Board of Directors and Senior Management Team

Jonathan O’Grady

Jonathan joined the Board in May 2021, and was appointed President in December 2022. He is a recognised advocate on the subjects of independent living and disability rights. A lifelong wheelchair user, Jonathan established SMA Ireland, a patient advocacy group focused on people in Ireland affected by the genetic condition, Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

Jonathan has forged a successful career working with various investment and technology companies in the areas of corporate strategy and analytics, and currently works with the fintech, Assure Hedge. He has an MA in business and economics from Trinity College Dublin and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Martin Kelly

Chair Person

Martin was appointed to the Board of Directors in 2016 and is Chairperson. He was elected Treasurer in 2017 and also Chairs the Audit Committee and is a member of the Governance Committee.

He is currently CFO of Monaghan Mushrooms and prior to this was the CFO for Airsynergy, an entrepreneurial renewable energy company. Martin also held various senior positions with Aryzta Plc, the international frozen bakery company.

He has extensive corporate governance experience and has been a Company Director of multiple legal entities in various countries including Ireland, UK, Belgium, France, USA, Canada, Hungary, India, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia.

Martin is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland and holds a PhD from the University of Limerick and an MBA from University College Dublin.

Dermot Murphy

Dermot was appointed to the IWA Board in October 2020. Currently he is a self employed business consultant and non-executive director. He qualified as an accountant with Garland McDonald and KPMG before spending twenty years in the global food industry with both IAWS PLC and Aryzta.

Dermot held senior positions in both Europe and North America culminating with his appointment as CEO for Aryzta Europe. He has extensive financial, management, governance and strategic experience and skill, and believes people are an organisations best asset. Dermot is a Fellow of the Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA).

Donal Sands

Board Secretary

Donal joined the Board of Directors in 2016. He was elected Secretary in 2017 and also sits on the Audit Committee.

Prior to retirement, he was Assistant Director General of FAS for over 20 years. Initially in charge of Finance, IT and other administrative services, Donal then went on to head up all FAS services in the East of Ireland. Following a restructure he was in charge of the National Public Employment Service.

Donal was Ireland’s representative on the European Commission’s Committee of Director Generals of Vocational Training. Upon retirement, he was elected as President of the European Vocational Training Association based in Brussels for a number of years.

Donal holds a Bachelor of Commerce from UCD, is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and also holds a Certificate in Training from the University of Southern California.

Laura McDermott

Vice-Chairperson

Laura was elected to the Board in May 2019.

She is a solicitor with over 37 years’ experience in practice in corporate/financial law and 30 years as a partner successively in two leading Dublin firms. She has excellent management skills coupled with a strategic outlook and proven leadership ability.

She has been a member of the IWA Audit, Finance and Risk Committee since early 2018 which has allowed her to develop an understanding of the operations, key aims and indeed challenges facing the Association.

Her hobbies include Dublin University Ladies Boat Club, walking, hiking and speaking French and German.

Michelle Byrne

Staff Representative

Michelle was elected as the staff representative to the Irish Wheelchair Association Board in May 2019.

Michelle started her career with the organisation in January 2004, working as a personal assistant in the assisted living service. In late 2005, she moved into the Finance department and onto Payroll Manager in 2010. Michelle prides herself on doing a job well this is reflected in the quality of her work and in her positive attitude to work.

Michelle has three children who have grown up with Irish Wheelchair Association as the back drop to their lives – they attended its sports camps, community centre fun days, did their TY work experience in the Drogheda centre, played wheelchair basketball and they advocate for people with disabilities in their normal daily living.

Dave Barry

Staff Representative

David was elected to the Board in May 2021 as a staff representative. He is the IWA youth service coordinator for the Dublin region (since 2010), running various services for teenagers and young adults. He has worked for the IWA since 2003 and previously in the Clontarf community centre as a programme assistant.

He has a BA in Business and Finance and BSC in Social Care with Disability and is passionate about supporting IWA members to achieve goals and make real quality of life gains. In his spare time, he loves to cycle, keep fit and spend time outdoors with his family.

James McCarthy

James was appointed as Director to the Board of the IWA in November 2022.

He is a career civil servant and has been employed in the Service since 1994 and with his current Department since 2002. He has been a previous Chairperson of the Mid-West Spina Bifida Association and was the Athletes Representative on the Board of Paralympics Ireland. This year he was elected Chairperson of the IWA National Sport Executive Committee.

