The author of six books, Margaret’s third book, Willful Blindness : Why We Ignore the Obvious at our Peril was named one of the most important business books of the decade by the Financial Times. In 2015, she was awarded the Transmission Prize for A Bigger Prize: Why Competition isn’t Everything and How We Do Better, described as “meticulously researched…engagingly written…universally relevant and hard to fault.”
Her TED talks have been seen by over 13 million people and in 2015 TED published Beyond Measure: The Big Impact of Small Changes. Her most recent book, Uncharted: How to map the future was published in 2020. It quickly became a bestseller and was nominated for the Financial Times Best Business Book award, was one of Bloomberg’s Best Books of 2021 and was chosen as the “Medium Best of the Best” business book.
Dr. Margaret Heffernan produced programmes for the BBC for 13 years. She then moved to the US where she spearheaded multimedia productions for Intuit, The Learning Company and Standard&Poors. She was Chief Executive of InfoMation Corporation, ZineZone Corporation and then iCast Corporation, was named one of the “Top 25” by Streaming Media magazine and one of the “Top 100 Media Executives” by The Hollywood Reporter.
She became a member of the Thinkers 50 Hall of Fame, in recognition of her lasting impact on management thinking. She is a Professor of Practice at the University of Bath, Lead Faculty for the Forward Institute’s Responsible Leadership Programme and, through Merryck & Co., mentors CEOs and senior executives of major global organizations. She chairs the board of DACS and is a parish councilor. In her SkillStacks, Margaret shares stories from researching her award winning books, personal challenges as a CEO and through her TED talks.
The visionary who pioneered in-bound marketing and built one of the most celebrated customer-centric cultures in the world. HubSpot’s iconic Culture Code and obsession with customer delight, set new standards within the software industry around the world.
Brian Halligan is one of the most respected technology entrepreneurs in the US. As Co-founder and Board Member of HubSpot, he shares the transformative journey of embedding customer-centricity at the heart of one of the world’s most admired tech companies.
Drawing from his tenure as CEO and Chairman, Brian recounts pivotal moments—including a humbling failure—that led to a profound cultural shift: from customer satisfaction to customer delight.
With accolades from Glassdoor, MIT, EY, and Comparably, Brian is widely recognised as one of America’s top CEOs. He now serves as a Senior Partner at Sequoia Capital and a Senior Lecturer at MIT.
The master strategist who reshaped British politics, rebranded a nation, and unlocked the mindset behind winning in leadership. One of the most influential communicators of his generation, today he is a celebrated broadcaster whose chart-topping podcast The Rest Is Politics is redefining political discourse for millions across the globe.
Alastair Campbell is a world-renowned writer, strategist and broadcaster. He is regarded as one of the most influential communicators of his generation, having spent decades at the heart of global decision-making.
As a key advisor to UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and NATO, he helped navigate some of the most turbulent moments in modern history, including 9/11, The Good Friday Agreement and the Kosovo Conflict.
He is an award-winning author and co-host of The Rest is Politics, a top podcast across Europe. He teaches strategy, winning leadership & mindset, crisis management and communication skills.
Prior to joining Harvard Business Publishing, Angela was at ClearMotion, Inc. an automotive technology startup where she accelerated the evolution of the HR function from administrative to strategic.
She also served as the Global Head of Human Resources for Crabtree & Evelyn, where she led an international team spanning four continents and prepared the brick-and-mortar business to go completely digital.
Angela sits on the Alumni Board of Directors for Cornell University; serves as an HR Venture Adviser for SemperVirens, an early-stage venture fund that invests in technology transforming healthcare, work, and financial wellness; and is Board Director for the T. Howard Foundation, a mission-driven organization dedicated to increasing diversity in the media industry.
In her SkillStacks, Angela pulls on her personal experience in developing leadership programmes and from the renowned research and though leadership within Harvard Business Publishing.
Eddie joined Ryanair in 1997, a then fledgling airline with just 20 aircraft that was unheard of outside of Ireland and had yet to transform European short-haul aviation and the lives and travel habits of hundreds of millions of Europeans.
SkillStack:
Eddie’s unflinching commitment to cost benefit has seen Ryanair become:
His initial role was Head of HR, but given the fluid management of the company, he quickly got involved in airport deals, ground handling, inflight retail and the design and the launch of Ryanair.com.
He was subsequently promoted to Director of Inflight Operations, retaining his HR brief but taking on the day-to-day management of a workforce of thousands of Inflight personnel along with a substantial retail programme.
