Directors

Current Chamber President David Walsh is a Qualified Financial Advisor with over 25 years experience in the Financial Services Industry and runs his own Independent Financial Advisory Business nationwide, having previously worked with Canada Life, Field Financial, Holden & McEvilly Ltd and ACE Life & Pensions. David is a Director of Complete Financial Planning Ltd. t/a Better Finances. David’s philosophy in building long term relationships with clients is ‘going the extra mile’ and delivering quality service. He believes this is much easier to achieve working as an independent financial adviser with a ‘close knit’ team.

David is a Director of the Dungarvan Community Employment Scheme and is Chairman of the Glenbeg School Boar of Management.  David continuously works on behalf of the Dungarvan & West Waterford community and has a big picture view when leading Chamber activities.  David is a keen supporter of hurling, soccer and other sports and is currently Secretary of Dungarvan Utd and has been Chairman previously for a number of years.

Oren is the Vice President for the Dungarvan & West Waterford Chamber. Oren’s day job is Director and Studio Manager with TOTEM, a strategic branding agency based in Dungarvan and Cork.

TOTEM work with national clients such as Cork Airport, Focus Ireland, Trocaire, Failte Ireland, EirGen Pharma, Shorla Pharma, Waterford Greenway, Limerick Greenways, Cork Chamber, Eurofins, Waterford city and County Council and Cliff Hotel Group. Oren has a wide-ranging understanding of all media platforms and has worked in Arts PR for national and international touring productions, and as marketing consultant to festivals and production companies.

Aware of how fortunate she is to be living and working in such a great place; Oren is heavily involved with the Dungarvan & West Waterford Chamber applying her skills by way of contribution to her community.

Whilst the story of Dungarvan Paints & D.I.Y. only began in 2012 David’s interest in the construction industry stemmed from a very young age.
Having benefited a vast knowledge from the family business he then moved on to further his training in the hardware industry.

Over the 25 years his interest in Logistics, Customer Service and Problem Solving grew further which inspired him to open his own business.
The experiences he has gathered led him to become a Director at Dungarvan and West Waterford Chamber where he offers assistance , especially to start- ups, having built his own business from the ground up, he is always on hand to offer support.

An active committee member of Dungarvan Tidy Towns, the environment and our association is very important to David. Shop local is a culture that is also very important to David and something which he is very passionate about and can explore and promote through his involvement with the Dungarvan & West Waterford Chamber.

Shane Connors is managing partner of Connors and Co., Chartered Accountants, servicing the South-East region with offices in Waterford and Kilkenny.

He is a qualified Chartered Accountant with a first class honours MBA degree.  Shane has over 20 years’ experience of working in and advising Irish SME’s and has also lived in Eastern Europe where he worked for an international commodity trading company.   Shane has held senior management roles and managed assets in excess of €250m.

Shane has extensive experience across many sectors including retail pharmaceuticals, wholesale distribution, technology, construction, plant hire, professional services and internationally traded goods. His unique experience gained in corporate finance and especially in mergers and acquisitions makes him an expert in this area, and one of the most sought-after professionals in this field based in the South-East.

Connors and Co. is a full-service accountancy practice. Within the practice, Shane specialises in the following areas:

• Acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures and succession planning in the SME sector
• Cash flow forecasting and cost reduction programmes
• Bank and other financing options, reviews and re-negotiations
• Liquidations, examinerships, corporate recovery and turnaround strategies

Anthony has experience of more than fifteen years in the payroll industry. Starting in the HSE posting P45s in 2005 he worked up to Payroll Manager for the Southern Health Board Community Division prior to moving to payroll giants ADP. After seeing the impact of how monthly pay effects employees’ financial wellbeing Anthony invented the international award-winning app Flexiwage which has won the National Startup awards, the prestigious Startup100, as well as the app being adopted as part of the Google Startup program in 2019. Anthony was also Waterford’s Young Entrepreneur of the year in 2017 and named as one of the 100 most influential people in the payroll industry in the world in 2018 and 2019 by Payroll World Magazine

Since then, the Dungarvan-based company has achieved a US patent and is now used by over 10,000 employees a month in Ireland and the UK.

Anthony is a West Waterford native, proud to be known as a promoter of Tallow, the wider region and the building of a regional tech hub for emerging fintech companies.

Marie has been part of GSK Dungarvan for 16 years and lives in Lismore.

As Technical Director at GSK Marie has responsibility for Product Lifecycle Management, New Product Introduction, Business Development, Process Robustness, Packaging Technology, Cleaning Validation and Process Validation, Project Management of NPI’s, Portfolio Optimisation, Value Engineering, Team Management of the site Technical function.