James is a two time Paralympian having represented Ireland at shot putt in both Atlanta and London. He has represented Ireland in 6 different sports, most recently, at the Rugby League World Cup in November 2021.

Padraic Hayes

Padraic was elected to the Board in May 2018.

He graduated with a Masters in Marketing from Limerick Institute of Technology and works in administration and finance. His passion lies in advocacy and he is the current Chairperson of the Clare Leader Forum, which is an independent group of people with disabilities.

At a national level Padraic has also continued to promote the rights of people with disabilities through his work with the Centre for Independent Living and through his role on the Value for Money (Transforming Lives) committee. Most recently Padraic was elected to the secretariat of the Clare Public Participation Network where he represents the social inclusion college.

In a personal capacity Padraic has been a keen member of the Irish Wheelchair Association and has worked one-on-one to promote self-esteem and confidence where people require assistance to use their voice. As a Personal Assistance Service user he is a strong believer in the Independent Living philosophy. He believes that appropriate supports are the lifeblood of independent living and vital to any progression for people with disabilities.

Carmel Creaven

Carmel joined the Board in May 2021. She lives on the outskirts of Tuam Co. Galway. Unfortunately, she was involved in an accident during a rugby match in 2017, resulting in her physical disability. Following a long recovery, Carmel became a participant in Irish Wheelchair Associations Ability Programme, determined to start a career to support other people with physical disabilities.

Carmel returned to college to train as a personal trainer, specialising in training people with disabilities by supporting them to achieve their goals. Carmel is constantly upskilling with Cara Sport Ireland to further her knowledge and expertise. She is now employed at a local gym in Tuam and actively works to encourage workplaces throughout Ireland to be more inclusive for people of all abilities.

Iqura Naseem

Iqura joined the Board in May 2021. She lives in South Dublin. She has recently graduated with an MA in Accounting at Maynooth University. She joined the IWA as a member in September 2018, and the Ability Programme in late 2020. She attends the IWA Lucan Centre.

During her time at Maynooth University, she was an ambassador to help prospective students with barriers such as a disability find out about third level. She believes that people with disabilities can achieve anything from having a good life to getting a degree and job, if given the accessibilities and opportunities.

Ann Marie Connolly

Ann Marie was appointed as Director to the Board of the IWA in November 2022.

She is a retired public health doctor with over 30 years of experience working to improve health. She has spent all her career in the public sector, particularly in the NHS in the UK. Most recently she worked for Public Health England where she was Deputy Director of Health Improvement, which included leading the organisation’s work on inequalities in health.

Ann Marie gained her medical degree from University of Galway, is a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health (FFPH) in the UK and also qualified as a GP. Her skills include health data analysis, using scientific evidence to design and commission good healthcare, strategic planning and managing health programmes.

Sean Bresnan

Sean was appointed as Director to the Board of the IWA in November 2022.

He has over 20 years procurement and general management experience in large public sector organisations including Health, Central Government and Education. Currently he runs his own consultancy service specialising in providing supply chain and procurement services to both public and private sector clients.

Prior to this he held roles as National Director of Procurement in the HSE and Head of Professional Services Procurement in the Office of Government Procurement. He also had a spell as an Army Officer in the Department of Defence.

Peter Smyth

Peter Smyth was appointed to the Board of Directors of IWA in November 2022. He has held senior business and technology leadership positions, most recently in Integrity 360, a cyber-security company, as Chief Operating Officer. Prior to that he worked in Version 1 for 7 years, where he led a team of 600 IT professionals and was accountable for digital application development and IT managed services. Peter worked for two decades in Eir in a variety of different roles. He was a member of the Eir Business management team and General Manager for Eir in Northern Ireland.

Peter is now self-employed and advises several growing technology companies. Peter went to UCD where he completed a B.Comm and a Masters in Business Studies.

Mike Webster

Mike was appointed as Director to the Board of the IWA in November 2022.

He was most recently founder and CEO of AI company Arvoia and is now a Director with Vertex Inc the international tax technology company. Previously he held CEO roles in technology, finance, and travel companies.

Mike is passionate about utilising technology for social good and working to ensuring access to transformative technology is open to all. He holds a Bachelor of Technology degree from University of Limerick, an MBA from Smurfit Graduate School of Business, University College Dublin and also completed a business strategy course at Harvard Business School.