8:15 - 9:10

Registration

 

9:10 - 9:20

Niall Quinn MPRII, President PRII

Opening address

 

9:20 - 9:55

Sarah Pinch FCIPR, MIoD, Managing Director, Pinch Point Communications

 

KEYNOTE: How we can get into the boardroom: The case for professionalising PR

 

Sarah Pinch is an experienced corporate communications and marketing expert. She started her career as a journalist for the BBC and after 11 years left in 2000 to work in PR. Her experience included private, public and not-for-profit sectors. In 2011 she won the inaugural Institute of Directors and Chartered Institute of Public Relations PR Director of the Year award for her work with the board at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust. Sarah’s expertise includes stakeholder management, crisis and issues management, internal communications and employee engagement, and reputation management.

 

She founded Pinch Point Communications in 2013 and is currently the CIPR’s President Elect.

 

9:55 - 10:30

Panel discussion: Neil O’Gorman, O'Gorman Communications; and Gerard Howlin, Public Affairs Consultant and Political Commentator

 

Communications failures or failure to communicate? What are the lessons from the CRC, GSOC and Garda whistleblower sagas?

 

Neil O’Gorman is an experienced, proven, connected, dynamic and creative communications professional who has developed award-winning PR and social media campaigns for a vast range of brands and organisations for over 15 years.

 

He established Bespoke Communications in 2007 and merged the agency with Direction@JWT – part of the DDFH&B group – in October 2009 to form Bespoke With Direction, which he managed until October 2012. Formerly, he was director of Edelman’s consumer brands and youth marketing divisions and PR director at Banks Love Marketing Communications.

 

Gerard Howlin is a public affairs consultant, political commentator and a columnist with the Irish Examiner.

 

Prior to setting up on his own in 2011, Gerard was head of policy and public affairs with the Irish Pharmacy Union for a year and also spent three years working as a public affairs consultant with MKC Communications.

 

He previously worked as a special adviser to An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, from 1999 to 2007, and as government press secretary from June to September 2007. In his role as special adviser, Gerard was a member of the small political team in the Taoiseach's Office, advising on day to day issues and strategic planning.

 

He is currently pursuing a PhD and is a member of the Steering Committee of the National Campaign for the Arts (NCFA).

 

10:30 - 11:00

Coffee & Networking

 

 

11:30 - 11:35

Panel discussion: Brian Brennan, Transdev Ireland; Cliff Taylor, The Sunday Business Post; Moira Horgan, Business in the Community; and Pauline McKiernan, Ulster Bank

 

Building brand reputation and trust from within

 

How do you connect with your workforce to ensure they become good brand ambassadors?

How can engaging with the community reinforce the positive values held by a company?

How do you effectively communicate your messages/stories to the outside world?

How best to meet the challenge of transparency and to avoid accusations of hypocrisy or insincerity?

 

Brian Brennan was appointed Managing Director of Transdev Ireland in 2008. In addition to providing leadership and motivationto the 300-strong Transdev Ireland team which runs Luas, he alsohas responsibility for driving forward investment, change andcontinual improvements to the Luas service and infrastructure.

 

Brian has committed to enhancing the social and economicenvironment of the communities Transdev serves. In 2012, Transdev Dublin achieved the “Business Working Responsibly Mark” from Business in the Community, Ireland’s only certification forresponsible and sustainable business practices. Brian is also heavilyinvolved in Transdev’s contribution to BITC’s School Mentoring andReady for Work programmes – the latter designed to empowerpeople to get back to work.

 

Cliff Taylor has been Editor of The Sunday Business Post since 2004.

 

A former recipient of the Print Journalist of the Year award, Cliff was previously economics editor of The Irish Times for 17 years.

 

Moira Horgan joined Business in the Community as Marketing Manager in 2007 and works with member companies and programme participants on a number of marketing initiatives. She and her team focus on promoting corporate responsibility and social inclusion to all stakeholders, from government to the media, and on leveraging social media to tell their stories.

 

Prior to joining BITC, Moira was head of marketing at the Irish Film Board, Ireland’s national film funding agency, and was responsible for raising the profile of the Irish film industry both nationally and globally. She has over 17 years’ experience in marketing, specialising in communications, event management and PR.

 

Pauline McKiernan is Sustainability and Community Affairs Manager for Ulster Bank, where she has responsibility for oversight of the bank’s community investment strategy and external engagement with consumer bodies, debt advice agencies, and voluntary and community organisations and charities across the island of Ireland.

 

A BA Hons graduate of NUI Maynooth, with a postgraduate degree in Marketing Management, Pauline’s career spans the public and private sector, encompassing teaching, financial services and consumer advocacy/education sectors. Her experience in financial services includes project management marketing, product development and customer relations, as well as a number of years with the Central Bank in financial regulation, consumer information and research.

 

11:35 - 12:10

Bernardine Maloney, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Manager, ESB

 

Case study: How ESB proactively managed communications following Storm Darwin to maintain customer support and enhance reputation

 

Bernardine Maloney is Manager of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at the ESB.

