Speakers

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.

2025 Speakers

Fran Perrin

Keynote Speaker

Fran Perrin is the Founder and Director of the Indigo Trust which she established in 1999 and now runs with her husband, William. Fran is also co-founder and Patron of 360Giving. Fran was formerly an advisor at the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, in the UK Cabinet Office. Fran is a Board Member of The Sainsbury Archive. In the past, she has also served as a Chair of the Board of Publish What You Fund and has been a member of DfID’s International Development Sector Transparency Panel. In 2012, Fran was named Philanthropist of the Year by Spears and in 2016 jointly received the Open Data Institute’s first ‘Women in Data’ award from Sir Tim Berners-Lee for her role in 360 Giving.

Tony Gannon

Speaker

Tony is Co-Founder of Long-Term Foundation, est. 2017. (LTF) supports initiatives seeking to improve long term solutions to food security & nutrition, increase access to international markets & improve access to finance for small business development in Sub-Saharan Africa.

LTF’s main focus is on Small holder Farmers & Agricultural Small and Medium Enterprises who engage with them. It seeks to achieve these goals by providing direct lending to Sub-Saharan small businesses at interest rates that don’t distort the local market but where funding is unavailable from local institutions. Tony’s voluntary involvement in social issues started as a member of the Society of St Vincent de Paul over 40 years ago, working on social justice programs in Dublin’s inner city. He’s also a board member of Small Foundation since its inception in 2007, supporting development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Small Foundation focusses on innovative scalable solutions to famine and hunger. Tony Co-Founded and is CIO of Abbey Capital Ltd, an international managed futures alternative investment company since 2000.

Ed Dunne

Speaker

Ed is a health and social care entrepreneur and active philanthropist. A qualified social care professional, Ed has over 20 years in organisational management and social care service set up. Ed has been instrumental in the setup of several social enterprise projects. Ed founded Nua Healthcare, now the largest private residential care provider in Ireland, in 2004. The organisation now provides accommodation and care to over 600 persons with complex care requirements and employs over 1500 people. Ed departed from Nua in 2020 and is leading out the development of Dídean’s services across Ireland.

Philip Murphy

Speaker

Philip has been contributing to the Lifes2good Foundation since 2020, initially in a background capacity, and formally assumed the role of Program Manager in April 2024. He holds both an undergraduate and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering, specializing in renewable energy. With three years of experience in this field, Philip is now dedicated to applying his expertise to support the foundation’s transition into the sustainable land use sector.

Michael McLoughlin

Speaker

Michael is Chief Executive of Amárach Research. He joined the Company in 2000 after a decade with AIB Bank. He has also worked in venture capital and retailing. Within Amárach he has particular interest in political and public affairs research; network planning and retail research and in stakeholder research. Between 2008 and 2010 he was, while on secondment from Amárach, Political Director of Fine Gael based in Leinster House. He holds MA and MBA degrees from University College Dublin. He is currently Chairperson for both the Social Finance Foundation and Irish Youth Foundation´s Boards.

Krystian Seibert

Speaker

Krystian Seibert is a leading expert in the policy settings for Australia’s not-for-profit and philanthropic sectors, with extensive experience shaping reforms in these areas. As Executive Director – Policy and Sector Development at Philanthropy Australia, he leads the peak body’s efforts to drive policy outcomes and strategic initiatives to grow giving and its impact.
Krystian previously served as an Associate Commissioner at Australia’s Productivity Commission, appointed by the Australian Government to jointly lead a wide-ranging inquiry focused on philanthropy. The inquiry's final report, 'Future Foundations for Giving', was released in July 2024 and sets out a reform roadmap for supporting giving in Australia. He was also closely involved with designing a new regulatory framework for community foundations in Australia, which took effect in early 2025. In his role as an adviser to a former Assistant Treasurer in the Australian Government, Krystian managed the delivery of major reforms focused on the not-for-profit sector, including the establishment of Australia’s charities regulator, the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) and the passage of Australia’s first statutory definition of charity, the Charities Act 2013.
Krystian serves as Chair of Mental Health First Aid International, an Australian charity whose evidence-based mental health first aid training programs have been delivered to more than 8 million people in over 40 countries around the world. He is also an Adjunct Industry Fellow at the Centre for Social Impact at Swinburne University of Technology. He has completed a Master’s degree focusing on regulatory policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Commerce (Economics) from Deakin University.

Becky Holmes

Speaker

Becky has been passionate about the natural world for as long as she can remember. Alongside running The Helvellyn Foundation, Becky works full time as Chief of Staff at Langland Conservation, a charity that provides cutting-edge intelligence support for conservation. She is also a member of the Advisory Group for the Environmental Funders Network which aims to increase philanthropic giving to environmental causes. She also holds a BSc in Ecology & Wildlife Conservation, and a BA in Graphic & Communication Design. She is passionate about all aspects of conservation but holds more specific knowledge on the areas of, poaching, the illegal wildlife trade and rewilding. And finally, she is obsessed with sharks!