He was appointed Chief People Officer in 2015 and was appointed CEO in 2019.
In this SkillStack, Eddie shares stories and principles around his unflinching commitment to creating cost advantage at Ryanair.
Mars missions, orbital telescopes, battery-powered aircraft – the world-famous space agency’s former chief human capital officer supported the teams delivering these and more
Jane Datta served as Chief Human Capital Officer at NASA, leading its people through moments of unprecedented change and monumental technological advancement.
She oversaw the transition from Mission First to Mission First, People Always. Jane takes us inside mission control to reveal the leadership strategies that have propelled NASA to the forefront of space exploration.
Through vivid storytelling, Jane shares how fearless leadership, rooted in trust, autonomy, and adaptability, unleashes human potential in the face of extraordinary challenges.
Bertie Ahern served as Taoiseach of Ireland, three times, from 1997 to 2008. He previously served as Deputy Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition 5 x Cabinet Minister, Government Chief Whip and Lord Mayor of Dublin.
A key architect of the Peace Process that saw an end to the conflict in Northern Ireland with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, Bertie led negotiations on behalf of the Irish Government along with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, US Presidents: Bill Clinton and George W Bush and eight parties in Northern Ireland.
SkillStack:
He was instrumental in negotiating the renewal of the Provisional IRA’s ceasefire along with that of the Loyalist paramilitaries, that ultimately paved the way for enduring peace.
Bertie is a seasoned negotiator haven led three coalition governments and negotiating milestone trade agreements that stimulated the Irish economy. In addition to this, his Presidency of the European Council, saw 10 new member states join the EU after prolonged negotiations with existing EU Leaders.
Among many international awards, Bertie was awarded the Thomas J. Dodd Prize in International Justice and Human Rights, honorary doctorates by Queens University, Boston College, Washinton College and many more.
Today, Bertie is actively involved in peace and reconciliation initiatives around the world, including Ukraine and Papua New Guinea. A statesman, global leader, peace-maker and world class negotiator.
In his SkillStack Bertie shares behind the scenes stories, techniques used and lessons learned in negotiating the Peace Process, that brought the conflict in Northern Ireland to an end.
AJ Thomas is a dynamic leader with a unique blend of executive experience and a deep commitment to cultivating talent and leadership. As a Founder, Startup Advisor, and Executive Coach, she delivers insights globally on leadership development, cultural transformation, human-centered design, and building global teams for the future of work.
Her career includes pivotal roles as VP of People & Culture, CHRO, and Head of Talent at industry giants like Nimble Storage, an HP Enterprise company, and Ten-X where she led transformative initiatives that shaped corporate cultures and scaled talent strategies from early-stage ventures to large enterprises.
Most recently, AJ led the Global Talent and Human Experience Design teams at X, the Moonshot Factory, (formerly Google X), where she continued to push the boundaries of innovation and redefine industry standards.
Her influence extends beyond the corporate world as the founder of Infuse Program Foundation, which nurtures underrepresented youth, and BrainCandy Labs, where she advises and empowers through education and innovation in the evolving work landscape.
Currently, AJ serves as Founder and General Partner at Good Trouble Ventures a venture capital firm investing in startups and founders in the entertainment and media, creator economy, and digital futures sectors. She is also the CEO of The Troublemaker Lab a coaching and experience design firm focused on accelerating high-performance teams based in the Silicon Valley.
In this SkillStack, AJ shares stories and techniques honed at Moonshot Factory to support some of the world’s most innovative startups.
The serial entrepreneur who came out of retirement to pioneer customer experience through AI
Elias Torres is a serial entrepreneur who has co-founded two multi-billion-euro software companies.
After co-founding Performable (acquired by HubSpot) and Drift (sold for €1.2B), Elias is now building his third venture—Agency AI—by rewriting the rules of leadership and organisational design through first principles thinking in the age of artificial intelligence. When ChatGPT launched, Elias was kitesurfing in Brazil.
Recognising the scale of the shift, he joined OpenAI as an unpaid intern to help early adopters like the NBA, Ticketmaster, and Red Bull.
That experience shaped his vision for Agency AI: a radically lean, customer-centric AI-native company aiming to generate €1B in revenue with fewer than 100 employees
Joanna is a multi-award-winning social impact entrepreneur, DEI trailblazer and an award-winning journalist and broadcaster.
As former Head of Creative Diversity at BBC, TEDx Speaker and founder of Blue Moon, Joanna has spent the last 15 years creating inclusive working cultures.
