Speakers

Join us for the Philanthropy Symposium, where visionary leaders and innovative speakers will delve into the future of giving and the transformative power of strategic philanthropy. This event offers a unique opportunity to gain insights from pioneers in the field, discover different approaches to impactful giving, and connect with like-minded individuals committed to driving social change.

Tom Clinch

Tom will sit on the Innovate panel. Tom is the MD and principal owner of Clinch Wealth Management who advise Ireland’s leading Creatives, Professionals & Entrepreneurs. His wife Méav Ní Mhaolchatha is a Grammy-nominated singer and composer. Their daughter Catherine Clinch is the lead actress in the 2023 Oscar-nominated Irish film An Cailín Ciúin - The Quiet Girl. Tom also co-owns the creative production company SoSimpatico with one of Ireland’s most renowned creative producers Aoife Woodlock who curates special events in music, literature, film, theatre and the visual arts. Tom graduated from Trinty College Dublin in 1990 where he studied Drama and French leading to a career as an actor, theatre director and documentary film producer. Later in life he combined his passion for the arts with a career in finance and after qualifying as a financial advisor he founded Clinch Wealth Management in 2004. Tom is a Director of the Dublin Theatre Festival and the Sandford Park School which is one of Ireland’s longest-established non-denominational and mixed gender educational establishments. Tom’s family and businesses support a variety of charitable causes with an emphasis on providing social access to arts and education. He is in the process of establishing Cultivate - Ireland’s first philanthropic foundation for the Arts.

Louise McElvaney

Louise will sit on the Innovate panel. Louise is Chief Human Resources Officer at Learning Pool, the Derry head quartered workplace learning technology company. Louise is part of the founding team that has grown the business from a kitchen table start-up in 2006 to a global provider of learning solutions for some of the world’s biggest brands and employing 450 people around the world.
Louise has been pivotal in cultivating a culture at Learning Pool that prioritises the team, and sets a gold standard in people development.
Under Louise's leadership, Learning Pool has been recognised as a Platinum Investors in People (IIP) company, secured a place on the 'Best Places to Work in the UK 2024' list, recognition as a top workplace for women, and achieving 'outstanding' employee engagement in the 'Great Places to Work' global initiative.
In 2022 Louise Co founded a charity trust called 5 Ten to help young people further their education and development ambitions. Since then 5 Ten has supported a number of young people to continue their third level education. The trust also sponsors numerous initiatives with early education providers to develop resilience and address mental health challenges among children and young people in the northwest.

Ondřej Liška

Ondřej will sit on the Innovate panel. He serves as the Regional Director Europe at Porticus - a global philanthropic entity that strives for a just and sustainable future where human dignity can flourish. Porticus partners with organizations around the globe to achieve systemic improvements to education, social justice, environment, sustainable economy and civic participation.

In prior incarnations, Ondřej worked in diverse roles centered around social change: Be it as a member of national government (Minister of Education), elected member of national parliament, or on international scale as adviser to non-governmental & private sector, policy analyst, ecosystem organizer and author. Ondřej has worked with civil society organizations, think-tanks, public institutions, philanthropists and social entrepreneurs to strengthen open, inclusive society, sustainable approach to our planet and to transform societal systems so everyone can fully belong.

Currently, he also serves on the Board of CAN - Community Arts Network, an international organization that aims to provide a platform to connect and empower individuals and organisations to trigger positive social change through the arts. Ondřej supports various other philanthropic and civil society entities as a pro bono board member.

Darren Ryan

Darren is a Board member of Philanthropy Ireland and our MC for the Philanthropy Symposium. He provides philanthropy consultancy, coaching and strategy development for leaders of non-profits. He was previously the CEO of Social Entrepreneurs Ireland and Director Ireland for The Ireland Funds. He is currently on the board of Philanthropy Ireland and is a Founding Director of SERI (Social Enterprise Republic of Ireland).

Sean Coughlan

Sean will host our Innovate Panel. Spanning both the not-for-profit and for-profit sectors, Sean’s experience includes Director of the To Zero initiative to child sexual violence in a generation (to-zero.org), Executive Director of the Human Dignity Foundation, Chief Executive of Boards.ie and Co-Founder and Chief Executive of Social Entrepreneurs Ireland. Seán has served on a number of boards and working groups including the Advisory Board of INTERPOL’s Fight Against Child Sexual Exploitation Initiative, the Board of the European Venture Philanthropy Association and the Board of Trustees of Airfield Estate. Seán is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin.

Nicklas Larsen

Nicklas from the Copenhagen Institute of Future Studies will host the 'Collaborate' interactive session at the Symposium. Nicklas is a driven and creative futures and foresight specialist, educator, and advocate. He provides learners and leaders with the tools to approach systemic change, promote intergenerational fairness, foster international partnerships, and influence policymaking. He is the UNESCO Co-Chair in Futures Capabilities, a Senior Advisor heading Arts and Culture, and a board member at the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies. Additionally, he serves as Faculty at Parsons School of Design in Paris, he is leading Teach the Future in Denmark, and is a member of the Network of Institutions and Leaders for Future Generations. He advances futures literacy, foresight and systems thinking with learners and leaders by embedding the disciplines across education, public policy, philanthropy, cultural, and intergovernmental institutions. From innovative educational programs and publications to organizational strategy and experience design, he emphasizes the vital role of art and culture in nurturing public imagination.

Kate Symondson

Kate joined Alexander Square Partners in 2021, defining the architecture and vision of the Foundation, connecting with a community of philanthropists, and building relationships with charities.

Kate’s background is in academia, earning her PhD in English Literature at King’s College London, where she also taught undergraduates. She has a sprawling career as a writer of academic, educational and cultural pieces, as well as working as a freelance communications consultant for a number of socially and community-minded organisations. Alongside her role at ASP, she runs cultural courses for adults that explore the complex histories of cultural phenomena through literature.

When she’s not immersing herself in a swimming pool or a book, Kate loves diving into London’s rich culture of art, theatre, cinema, and old pubs.

She will sit on the Activate Panel.

Nicole Parkes O’Callaghan

Nicole Parkes O’Callaghan is Marketing Lead - UKI Retail & Consumer Goods at Accenture and participates in her families’ philanthropic efforts through a number of social cause initiatives.

Activate Panel

Watch this space! We will announce the Activate panel shortly.

Speakers

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