Angela Kail

Speaker

Angela Kail is a seasoned philanthropy and charity consultant with over 17 years of experience. Throughout her career, Angela has worked with philanthropists at all stages of their journey--from those just starting out, to those that are deciding whether to spend out. She has worked with established foundations, individual givers as well as those working out how to involve their family. Angela worked at New Philanthropy Capital in London where she led pioneering initiatives in the sector, including early adoption of theory of change frameworks, shared measurement systems, pooled funding mechanisms, and funder-plus strategies. Angela combines rigorous research with practical, client-focused solutions. She has led strategic projects across areas such as mental health, EU citizen rights post-Brexit, and the cost-of-living crisis. As a thought leader, she has been calling for philanthropy to be more effective, as well as working on solutions that would help make giving easier for people. Prior to working in philanthropy, Angela started her career in investment management.

Lydia McCormack

Speaker

Lydia trained as a solicitor at Matheson and worked as a senior associate in its private client dept from 2010. She then joined the boutique private client practise, O’Connell Brennan LLP Solicitors, as a partner in 2022. She is a solicitor, Chartered Tax Advisor (CTA), trust specialist and is a member of the Society of Trusts and Estate Practitioners (STEP). She holds the STEP International Advanced PGDip in Wealth Planning and is the current secretary of STEP Ireland.

Lydia specialises in advising individuals and their families on personal estate planning, both from a legal and tax perspective, and on philanthropic giving. She also advises charities, foundations and charitable trusts on Irish charity law matters. Lydia has been recognised each year by the Chambers High Net Worth Guide as a leading expert in her field and she regularly lectures with the Irish Tax Institute, Law Society and STEP Ireland on matters relevant to estate planning and private philanthropic giving.

Éilis Murray

Panel Chair

As CEO for Philanthropy Ireland, Éilis is an advocate for the growth and development of philanthropy, she leads a small team supporting and providing voice for donors, individual, institutional and corporate. With almost 30 years’ experience working in the not-for-profit sector with a range of NGO’s, Éilis is passionate about the role and value of philanthropy in civil society. Prior to joining Philanthropy Ireland, Éilis worked as an Organisational Development Consultant, focusing on strategic planning and project development. In previous roles as Enterprise Development Manager with the local authority, she had responsibility for supporting and mentoring a portfolio of social enterprise start-ups and investments. Éilis has an MA in Philanthropic Studies from the University of Kent and a B. Comm from UCD. Committed to knowledge exchange and collaboration, she participates in DAFNE, the Donor and Foundations Network of Europe and is on the board of Oakfield Trust.

Maurice McQuillan

Panel Chair

Maurice is CEO of Lifes2good Foundation. The foundation was set up by James and Maria Murphy after business success in Lifes2good. The current primary focus of the foundation is on the environment, but the foundation also continues with two programmes from the first strategic planning cycle, which focused on women and children in situations of vulnerability. The main geographical focus is Galway / West of Ireland and one developing country. The foundation works with diverse organisations, from Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) to CAMFED who specialise in girl’s education and empowerment in the developing world. Prior to this Maurice worked in the international development and humanitarian sector for 14 years. He was Global Security Manager for Catholic Relief Services (CRS) – a large American INGO operating in over 100 countries and prior to that he was the Head of Humanitarian Programming in Trocaire in Ireland.

Mary O’Kennedy

Panel Chair

Mary is a passionate advocate for values-led and impact-driven philanthropy and social investment. She has over 25 years' experience working in and consulting to civil society organisations and has been responsible for driving numerous capital campaigns and large-scale philanthropic and corporate investments across the charitable sector. After roles with Trócaire and DCU’s Educational Trust, Mary founded OKC in 2002. Her team now works across the not-for-profit sector to initiate and grow philanthropic, corporate and multi-channel donor relationships. Mary also advises individuals, families and corporate partners on effective philanthropy. Mary is co-founder and Director of CCI Executive Search and a Director of Creative Careers. She was the Founding Chair of Fundraising Ireland (now Charities Institute Ireland), represented Ireland as Ambassador to the International Fundraising Congress, and currently serves as Chair of EUConsult and Irish Advisor to the Global Leadership Foundation. She also sits on the Board of the Seamus Heaney Estate.

Previous Speakers

Tom Clinch

Tom sat 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 sat 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.

Nicklas Larsen

Nicklas from the Copenhagen Institute of Future Studies hosted 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, the Head of Philanthropy at the Symondson Foundation, sat on the Activate Panel.

She 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.