She’s been instrumental in establishing the Creative Diversity All-Party Parliamentary Group with Baroness Deborah Bull, of which she’s a joint secretary. She’s a panel member for the Boundless Creativity project from the UKRI Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Expert Advisory Panel.
She’s an active member of the DCMS, the Cultural Renewal Taskforce, and the Culture Committee chaired by Tracy Brabin MP. She’s also an Everyday Ally for UN Women.
Her responsibilities don’t end there; she’s a Non-Executive Director for Investors in People, and New Scotland Yard’s Counter Terrorism Advisory Group. She’s a member of The Media Society Council, as well as a Trustee for The Lord Mayor’s Appeal. She was awarded her Freedom of the City in 2018, and became the first black female to become a Liverywoman for The Haberdasher’s Company.
In 2019, the University of Reading awarded her a Distinguished Graduate Award, and she received an Honorary Doctorate in Business from the University of West England that same year.
She was awarded an MBE in the 2020 New Year Honours list for her services to diversity and inclusion in the creative and media industries. In her SkillStack, Joanne pulls from her lived experiences, advocacy work, civic leadership and advisory work that has blazed a trail in DEI.
A dynamic force in American public life, Joe Kennedy III has championed civil rights, energised grassroots movements, and drove diplomatic collaboration within divided communities around the world
SkillStacks:
Joe Kennedy III is a former U.S. Congressman and diplomat, known for his work in civil rights, economic justice, and international affairs.
A member of the Kennedy family, Joe was appointed Special Envoy to Northern Ireland to support economic development, equity and community empowerment.
He is President of Citizens Energy, advancing clean energy access and social impact across the U.S. Educated at Stanford and Harvard Law, Joe brings legal, political, and global experience to his SkillStack on Collaboration Skills.
The Visionary who redefined luxury wellness, sculpting transformative guest experience for the world’s most iconic hotel brands
Peigín Crowley is a pioneering wellness entrepreneur with over 30 years in the global spa industry.
She is the founder of luxury spa brand Ground and has redefined luxury wellness by designing spa experiences for some of the world’s most exclusive 5-star hotels, including the Four Seasons, Bulgari Hotel, Jumeirah Group, Rosewood Group and Adare Manor.
Her treatment experiences are deeply inclusive and are world-first for cancer patients and those with additional needs. Peigín is a visionary and is fast becoming one of the most respected architects of luxury experience in the world.
Missions to averting nuclear disasters, diverting asteroids on a collision course with earth, Bob Gibbs has led some of the high stakes missions imaginable. At NASA, Bob oversaw the overhaul of the agency from Mission First, to Mission First, People Always.
Bob Gibbs is no stranger to high-stakes leadership. As the former Head of Mission Control at NASA and a US Navy Officer, Bob has spent decades at the frontier of innovation.
He has led teams through some of the most complex and high-risk missions imaginable, from diverting asteroids on a collision course with Earth to averting nuclear disaster.
Bob advises Congress, the White House, and international governments on how to lead through complexity, risk, and transformation. In this module, Bob takes us behind the scenes at NASA, sharing stories and lessons from some of the agency’s most pivotal moments.
Sarah is one of Ireland’s most esteemed Communications Consultants, media contributor and former assistant editor. She currently serves as Head of Careers and a Senior Consultant with The Communications Clinic where she is the lead advisor on flagship leadership programmes for private and public sector organisations.
Sarah provides executive coaching to clients in multinational companies and industry groups as well as coaching groups and individuals daily on Media Skills, Professional Writing and Speech Writing, Oireachtas Committee Preparation, Negotiation and Influencing, and Pitch and Presentation skills.
A contributor with The Irish Times and The Journal for over 10 years, Sarah was an assistant editor at The Gloss Magazine and appears regularly on national radio. She is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and the University of Edinburgh.
In her SkillStacks, Sarah shares stories, practical techniques that find an early stage manager in the moment where the learning is needed most.
Steve learned his storytelling craft over 20 years as a BBC TV journalist. He covered every kind of story: from serial killers, riots and scandals to heart-warming human tales. But, weirdly, in all those years, nobody ever explained why some stories work and others don’t. Like other journalists, Steve developed a gut feeling for what makes a good story.
When he left the BBC to set up his own coaching business, Steve realised you can’t teach a gut feeling: you have to understand the principles. So he studied narrative theory and psychology, read hundreds of case studies and tried different techniques with thousands of clients.