Marie shares GSK’s strong community ethos and responsibility and is delighted to be part of the Chamber Board of Directors where she can represent manufacturing, large industry and their connection to the community.

John Nugent has over 18 years’ experience in Financial Services and as a well-recognised leader in the industry has vast experience in Finance, Product & Proposition design, Leadership, Technology and Business Transformation.

In John’s current role he is responsible for all mass affluent and high net-worth customers in Ireland’s leading pillar bank. John is a qualified Actuary and member of the Institute of Actuaries in the UK and Society of Actuaries in Ireland. He is also a Qualified Financial Advisor and was recent Chairman of the Dublin LIA which is educational body for financial advisors in Ireland.

Originally a West Waterford man he currently lives in Dublin with his wife and three children. John is keen to give back to the local area which has given him so much and which he extremely proud of.

Paul is the Managing Director of Paul O Connor Cars Limited, based in Dungarvan. Paul started the business in 2019 after spending 6 years working for a large motor group in Waterford and Cork. Since then, he has grown the business from a solo operation to employing 10 staff across 3 different garages: Paul O Connor Cars (Sales) and Paul O Connor Service, which looks after service maintenance work as well as an Autobody garage that looks after respraying cars, refurbing alloys etc. The business has now grown to selling over 500 cars per year and you will find his little ‘P’ company logo on a car in nearly every county in Ireland at this point!

Paul’s approach to business is based on quality, good customer service, creating a relaxed and enjoyable environment for both customers and staff as well as an innovative approach to marketing. Online marketing is one of Paul’s strengths and the company has amassed a social media following of over 20,000 people across Facebook and Instagram.

Outside of work Paul enjoys holidays and travel, music, spending time with his English Bulldog Gus and the rollercoaster journey of being a Man. United fan. He is also big car fanatic – as you may have guessed!

A past president of Dungarvan and West Waterford Chamber and 18 years a Chamber member, AnnMarie is the owner of family run business Capitol Cleaners on O’Connell St, Dungarvan, operating since 1958. AnnMarie was Chairperson of Dungarvan Tidy Towns for many years, including when it was awarded a Silver Medal in the 2018 Entente Florale European Competition. She is currently Chairperson of St Marys Primary School Dungarvan, Director of the CMT (Chamber, Museum & Tourist Office ) Community Employment Scheme. AnnMarie is also a trustee of The Irish Pilgrimage Trust which brings young people with special needs to Lourdes each Easter.

It has been great to observe the advancement of Dungarvan as a tourism destination and the progression of the area which was driven or assisted by the Dungarvan & West Waterford Chamber.

Diarmuid Ryan, DPR Associates is an Independent Hogan Associate for Leadership and Talent Consulting.

Diarmuid brings decades of experience to global human resources, and is recognized in multiple continents for developing leading edge talent management practices including competency frameworks, performance/potential matrixes, personal growth plans, executive coaching and leadership development programs. In particular, Diarmuid is known for his ability to resource, identify and develop high potential employees, and serve as a trusted and influential coach to CEOs and colleagues. Throughout his career, Diarmuid has remained passionate about learning and development of people. As a result, his Talent Management and Executive Coaching experience is extensive.

Diarmuid holds an MA in Manpower Development and a Post Graduate Diploma in Personnel Management from the University of Westminster, London, and a business degree from the University of Toledo in Ohio. He also holds a certificate in Leadership Coaching and is certified in the Hogan Assessments and the KF Lominger ‘Suite’ including 360 VOICES, FIRO-B, CPI, Bar-in-EQ, Strong, 16PF, TKI, and MBTI. Assessments.

Diarmuid is delighted to be part of the Board of the Dungarvan & West Waterford Chamber as he loves being involved in development and realises the potential of West Waterford.

Originally from Dublin, Emilene moved to Dungarvan in 2008 when she purchased Merry’s with her father, Jim and began a renovation job, converting Merry’s into a Gastro Pub and opening its doors on 1^st May 2008.

Emilene grew up in the hospitality trade, working with her father in his Dublin pubs.

She lived in America where she worked as a chef and ran a successful Gastro Pub for a number of years before returning to Ireland to start a catering business and eventually finding Merry’s & Dungarvan.

Emilene, her father Jim & brother Will, opened a new venture, The Merry Cobbler, in Dublin 4 in November 2016, located next to The Aviva.

