Tourism Marketing in the South East - Feb 2019

Jenny De Saulles was appointed Head of Ireland's East in 2015. Jenny has been with Fáilte Ireland since 2008. Prior to that she worked with Nestle for 15 years. In her time with Fáilte Ireland Jenny has held a number of roles. On first joining the organisation she was the Marketing and Product Development Manager for the South West. Later she became the key point of contact for Kerry and successfully managed the key account management team there. During 2013 and 2014 Jenny worked in Leisure Sales heading up the Channel Management team.
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Ireland’s Ancient East, is a new touring region which seeks to attract greater international visitors by building on the wealth of historical and cultural assets in the east of Ireland. Over the last 3 years Failte Ireland has over €30 million in building great visitor experiences across Ireland’s Ancient East and working with industry and stakeholders to leverage this great opportunity. Even at this early stage the brand is having an impact on the ground, growing visitor numbers and revenue, extending the season and generating jobs. 

Marian O’Gorman has been CEO of the Kilkenny Group since 1999 and has succeeded in establishing one of the country’s most reputable retail groups.  She began her retail career at the age of 16, selling Aran sweaters from a small thatch cottage in Blarney and credits her father, Christy Kelleher, for much of her business and entrepreneurial acumen. Marian lives for the buzz of retail and takes a very hands-on approach in her role as CEO, working closely with her teams across all company departments to deliver exceptional results across the board. Amongst her career achievements to date, Marian was named as the 2014 Image Businesswoman of the Year and was also named one of WXM’s Top 25 Most Influential Women for 2 years running in 2013 and 2014. Marian is currently a Lead Entrepreneur in the Going for Growth Initiative, mentoring Ireland’s up and coming businesses and entrepreneurs. She is also one of the leading figures in the promotion of Irish craft and design in the country, working closely with the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland, and assisting as an adjudicator in the annual Showcase Awards. Marian has also personally assisted in the mentoring and development of many up-and-coming Irish designers and craftspeople over the years. Marian successfully manages 13 Kilkenny stores nationwide and 2 Christy’s stores along with a thriving online store kilkennyshop.com and more recently has added the Kilkenny Design Centre to the portfolio. 

Ballykeefe Distillery is proudly owned and managed by the Ging Family who trace their unbroken farming lineage as far back as written records exist. Morgan’s fascination with the shared history of Irish farming and Irish Whiskey, led him to dream of one day diversifying his farming enterprise with the addition of a distillery as was so common centuries ago. It took 25 years of research and painstaking effort to bring his dream to fruition. He was meticulous in his vision to build a distillery which would be a worthy modern day descendant of the glorious history of Irish Whiskey. Therefore, with sustainability and protecting the environment central to his planning, no expense was spared to achieve the highest quality standards in every aspect of the distilling operation and tourist experience. The support that Ballykeefe Distillery is now providing to local sporting and cultural activities, is a reflection of Morgan and Anne’s deep roots and long standing commitment to community based activities.

​John Hurley CEO at Kilkenny Chamber of Commerce and Chairman of SE Region Chambers is native of Tralee, Co Kerry. John has been living in Kilkenny since 2001 where he is married with two children. He is a qualified Chartered Insurer (ACII) and also holds a Masters degree in Business Administration (MBA from the University of Limerick). Over the past 35 years John has successfully held a variety of management roles including Underwriting, Risk Management, Sales and Business Development in the General Insurance industry. In line with his passion for professionalism and service excellence in business he is also a lecturer to Financial Service Industry professionals on a wide range of business modules. A former Chairman of the Board of Management, KSP N.S. and a Chartered Toastmaster, he is a past President of the Rotary Club of Kilkenny, current Chairman of the South East Chamber Co and sits on the Implementation Committee of the South East Action Plan for Jobs.

Carmel Nolan Director of Sales and Marketing at Ballykeefe Distillery.

 SMF Launch - October 2018

Redmond O'Donoghue is one of Ireland's leading and most respected business men. He has contributed significantly to the development of the South East region, and to Ireland as a whole, through his innovative leadership at Waterford Crystal and his substantial involvement with the wider business community. Educated at Waterpark College in Waterford and University College Dublin, Redmond also studied at Harvard Business School in the US. After 17 years with the Ford Motor company in Ireland, the UK and Spain, he joined Waterford Wedgwood plc as Sales and Marketing Director of Waterford Crystal. His vision, his abilities and his leadership qualities resulted in successive appointments to ever increasing levels of responsibility within the group. In September 2000, Waterford Wedgwood plc put Redmond in charge of the whole Group. In September 2005, he retired from his role of Chief Executive Officer of the Group.

Throughout this time he has been closely involved in the community. He has actively contributed to the work of the Waterford Chamber of Commerce and the Marketing Institute of Ireland and, demonstrating his qualities as a leader, served terms as president of the former and national chairman of the latter. His involvement with the Institute is reflected in the many guest lectures he has delivered, the multi-level partnership between WIT and Waterford Crystal that reflects the attitude towards learning and education that he fosters, and through Redmond’s involvement in developing the Waterford Crystal Centre for Marketing Studies at the Institute. Furthermore, he is a former president of IBEC in the South East and is a member of IBEC's national Executive Council.

At national level his responsibilities in Waterford Crystal have, on many occasions, made him an ambassador for Irish business in foreign markets, and this contribution was formally acknowledged when he served as Chairman of Bord Fáilte between 1999 and 2001, Later Served as Chairman of Failte Ireland from 2008 to 2013. He is also a member of the Board of Greencore plc. Redmond O'Donoghue's record of achievement, his tireless contribution to the wider community and his leadership skills that motivate those around him to achieve their potential distinguish him as a worthy recipient of the award of the Honorary Fellowship of Waterford Institute of Technology. 

​Redmond is also Chairman of the Board of Management of Newtown School, and is currently Chairman of both The Confederation of Golf in Ireland and of Good Food Ireland.

Sean Johnston CEO of the Causeway Group and Founder and Principal of the Cleaboy Business Park. ​The Causeway Group provides a complete design, build and management service to look after property investment. Established in 2016 to provide a one stop shop service to investors, property owners and purchasers. The team have developed a strong business with high occupancy rates and excellent rental levels.​