Brenda is the first female Head of Enterprise in Donegal. She is passionate about supporting businesses to start and grow in Donegal and helping entrepreneurs to achieve their ambition. Brenda has extensive experience across a wide range of sectors with over 25 years’ experience in  grant management in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Cyprus. A graduate of the University of Ulster, Brenda holds a first-class degree in Enterprise Development and a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

Sharon Boyle has been a lecturer in Atlantic Technological University, Galway since 2000. Her background is in Applied Computing, Multimedia Design and more recently a Masters in User Experience Design and Applied Innovation with ATU Donegal. Sharon worked as a systems integrator for large law firms in New York.

Her interests are in approaches to programme development and curriculum design that embeds opportunities to develop 21st century skills for learners, encouraging curiosity and experimentation. She is also interested in approaches to online and blended learning methods to enhance the learner experience and developing ePortfolios.

Padraic leads the Masters in UX Design & Applied Innovation at ATU. He teaches on modules in UX Design, Emerging Technologies and User Interface Design. He believes that industry should inform academia and vice versa.

As a practicing designer he works closely with new and existing businesses on innovative processes for new product and service development. He has recently studied Design Thinking at MIT and is currently experimenting and facilitating innovation teams in the Metaverse. If you need to find him, he will most likely be coaching Newbridge U15s, playing 5 a side DanderBall with the lads or trying (still) to improve his snooker game!

Tom leads an international UX Team and will give insight & opinion on remote innovation teams.

Tom is passionate about what he does. He loves collaborating, discovering and exploring to deliver innovative and functional solutions. In the venn diagram of his work, the sweet spot lies at the intersection of user needs, business goals and tech capabilities. Over the past 10 years, Tom has been hmmming, haaaaing and head-scratching in the fields of graphic design, art direction, and UX/UI design.

The winding road of his career has taken him to Berlin, Hamburg, Barcelona and New York. His approach combines solid graphic design fundamentals with design thinking methodologies to deliver clean, sophisticated, and purpose-driven solutions. His philosophies towards his work are; never stop learning, make stuff that you're proud of, and have fun with it.

Joe Dunleavy is an Innovation, Software Delivery, FinTech, Design and Business lead experienced executive currently working in the role of VP, Global Head of Innovation at Endava. Before the sale of Pramerica to TCS (Dec, 2020), He worked for Prudential Financial Inc. / Pramerica for 16 years based in both Letterkenny, Ireland and in the US on a 3-year international rotation.

Joe has held several leadership roles including Innovation Head, Interim CI and Software Development Lead. Before Pramerica Joe worked in an IT start-up company called Nooked in Sligo and Microsoft in Dublin.

He holds an MA in UX & Applied Innovation, an MBS in Innovation & Leadership and a BSc in Computer Science all from ATU. Joe is passionate about fitness, technology, innovation, design, volunteering, food, coaching, startup mentoring and sport.

Noel Feeney is Head of Production & Design at Hen’s Teeth, an independent Irish cultural brand based in Dublin 8. His diverse skill set and background in both carpentry and graphic design have both found a home in creative production where he conceptualises, builds and designs exhibitions, events & art & merch collections. Notable projects include Honey Dijon x Marina Esmeraldo: Black Girl Magic, Fatti Burke: The Snug, Hennessy Sound Lounge, Hattie Stewart's Lazy Days, Ruan Van Vliet's 'Exhibition for Dogs', & Goalissimo in partnership with Amnesty International.

Jacob Burrill is a graphic designer from Co. Mayo. He graduated from Letterkenny IT’s Graphic Design programme in 2022. His career kickstarted when he created a print for the Creatives Against Covid print exhibition in 2020, which introduced him Hen’s Teeth where he went on to release a series of prints. This led to a solo exhibition at Lucky’s and freelance work for SOMY and Joy Fantastic. He is currently employed as a graphic designer at Hen’s Teeth where he creates all of the artwork for their cafe, store and HiFi Lounge, as well as work for brands like Guinness & Roe & Co. through their Creative Studio.

A Donegal native, Eileen is an experienced media producer with a track record in advertising and experiential content creation in the tv, radio, print and screen industries.

Her experience spans creative projects alongside top Irish & London production companies, sound and post houses in Europe & US, as well as collaborations with world renowned animation studios.  Eileen is co founder of The Bothy and of the proposed new studio development in Donegal Errigal Studios.

Since graduating from Wimbledon College of Art- London; Aileen Faller always had her eyes on the ‘Big Screen.’ Now, as a Costume Supervisor working in the Film & TV industry for ten years, she attributes her success to having a relentless work ethic, kind team spirit, Teflon shoulders and a gut full of passion.

As a child, Aileen made extravagant, homemade costumes for Derry’s Halloween carnivals every year. Unaware she was planting creative seeds for a career in costuming the biggest A-listers in the Film industry. From Matt le Blanc on the Hollywood Hills to Bradley Cooper conducting at Ely Cathedral. The Trolloc battles with Rosamund Pike in The Wheel of Time to a War of the White Walker’s on Game of Thrones. Boat chases in Venice with Kevin Hart and shootouts at The Garrison with Cillian Murphy in Peaky Blinders — Aileen’s career has been nothing but challenging and thrilling.

Mark is a multidisciplinary photography and videography creative who currently lives between London, UK and Neuchatel, Switzerland. Mark’s creative journey began at the University of Ulster where he studied Design & Communication, before moving to London after he graduated in 2011 to pursue a career.

Skills diversity underpins Mark’s creative work, and he has a breadth of multidisciplinary experience; from photographing global beauty campaigns, to shooting film in Ghana, to editing & grading marketing films and television commercials. Mark’s current role is as a Post-Production Senior Manager within the Rankin Group, where his work has focussed on delivering projects for automotive accounts, such as Rolls Royce, Aston Martin & Mercedes AMG.

Stephen has a passion for big ideas with purpose and believes that creativity and empathy are uniquely human and apply that belief by supporting purposeful growth in those I work with.

He is an experienced managing director operating in the creative industries, an award-winning animation producer and an accredited coach. Stephen is currently the Managing Director/ Producer of Studio Meala where he oversees the production and development of high-quality animation content for all screen sizes.

He also works as a freelance Designer and Animator, working on various projects through a number of different mediums e.g. web design, print, e- learning and 3d animation as both member of a team and independently. Managing projects liaising with clients/team members and working effectively to tight deadlines.

Buncrana-born Mary Doherty is Managing Director of Red Dog, which she founded in 1993, nurturing the company and maintaining its position as one of Ireland’s leading and respected creative agencies. Her vision and steadfast demand for excellent design has helped drive the creative team forward to becoming an internationally recognised, award-winning brand agency.

Mary has a significant level of expertise in helping brands that are now ready to move on, re-invent themselves or have found that they have simply ‘outgrown’ their current visual and verbal brand identity. Mary has never worked anywhere else as Red Dog was established the morning after she graduated from college and still lives to their mantra of ‘We are good at what we do because good is just never good enough’.

Mary is on the board of The Institute of Designers in Ireland (IDI) and the Merrion Fertility Clinic, she also sits on a committee with NGO Concern Worldwide which raises funds to highlight the issues around ‘Women of Concern’. She is the newly  President of The Institute of Designers in Ireland.