 

With over 22 years’ experience in the energy business, Bernardine has held a number of senior management roles within ESB prior to her current position, including roles as manager of Moneypoint Power Station, Ireland’s largest coal-fired generating plant, manager of the Clean Coal Project, and organisational development manager.Bernardine holds a BSc in Chemistry from NUIG and a Masters in Instrumental Analysis from DCU.

 

12:10 - 12:45

Michael Dawson, Group CEO, One4All Group

 

Case study: Rumours and untruths – tackling cyberbullying head on

 

Michael Dawson is an entrepreneur and former politician, having served briefly as a senator in 1989 following a nomination by the Taoiseach to the 18th Seanad.

 

He is the founder and CEO of the Gift Voucher Shop (GVS), the multi award winning international company responsible for the pioneering of the Multi-Retailer Gift Card. The company is now the market leader in Ireland, the UK and in Malta where its One4all gift cards can be bought online and in over 18,000 locations, and can be spent in over 24,000 locations.

 

An entrepreneur his entire life, Michael has made an impact and left his mark across a diverse range of career paths, including business, youth work, politics and the lottery.

 

He was a finalist in the 2007 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year programme and was named ‘Fingal Business Person of the Year’ in 2010.

 

12:45 - 2:00

Lunch & Networking

 

2:00 - 2:35

Jackie Brock-Doyle OBE, Group Chief Executive, Good Relations Group

 

KEYNOTE: The age of partnership

 

Jackie Brock-Doyle OBE, former director of communications and public affairs for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, is Group Chief Executive of the Good Relations Group.

 

With more than 25 years in communications and marketing, she brings phenomenal expertise, energy and international experience and is recognised as one of the world's leading communications practitioners.  Jackie has designed and directed marketing, communication, media and sponsorship programmes for some of the world's biggest brands and events, including Visa International, the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games, Coca Cola, Samsung, Mars and, most recently, the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. She was voted PRWeek’s PR Professional of the Year in 2012 for her work on the latter.

 

2:35 - 3:10

Panel discussion: Piaras Kelly, Edelman; Laura Slattery, The Irish Times; Gráinne O’Rourke, Irish Cancer Society; and Rita Kirwan, O2 Ireland

 

Is today's social media landscape doing all it can for PR?

 

How does social compare with other PR channels?

What are the best strategies and platforms to adopt to create a dialogue and connect with specific target audiences?

Fault lines in your message equals exposure on social media – how do you minimise the chances of this happening and how do you respond if it does?

How will the continued growth of social and digital PR impact business in the next few years?

 

Piaras Kelly is an Associate Director at Edelman Ireland, where he is responsible for the management of a portfolio of clients that includes Ryanair plc, Musgrave Group and Visa Europe, as well as for business development and the provision of strategic advice to senior management.

 

He specialises in media relations, crisis and issues management, financial communications, digital strategy and digital reputation management.

 

With Edelman since December 2006, Piaras began his career in PR at Drury Communications. He also works pro bono as PR consultant for AdVIC, an advocacy group for families of homicide victims.

 

Laura Slattery is an Irish Times journalist, writing about media, advertising and miscellaneous business topics. Her Media & Marketing column and Teleprinter round-up of news in the sector appear in the Business + Technology supplement on Thursdays. She also compiles the Planet Business compendium for Business This Week on Fridays.

 

She previously wrote about personal finance for the newspaper, and has covered economic stories and the food-and-drink industry, as well as blogging on IrishTimes.com.

 

Gráinne O’Rourke is currently Communications Manager at the Irish Cancer Society, having previously worked as Marketing Manager in the DIT College of Arts and Tourism. She has extensive management experience in the private, public and charity sectors and also has a background in media production, animation and publishing. She is Secretary on the Board of the Bolton Trust, a not-for-profit in the enterprise creation sector, and has a keen interest in politics and social justice. Gráinne has an LLB and an MA in Media Studies.

 

Rita Kirwan is Head of Brand Communications and Sponsorship at O2 Ireland.

 

Prior to taking up her current role in 2012 Rita was Marketing Director with Largo Foods for six years, where she oversaw the group's marketing and advertising strategy for Tayto, Tayto Park, Hunky Dorys & King Crisps. Previously, Rita also spent a number of years in the USA working for drinks giant Pernod Ricard and its subsidiary Irish Distillers.

 

3:10 - 3:45

DC Cahalane, Chief Marketing Officer, TRUSTEV

 

Case study: Insights from TRUSTEV on why a strong communications strategy has the power to level the playing field for a business of any size with global ambitions

 

Donal (DC) Cahalane is Chief Marketing Officer at Trustev, the award-winning startup working to eliminate fraud from e-commerce transactions.

 

In March, Trustev won the top prize in the startup accelerator competition at SXSW in Austin, Texas. This was an additional award to add to Trustev’s tally, with the company named Europe’s Top Technology Startup by the European Commission last year, and Forbes magazine pinpointing Trustev as one of the hottest worldwide start-ups for 2014.

 

With a global background in large-scale brand-building and marketing, DC is responsible for making sure all the right people know the right stuff about Trustev. Whether it’s getting the team in front of the right conference audiences or explaining Trustev’s highly technical solution in understandable terms, DC is there to tell the Trustev Story to potential customers every step of the way.

 

3:45 - 3:55

Niall Quinn MPRII, President PRII

Closing remarks