migrants during a major humanitarian mission in the Mediterranean Sea, and coordinated and led the search and recovery surrounding the loss of an Irish Coast Guard helicopter and its crew.

Brian holds a Masters Degree in Marine and Maritime Law and a Bachelor's Degree in Law from UCC. In addition, Brian lectures in Maritime Law at UCC and is a qualified Mediator

Brona Kernan

Board Member

Brona, an experienced and dynamic leader with a proven track record in leading and delivering complex business and IT transformation initiatives in both start-up and large global organisation, is currently IT Director at Zurich Ireland

Brona is skilled in Strategy, Operational Excellence, Digital Transformation, Data and Analytics, Change Management, Business Process, Enterprise Software, E-commerce and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and in 2012 was awarded a Fellowship by the Irish Computer Society and invited to join the Institute of Directors. Previously in 2005, she was awarded ICT Professional of the Year by the Irish Computer Society.

Brona was appointed to GOAL’s Board of Directors in November 2022 and is already a member of GOAL’s Technology Advisory Board.

Tavengwa Tavengwa

Board Member

Tavengwa Tavengwa is a Partner with EY with over 25 years’ experience advising technology leaders in understanding and appropriately managing IT risks inherent in the digital transformation journey. He has supported large PLCs in managing the IT risks associated with large ERP systems implementation and the implementation/review of IT internal control frameworks.

Tavengwa’s journey began in a low-income suburb in Zimbabwe, where he witnessed first-hand the transformative impact of non-governmental organisations on local communities. This formative experience ignited a lifelong passion for empowering individuals and communities to unlock their fullest potential. Tavengwa also sits on the Board of an educational organisation which provides Senior Leadership training programmes that focus on diversity of leadership styles.

Alan Kealy

Board Member

Alan Kealy is a Chartered Accountant and international CFO with extensive Governance and Board level experience.  During his career with Western Union, he was a Board member of their regulated Turkey (Chair) and UK entities, as well as other principal subsidiaries, focusing on shaping strategy, managing risks, and supporting executive teams.  In his executive career, he has led high-impact teams internationally in Europe, Americas, MEA and APAC and built up expertise in navigating complex international regulatory environments and leading through transformation.  He was previously Head of Group Financial Reporting at DEPFA Bank, Ireland’s largest bank at the time.

Alan holds a B.Comm International degree from UCD, is a member of the Institute of Directors and has a Professional Diploma in Corporate Governance from UCD Smurfit Business School.

Joanne Looby

Board Member

Joanne Looby is Global Marketing Director at Diageo Company where she has spent the 17 years building global and local brands.

Joanne has experience across Africa having held the Guinness, Global Marketing Director, Africa role in 2019 and in 2022, when she moved to Kenya, to lead the beer business for Diageo, East Africa Breweries. Prior to this, Joanne held several positions within Diageo’s marketing function which gave her extensive exposure to multiple elements of the marketing mix including brand management, relationship marketing and digital marketing.

Joanne’s marketing expertise is strengthened by her international experience when she gained an understanding of diverse cultures and how to operate in that context.

William Carlos

Board Member

William Carlos is a career diplomat having served as Irish Ambassador to many countries over his tenure in the Department of Foreign Affairs, most recently opening a new embassy in the Philippines (also accredited to Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia and Marshall Islands) in November 2021. He served as Ambassador of Ireland to Uganda (also accredited to Rwanda) between 2018 and 2021 and as Ambassador of Ireland to Mozambique (and accredited to Botswana and Angola) between 2014 and 2018.

William Carlos also served as the Director, Evaluation and Audit Unit (2009 – 2014), as Head of Development/Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Ireland, Tanzania (2005-2009), as Senior Evaluation Specialist, Evaluation and Audit Unit, (2003-2005) and as Senior Humanitarian Advisor, Emergency and Recovery Unit, (1997-2003).

In his early career he worked for Concern and was deployed to Thailand, Bangladesh and Mozambique with extensive experience operating in conflict zones in particular.

William has served as a member of the GOAL Programmes and Innovation Advisory Board since October 2025.

Mark Moriarty

Board Member

Mark’s career in consumer & customer facing businesses across retail, wholesale and foodservice markets in Ireland and the UK has focussed on translating strategy into execution — improving commercial performance, shaping operating models and building organisational capability to deliver sustainable growth.

As Group Transformation Officer with Musgrave Group, Mark leads enterprise transformation working with the CEO and executive team to deliver strategic change across retail, wholesale and foodservice operations. Prior to this, he held senior commercial leadership roles across Musgrave, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.

Mark holds a BSC in Retail and Services Management from Technological University Dublin and has completed the “Lead the Future” programme with INSEAD.

Glenn Gillard

Board Member

Glenn is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland and former external audit partner with Deloitte Ireland. Glenn is currently a Non-Executive Director of the Irish Music Rights Organisation Limited.

Glenn was with Deloitte Ireland for 28 and in his last role he headed up the firm’s cross service offerings in Sustainability. With over 25 years experience, working across industries with a particular background in audit and assurance within the insurance, investment management and energy sectors, Glenn has significant experience of regulatory change, governance and risk management.

Glenn holds a BBS (Lang), Business and completed Post Graduate studies in ESSEC Business School.