At a loose end during lockdown, Steve turned all this experience into a box of Storyteller Tactics cards, which have now sold over 100,000 copies around the world. Steve’s tactics are used by companies like Google, Meta, Rolls Royce and the BBC.
Steve reckons he has told over 20,000 stories in his career, and in his SkillStacks, he can probably help you tell yours
Valerie Pierce is Creator of the training concept ‘Clear & Critical Thinking’ and author of the books: ‘Quick Thinking on Your Feet.’ ‘Focus: The Art of Clear Thinking’ and ‘Make the NO day a YESterday’, translated into Chinese, Japanese & Arabic.
Valerie is Adjunct Professor of Practice at Ashridge/Hult International Business School. She has lectured on Executive Education, MSc & MBA programmes at many Business Schools including Ashridge/Hult, Brooks University Oxford, Warwick Medical School in the UK as well as Smurfit School of Business, RCSI and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
SkillStack:
Working for over 25 years in the corporate world, her international client list includes Alkermes, Apple, IBM, Xerox, KPMG, Oracle, AIB group, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Abbott, Coca Cola, The Victoria & Albert Museum, The British Law Society, The Central Bank of Ireland, Dept. Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Dept. Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the Office of the Revenue Commissioners and RTE amongst others.
In her SkillStack, Valerie shares fascinating methods to help develop critical thinking for decision making, influencing, negotiating and problem solving.
Barbara is a leadership development consultant and widely regarded as one of the leading Emotional Intelligence experts in Europe. She is founder of EQ.ie and has worked whith global leadership teams in leveling up emotional intelligence within the workplace.
With more than 20 years experience as a Senior Finance Executive in Multinational Organisations, European Public Organisations and Irish industry and Accounting Practice, Barbara brings a wealth of experience in Business and in People Management.
With a passion for the combination of sound business structures and practices and the power of Emotional Intelligence and Resilient Leadership capacity, Barbara brings a unique blend of tried and tested business solutions and empowering business coaching to her clients.
Coupled with a Masters in Business Practice, Post-Grad Dips in Executive Coaching, Leadership and Organisational Behaviour, Barbara brings business performance results to companies, individuals and teams. A qualified accountant, she understands the constraints of organisational and business life, but also knows that there is always room for continuous improvement.
Barbara leverages her unique expertise in psychology, coaching, leadership and business to share methods and stories across a range of SkillStacks to improve EQ.
Daragh lives in Galway and is married to Jeanne and has 3 children – Cora (11), Isabella (10) and Sebastian (6). Daragh’s mission is to grow and develop people to realize their performance potential. This represents the core purpose of his career.
Daragh was the Head of HP Coach Development with the IRFU.
SkillStack:
He joined Irish Rugby in June 2022 having spent 4 years as the HP Coaching Lead with High Performance Sport New Zealand. Prior to moving to New Zealand, Daragh spent 10 years working with the Irish Institute of Sport and having previously led their capability and expertise function. He is a chartered sports psychologist with the British Psychological Society since 2016.
He completed a Ph.D. in social support (GAA & University of Stirling, Scotland) with a special emphasis on solving youth sport drop out. Daragh is a UEFA licensed accredited coach and coached the Irish Paralympic Football to a European medal success in 2010.
Prior to joining the Irish Institute of Sport in 2008, Daragh completed a B.Sc. in Sport Science & Health (Dublin City University) and was a professional athlete from 1998 – 2004 having played with the following teams Aston Villa FC, Galway United FC and Longford Town FC.
Daragh has completed a diploma in executive coaching in the Irish Management Institute (2009) and is certified to administer a range of assessment tools including EQi and MBTI.
Ian founded Flow Group in 1998 – a business that has grown from local to international, with operations now across 4 continents.
Over the past three decades, Flow Group has worked with over 30,000 leaders, in more than 400 global blue chip businesses, across over 40 industry sectors, including major brands like TikTok, PepsiCo, General Motors, Primark, EY, UCD, Bouygues, IKEA, Avolon, BNP, Riot Games, Pfizer, Pernod Ricard and many others.
In addition, Ian created the extremely popular podcast Leadership in Chaos, a leader’s bible for transforming through uncertainty with subscribers in 86 countries. This is supplemented by his widely-shared Manifesto – 25 Principles for Leading in Chaos.
Ian is also the co-founder of GreenLine Conversations® – a transformational methodology based on the latest neuroscience to enable greater productivity and human connection through better conversations.
