LIZ HUGHES

Liz is the Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) In her role, Liz works to embed a culture of fairness, respect, and equality throughout the university. Liz has over 20 years of experience in developing and delivering strategies across a variety of sectors including not-for-profit, accountancy, law, and IT. Prior to joining RCSI, Liz was CEO of Charities Institute Ireland (Cii), where she supported, enabled, and championed the charity sector, in order to enhance the impact that can be made by charities and nonprofits for people, communities, and society. Liz is passionate about developing the ideal environment for business and the community through people and a values-led approach. Furthermore, she is a member of the International Women’s Forum (Ireland).

BENJAMIN JANES

Benjamin has worked with charities and companies supporting charitable activities since 1991. Having been Head of Fundraising for a range of organisations in the UK including WellChild, FARM-Africa and MISSING, he worked as a consultant advising companies on Corporate Social Responsibility, helping them to establish tax-effective mechanisms to support and influence society. In 2005 he founded The Trust Partnership which manages the affairs of more than 40 endowed grantmaking foundations and is one of the largest managers of almshouses in the UK. He is a Trustee of the Irish Online Giving Foundation and The Dove Trust, as well as the Australian Online Giving Foundation. 

SIOBHAN BLACKWELL

Siobhan is Vice President, Trading Business Management and TD Securities since November 2019. Before that, she was with the Bank of Montreal in Ireland for 13 years where she held a number of senior Finance positions. Siobhan is an FCCA Accountant and has over 18 years’ experience in Financial Services, with a significant level of expertise in capital markets, business management, financial control and change delivery. She has a wealth of experience in the charitable sector in Ireland and has been an active Board Director and Finance Committee member for Plan International since 2017. Furthermore, Siobhan recently completed her Executive MBA with Distinction at Trinity Business School for which she also achieved the Student of the Year award.

ROBERT BELL

Robert is a senior Programme Manager with Expleo Group based in Dublin providing business and IT consultancy to public and private organisations. Before going Expleo in 2022, he spent 14 years carrying out a number of demanding transformation roles with Private and Investment Banking institutions in the City of London and more latterly with Trinity College Dublin. Prior to that, Robert had 18 years exemplary and demanding military service and was awarded an MBE in 2005 for leadership.  Robert is passionate about bringing people together to achieve extraordinary outcomes and facilitating environments to ensure teams are set up for success. He is a graduate of Manchester Business School and has recently taken up competitive rowing after a 25 year break! 

SUE COGAN

Sue is the Founder of Walk Around the Neighbourhood, a social enterprise providing digital experiences to the tourist sector. Previously Sue was with the Irish Wheelchair Association for eight years, most recently as Head of Services for Leaders and IWA at Home. Sue has over 20 years’ experience in the charities and older persons sectors in operations, strategy, HR and business development. Sue achieved an Executive MBA from Trinity Business School in 2021, a Masters in Management from University College Dublin Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School in 2010 and a Higher Diploma in Conflict, Dispute Resolution and Mediation from TCD in 2009. Recently Sue was appointed as trustee to the TC Charitable Trust, a private donor fund for Irish charities. Sues motivation is to enhance the charities and social enterprise sectors to add value and improve the lives of those it serves.

RAFAEL BERNARDES

Rafael is an Industrial Engineer by profession and currently the Quality & Continuous Improvement Manager at Dublin Bus. He is responsible for providing corporate governance and guidance to the Quality, Environmental, Health & Safety - Wellbeing, Energy, and Sustainability (QEHS) management system.

A results-oriented senior executive with fifteen years of experience in business management and leadership roles, nationally and internationally, Rafael has experience across large private and public sector organizations in different business segments such as metallurgical, manufacturing, construction, mining, textile, pharmaceutical/ medical devices and now public service transport.

He is a certified QEHS auditor, Black Belt professional engineer, and Project Management Professional (PMP) with extensive experience implementing business compliance. Rafael holds an MSc. in Engineering for the topic Quality Management Systems – Lean Six Sigma & Innovation (Continuous Improvement) from the University of Limerick and an Executive MBA (Management & Leadership Programme) from Trinity College Dublin - both experiences with First Class and Distinction results.

Rafael achieved the Trinity EMBA Awards for the best Scaling Company Project of 2021 for Commercial and (International) Business Development. He has also been a judge for the Health & Safety Excellence Awards Ireland for the past five years. Rafael is a triathlon enthusiast athlete, passionate about swimming, cycling, and running races.