After opening The Merry Cobbler, Emilene was invited to join the committee of The Licensed Vintner’s Association. While on the committee Emilene was privileged to gain the valuable knowledge about dealing directly with international suppliers such as Diageo, Heineken and Bulmer’s, and organise trade deals with these large companies which would be of benefit to pubs nationwide.

Covid made Emilene realise how blessed she is to live in a wonderful prosperous town like Dungarvan and she decided to get more involved with the community. She organised Dungarvan’s first ever Dungarvan Pride – letting people from all over the world see what a wonderful welcoming town Dungarvan is to all walks of life, through the virtual Pride video of Dungarvan.

Emilene hopes that by joining as a Chamber Director she can bring something new to the Board and continue to help develop Dungarvan as the welcoming tourist destination it has become – making it a town where we all feel blessed to live and appreciate what we have on our doorstep.

Eugene has experience of more than fifteen years in the cinema industry. It started out as a manual process and moved to a new digital era, where SGC Dungarvan were first to use an abundance of new technologies to bring new innovations in cinema to Dungarvan and from there to all cinemas in Ireland.

Eugene has a BSc Hons Cam and a Diploma in Digital Marketing, manages teams in 4 locations in Ireland and is also a Director of the CMT (Chamber, Museum & Tourist Office) Community Employment Scheme. Eugene also enjoys being part of a steering group for the promotional initiative for the Irish Language in the area promoting Dungarvan as a service town for the local Gaeltacht. Eugene also has a keen interest in Tourism and is active selling Dungarvan & West Waterford as a tourism destination.

Stephen Walsh has 15 years experience within the construction industry. He is the Managing Director of AerHaus Ventilation, providing a host of mechanical ventilation solutions to trade and retail markets. With over 3,000 installations completed to date Stephen brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to every project.

Representing a dozen manufacturing partners from seven different countries, he is no stranger to international trade. Indoor air quality is at the centre of everything he does and he frequently visits international industry fairs, sourcing the latest and most advanced residential ventilation technology for the Irish market.

Stephen is target driven, customer focused with a keen eye for quality and value. Stephen has also held the position of Chairman of the Residential Ventilation Association of Ireland ( RVAI), a national organisation which promotes awareness and proper deployment of ventilation technology within the Irish new-build and retrofit market. He is married to Karen and they have three children. He regularly reminds them that every day is a school day and lives by the same ethos himself.

Stephen is keen to build relationships nationally & internationally that will benefit the economy and environment in which we live.

Jenny Beresford: is an accomplished CEO with vast experience in strategic and operational management in a dynamic business environment.

Graduating with a B.A. in Tourism Business Management, Jenny spent a number of years working in America, Australia and Africa before finally settling back to Dungarvan.

In her current roles as Chamber CEO and Dungarvan Tourist Office Manager, Jenny has done extensive work in tandem with stakeholders from both business and tourism sectors, where she sees a natural alignment.

Over the past 14 years, Jenny has tripled Dungarvan Chamber membership from 90 to over 300 businesses of all sizes and from all sectors.  Also responsible for driving Dungarvan & West Waterford Chamber Shopping Voucher sales, Jenny led a campaign that generated nearly One Million Euros of voucher sales in 2021!

Passionate about promotion, Jenny is committed to advocating Dungarvan as ‘the best place to live, work stay and play’. Determined for Dungarvan reach the potential the Waterford Greenway would offer, Jenny was responsible for a ‘Get Greenway Ready’ initiative and ‘Dungarvan Home Of The Greenway’ promotion. These days Jenny is pioneering a ‘Tailored Employment Initiative’ which is a multi-agency collaboration whose purpose it is to build a fit for purpose, collaborative, tailored employment initiative which will futureproof employment for the area. Also part of a steering group which was recently awarded significant funding, Jenny is working towards Dungarvan Digital Transformational Hubs which will future proof Dungarvan as a great place to do business and will support business sustainability and development across sectors.

Through championing many projects, Dungarvan has been to the fore in gaining inclusive, tourist-friendly titles in recent years. For example, Dungarvan became Ireland’s first Dementia Friendly Town in 2015, as well as being one of only 3 towns in Ireland to achieve and retain ‘Coach Friendly Status’ since 2016.

Through Jenny’s role, the Dungarvan & West Waterford Chamber was shortlisted for 5 National Awards with Chambers Ireland, winning the ‘Best Virtual Event’ in 2021, a year in which Jenny was recognised by RSVP magazine as one of the most influential women in Waterford.

In her down time, Jenny loves walking the Waterford Greenway near her house, enjoying the fantastic food offering in Dungarvan and the odd cocktail!