Ian specialises in the areas of Leading Change, Leadership & Team Excellence, Cultural Transformation, and Coaching senior leaders across international organizations.
Clients consistently comment on his slightly unorthodox, yet pragmatically simple approach to often complex issues.
Off the platform, Ian has written for the Sunday Independent for over 20 years (on his other passion, horseracing!) and is a regular contributor on leadership, culture, and communication on the national media including state broadcaster RTÉ.
In his SkillStacks Ian shares insights, stories and leadership techniques he has learned, developed and taught to high performing teams around the world of over 25 years.
Stephanie is an international speaker, experienced people development leader and transformation consultant with deep specialism in AI. From her roles as Senior HR Leader in EY and Bimeda, Stephanie has led people and transformation programmes that have enhanced organisational capabilities across sectors including pharmaceuticals, financial services, and technology.
Her leadership in global talent development and digital transformation has prepared organisations for the future, balancing technological advancements with human-centric strategies.
Stephanie has rolled out global leadership development programmes, helping 1000’s of leaders develop skills to transform organizations through the integration of digital and human resources to drive business success. Holding a Diploma in Artificial Intelligence for Business, she is committed to lifelong learning and professional development.
Her work extends beyond corporate achievements, involving active participation in professional communities and a dedication to optimising performance and wellbeing in the workplace.
Author, performance coach and founder of Time to Fly, Neil has built a stellar reputation for helping people, business leaders and their teams through transformation by teaching them to embrace the small steps that lead to big—and lasting—changes.
For Neil, mindset and mental fitness are the building blocks of potential; they’re the scaffolding that allow us to purposefully build a robust sense of who we are and what we’re capable of.
He is clear, however, that ‘potential’ is not just about skills. It’s about using our natural talents and abilities to the fullest. And once we understand our potential—when we start to see what is possible—we make different choices that are better for us and for the organisations we’re part of.
Neil works with companies such as Google and Zurich along with elite athletes to unlock performance potential. In his SkillStacks, Neil’s empathy, humour and impressive insight unlock confidence, leadership techniques and performance transformation.
As founder of Exemplary Consultants, Jo has partnered with one of the most iconic brands around the globe in developing their people strategies, through creating caring cultures, optimizing people operations, leadership coaching and development.
Jo’s core expertise lies in human resources strategy, talent management, leadership development and training, onboarding, orientation, benefits negotiation and administration, team building, employee engagement, agile performance management, career pathing, and data analytics.
I also have extensive experience in full life cycle recruiting, social recruitment marketing, candidate attraction and engagement, and inclusive and equitable hiring processes.
An award winning career advisor, Jo has coached 1000’of executives and has co-authored scripts, books and development programmes with some of the best know CEOs in the US.
Jo pulls on that experience to share practical tips and techniques through stories in her SkillStacks.
Eoghan Tomás is one of Ireland’s leading communications advisor and teachers, as Managing Director of The Communications Clinic.
He is personal coach and advisor to a number of Chief Executives of large multi-nationals, Cabinet Ministers to some of the most recognised faces in elite sport.
He was one of the founders of The Communications Clinic in 2008, and has led it to become the number one communications business in Ireland.
Eoghan is also an Adjunct Teaching Fellow with Trinity College Dublin’s Business School where he has developed an Impactful Communication programme for senior executives.
He published his first book The Career Doctor in 2009 and is a broadcaster on national television and radio in addition to a columnist in the national press.
In his SkillStacks, Eoghan shares methods used by some of the most effective communicators to help create understanding and become a more effective communicator.
Robert has spent 20+ years helping companies craft their culture as they scale internationally. He is a serial entrepreneur and community creator, widely recognised as a global thought leader on the evolving world of work and talent development.
SkillStacks:
Robert is the founder & CEO of SkillStack, the performance skills and leadership development streaming platform delivered through storytelling. Prior to that, he co-led the MBO of Sigmar Recruitment and scaled it to become one of the most respected recruitment companies in Europe (60+ international awards) before selling it to Groupe Adéquat, creating a Billion Euro global recruitment group.
He is also founder of Talent Summit, one of the largest HR Leadership conference series in the world that has become the meeting place of the future of work in Europe. With a deep interest in transatlantic trade, Robert leads an annual trade mission to the US that sees 100+ CEOs travel from Europe to boost Transatlantic trade. Robert also co-founded and leads the Boston College Ireland Business Council, one of the most respected transatlantic CEO networks.
