EU CYBER SUMMIT 2025
EXPERT PROFILES

Seamus serves as the Vice President of Operations for EMEA at ThreatLocker.
Boasting over two decades of expertise in the IT industry, he possesses an
extensive wealth of knowledge that empowers him to guide businesses in adopting
robust solutions for safeguarding their digital landscapes. Before his tenure at
ThreatLocker, Seamus held various positions, notably as an IT Technical Manager
for a Managed Service Provider, where he delivered cutting-edge solutions to small
and medium-sized enterprises.

Paul Hearns is a journalist, editor, and presenter with more than 20 years’ experience in technology.  
Having edited Ireland’s IT professional journal for 15 years, Paul currently provides content strategy and services to the tech sector, working with multinationals, indigenous companies, and start-ups.  
Paul is a Fellow of the Irish Computer Society.  

Joe has founded a multi-award-winning cybersecurity company SaltCommunications that builds secure enterprise mobile communications solutions. Salt Communications offers ‘Peace of Mind’ for Organisations who value their privacy, by giving them complete control and secure communications, to protect their trusted relationships and stay safe. Also, creating the first company to provide a solution for encrypted communications between devices with centralised control for the enterprise.

Charles Calovich, Channel Business Development Manager at Hyperproof, is a seasoned governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) expert for the EMEA region. With over 12 years of experience and deep expertise in GRC technology, he combines industry insight with a fresh perspective to drive growth and localization in EMEA. Passionate about GRC transformation and best practices, Charles is committed to enhancing assurance functions and empowering GRC professionals to thrive.One of Charles' recent accomplishments was his pivotal role as a contributing author for 'Crafting the Digital Sustainability Reporting Ecosystem', a publication by the Capitals Coalition and the World Alliance of International Financial Centers (WAIFC). In this whitepaper, he demonstrated expertise in leveraging technology to drive governance in sustainability information management and in developing effective digital taxonomies.

Chelsea Morgan is an Account Executive at BullWall, bringing over 9 years of experience in Information Technology and Cybersecurity. Throughout her career, she has held pivotal roles at industry-leading organizations, including Softcat. Chelsea has a distinguished track record of assisting global enterprises in understanding and implementing advanced cybersecurity solutions. At BullWall, she is dedicated to helping organizations defend against the evolving landscape of ransomware threats. Chelsea emphasizes the importance of moving beyond traditional prevention-based security measures, advocating for innovative approaches to effectively combat the growing ransomware menace.

Eilish has nearly 20 years of experience in technology, with a background in Applied Physics. They have held various roles in telecommunications and software, and is currently the Chief Technology Officer for the Viatel Technology Group. Eilish is recognized as an exceptional business leader with over 5 years in leadership positions, contributing significantly to Viatel's success since joining in 2018 and becoming CTO in 2019. They drive growth through innovative products, automation, and IT transformation, and have led 7 acquisitions in the last 2 years. Eilish is passionate about promoting diversity, inclusion, ESG, and flexible working practices, creating a culture where everyone can do their best work.

Justin Francesconi is the Co-Founder and COO of Bowtie, a distributed network security company delivering zero trust network access and SASE capabilities to security-conscious organizations—eliminating the need for a middleman network. Before co-founding Bowtie, Justin honed his skills as an engineer and later transitioned into go-to-market roles at Fastly and Scale AI. Outside of the tech world, Justin is a classically trained chef, though his culinary expertise remains a passion rather than a profession.

Rebecca Lindley is a Data and Compliance Analyst at Centripetal, at their European Cyber Intelligence Centre of Excellence in Galway, Ireland. She contributes to building a secure digital world by neutralizing cyberattacks with intelligence powered cybersecurity. Holding a Master’s in Cybersecurity Risk Management, Rebecca has a background in law and business, offering a unique blend of legal and technical expertise to her work.Rebecca specializes in supporting and implementing compliance and risk-management frameworks. With a focus on cyber risk, data protection, and information security, she is committed to building awareness and achieving compliance with regulatory requirements, including forthcoming cybersecurity regulations. Early in her career, Rebecca has already established a strong foundation in cybersecurity and governance, driven by her passion for fostering resilience in an ever-evolving digital landscape.

Eoin Lacey is a highly accomplished performance consultant and professional speaker, renowned for his ability to inspire and energise audiences across industries. With over 28 years of experience, Eoin has worked extensively with high-performing executives, elite athletes, and corporate teams to elevate their performance, resilience, and well-being.

David Spollen is EY Ireland's DORA Lead from our Digital Risk Consulting team in EY Financial Services. David has over 18 years’ experience and has held senior roles including as Head of Technology Risk in Bank of Ireland. He is a DORA SMR, publishes regular DORA thought leadership and speaks regularly on the topic at external conferences and industry events. He is a DORA Certified Compliance Specialist (certified by the ICTTF and ICA).

Carmel is an experienced Chartered Work and Organisational Psychologist and the Director of Carmel Somers Consulting Limited (CSCL). With over four years at the helm of her consultancy, she specialises in strategic talent development, leadership, and large-scale change programs, helping businesses of all sizes enhance efficiency and employee experience through effective HR and talent practices.

Barbara is a CISO of Booking Holdings Financial Services under Booking Holdings umbrella company. CISO with almost 20 years of experience working in IT and Cyber Security. I am highly accomplished achiever and motivated business professional with a verifiable track record of managing people, teams, projects and tasks with exceptional organisational competencies. 

As CEO of Renaissance I assembled a team of dedicated Business Continuity and ICT Security professionals who deliver education, awareness and technologies to our vendors and IT ecosystem across Ireland”.Renaissance has been supporting our vendors, partners and end users for over 30 years, our team have the experience and expertise to support you and your business.The Cyber Ecosystem is at the center of everything we do, we host Ireland's largest Cyber Expo event annually; Late November sees 30+ world leading vendors in the Cyber security space present and engage with Partners, Industry Experts and IT professionals.

Technology and talent leader delivering robust and resilient operational platforms in the financial services industry for over 30 years in retail banking, insurance, fund and wealth management.Extensive experience leading and directing top-performing teams, implementing large global IT infrastructures (cloud, hybrid and on-prem) for compute, storage, network, security and voice/collaboration, and driving business change initiatives within fast-paced, cross-cultural environments for the best possible customer outcome.

Tim has, over the last eight years developed and delivered training to thousands of compliance professionals across the world. In November 2023 he took up the role as Vice President of the ICA, with particular responsibility for Europe, Africa and the Americas.Prior to joining the ICA Tim was AML Lead at the GB Gambling Commission, responsible for all aspects of AML regulatory and supervisory activity. This was preceded by thirty years in UK Law Enforcement spanning the police and National Crime Agency. During this time he led a number of functions including the NCA Proceeds of Crime Operational Command and the UK International Crime Bureau, responsible for criminal and fugitive enquiries transacted between the UK and the rest of the world.

James Rees, CISM, PCI DSS QSA, PCIP, ISO 27001 LA is Razorthorn Security’s MD and principle Security Consultant. He has worked in information security for over 25 years, delivering quality advice to some of the largest and most influential organisations in the world, including many in the Fortune 500. James an expert in ensuring that both the business and information technology work in unison to create a solid security infrastructure that effectively protects the business. A recognised leader in his field, James runs the popular cybersecurity podcast Razorwire, is a published author and journalist, and a regular contributor in the field of information security.

Jennifer Cox, a seasoned leader with over 19 years in tech and cybersecurity, embodies excellence and innovation. As Director for Ireland at WiCyS UK & Ireland Affiliate, Jennifer's impact reverberates globally. Recognized as PCR's Top 25 Women in Tech and a Stevie award recipient, her expertise is unmatched. Jennifer's dedication to diversity, including roles as an Ambassador for Wentor's International Mentoring Program, reflects her commitment to nurturing future cybersecurity leaders. With a passion for shaping a secure digital future, Jennifer Cox stands as a beacon of cybersecurity leadership, driving change and empowerment across industries.

Paul Delahunty is Chief Information Security Officer at Stryve, a leading Irish multi-cloud and cybersecurity company and ICTTF Cyber Security Company of the Year 2022.As CIO and IT Leaders Security Leader of the Year 2023 and 2024, and Tech Excellence CIO of the Year 2024, Paul has established himself as one of the top Information Security experts in the country.A certified CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional), ISO 27001 Lead Auditor and DORA Certified Compliance Specialist (ICTTF) with over twelve years of experience in information security, Paul started his career as an engineer with Ericsson before venturing into the start-up world as Operations Director with moQom. 

Paul Allen & Associates was established in 1992 and is one of Ireland’s leading public relations consultancies. Our aim is to provide goal and results-driven, highly focused PR services to our clients. Our firm has a distinguished, award-winning record in public relations and specialises in corporate communications, marketing, crisis management, public affairs practices and event management.

In the past 24 months, we have championed cybersecurity awareness initiatives, brought our clients’ issues to Oireachtas committees and hosted events involving An Taoiseach, former Prime Minister Tony Blair and other senior Government Ministers.

Our firm boasts unrivalled contacts and connections within Government and opposition political parties, as well as strong links with many senior civil servants in a number of Government Departments.

This year, our firm was awarded the ‘Best Not-for-Profit Campaign’ in the Global Public Relations and Communication Awards 2023. We were also the only Irish public relations consultancy to be shortlisted, and win at the world awards.

Our experience encompasses many sectors and we have conducted highly successful and award-winning campaigns for banks, technology companies, public bodies, hospitals, NGOs, charitable organisations and multinational companies. We are proud to boast of our success, creativity, and our unrivalled experience in ground-breaking campaigns.

Neal is a Cyber, Risk and Resilience professional, with over 25 years’ global experience working within the Healthcare, Construction, Technology and Retail sectors. Originally, he studied Biomedical Engineering, which led him to work as a technical and security consultant specialising in healthcare for nine years before moving to St. Vincent’s University Hospital as theirGroup Deputy Director of ICT Operations for seven years.Since leaving healthcare in 2011, Neal has spent the past thirteen years working in the private sector, with KPMG as Security and Resilience specialist, in Bertelsmann as their Global Head of Operational Resilience, Dunnes Stores as their Head of Cybersecurity and most recently as the European Head of Cybersecurity for CRH.He holds an MSc in Technology & Innovation Management, Certified Cyber Risk Officer, NIST Certified Security Expert, holds the MBCI and DBCI accreditations and was entered into the Business Continuity Institute Hall of Fame in 2019 for recognition of his contribution to the resilience industry. Neal also serves as a Cybersecurity Advisory Board Director within the Safehouse Initiative, a US-based nonprofit. In the role, he guides and shapes cybersecurity strategies for this global entity. By leveraging the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, they help organisations, typically within the SME sector, navigate and mitigate cyber threats effectively, collaborating with top technology providers, thought leaders and government agencies like CISA.

Director at Digital Technology Skills Limited a leading influence in the field of skills training, management development and the introduction of human performance improvement and impact measurement. We specialises in the strategic management of large and complex business development and change management programmes in the public and private sector. DTSL manages the Technology Ireland ICT Skillnet project and is actively involved in Digital Europe funded projects.