John Dobbin B.Sc (Arch Sc) (Hons), B.Arch (Hons) NUI, ARB, MRIAI, MIDI, Director, Shay Cleary Architects
John is an architect, urbanist and cocktail enthusiast! Following graduation from University College Dublin School of Architecture, he worked in London for 9 years with Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands and Squire & Partners where he was an Associate. He returned to Dublin in 2017 to join Shay Cleary Architects. The practice has a wide portfolio of commercial work in design development, under construction and completed. It also has a particular interest in housing and has conducted detailed research and development of new residential typologies which are high density, low rise and often provide an improved yield when compared to more traditional apartment development. The practice has a number of schemes in design development and under construction utilising this developing body of residential expertise for the Build to Sell and Build to Rent sectors.
Mick Mulhern, Director of Planning and Transport, South Dublin County Council
Mick is a qualified Town Planner and Urban Designer with nearly 20 years’ experience. He has spent a considerable amount of time working in London across a range of complex planning, regeneration, and development projects, including working for the Mayor of London for 12 years where he had various roles including; interim Chief Executive of the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation; a senior officer coordinating the Mayor’s response to the London Riots and associated programme of ‘Placemaking’ improvements in some of London’s most deprived locations of Croydon and Tottenham; as well as working as a planning and design officer on the preparation of plans for large development projects including the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
In 2019, Mick returned to Ireland to take on the role of Director of Planning and Transport in South Dublin County Council. Working on the Council’s corporate management team, he is responsible for leading the Council’s plans to deliver a significant amount of growth across the County’s Strategic Development Zones and regeneration lands at Adamstown, Clonburris, Tallaght, Fortunestown and the City Edge lands. Mick is also responsible for ensuring the County develops a sustainable transport network including leading delivery of the Council’s ambitious Cycle South Dublin programme and placemaking improvements to the Counties network of towns, villages and centres.
Krystyna Rawicz, Managing Director, KRA
Krystyna has over 35 years of experience in Project Management and Building Surveying. During that time she has worked in private practices, local governments and has established her project management and building surveying company, KRA Visionary Project Partners.
She sits on several professional committees including the Disputes Resolution and Statutory Professional Conduct Committee, and the President’s Expert Witness Panel for Construction Disputes.
Krystyna launched a new company, KRA Renewables in 2018, with a focus on implementing sustainability and renewable energy measures into their existing building stock. She is a LEED Accredited Professional, a Director of the Irish Green Building Council and a member of the SCSI working group on sustainability.
Eoin Leonard, CEO and Founder, i3PT
Eoin is the CEO and founder at i3PT Certification. As well as leading the strategic development of i3PT, he works with the company’s multi-disciplinary team to improve service and is directly involved in the design of CertCentral. Eoin holds an MBA, as well as several other technical and project management qualifications. In 2018, he was a finalist in the EY “Entrepreneur of the Year.”
Patrick Kavanagh, Building Services Engineering Associate Dublin, BDP Building Design Partnership
Patrick is recognised in the industry as a specialist in the design of sustainable buildings having worked with over 30 design practices in Ireland across various projects. He has extensive experience which includes leading the design of multiple NZEB buildings in the workplace, healthcare, education, retail and residential sectors and was the lead engineer on Ireland’s first ‘Net Zero Carbon’ hotel. Sustainability is at the core of his engineering approach and this is supported by his multiple accreditations including LEED GREEN Associate, BREEAM AP, WELL AP, BER Assessor and SEAI Energy Auditor.
Claire Solon, Managing Director, Greystar Ireland
Greystar is a global vertically integrated residential platform specialising in private rented residential accommodation.
Prior to joining Greystar in 2019, Claire was Head of Property at Aviva Ireland where she managed property funds of over €600m in Ireland and the UK.
She was previously Head of Estates Management at ESB Ireland, which is the largest landowner in the country, and prior to that was Development Director in Bennett Construction. Claire is an active Fellow of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) and was the youngest person to be elected to the role of President in 2016. She is currently Chair of the Practice and Policy Committee within SCSI and a Fellow of RICS. Previously she has lectured extensively in valuations and feasibility analysis in Technological University Dublin degree and master’s courses.
Claire serves as a non-executive board member of state-owned Home Building Finance Ireland (HBFI) and also on the board of Clúid, a not-for-profit housing charity providing homes for those in need.
Kenneth Rouse, Managing Director & Head of Capital Markets, BNP Paribas Real Estate
Kenneth has held senior banking and private equity roles in London and Dublin prior to joining the Capital Markets team at BNP Paribas Real Estate (BNPPRE) in 2014. To date at BNPPRE he has been involved in over €1billion worth of commercial property investment transactions and was appointed as Managing Director for the company in January 2018.
Kenneth works with clients that include Aviva Investors, Irish Life, Eir, Uniphar Plc, BNP Paribas REIM, Cheung Kong, Statestreet Global Advisors, Sofidy and Union Investment. He was educated at University College Dublin (UCD) where he has obtained a BSc. (Economics and Finance) and a Master’s in Business Studies (Finance) from the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business at UCD. Kenneth is a member of the Institute of Bankers and holds the QFA designation as well as being a Member of both Society Chartered Surveyors in Ireland (MSCSI) and Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS).
David Jelly, Founder, Property Bridges
David graduated from UCD in 2005 and gained experience as a derivatives analyst in the IFSC before moving to London where he spent time as an options trader and equity trader for US investment bank Jefferies international. Upon his return to Dublin in 2013, David joined a financial data start-up in Ballsbridge. During his time here he developed the concept of launching a P2P lender for the Irish construction market. In October 2018, David launched Property Bridges. He completed a Masters in Real Estate in TU Dublin in 2020.
Marie Hunt, Executive Director and Head of Research, CBRE Ireland
25 years ago Marie established the research department at CBRE Ireland, which is now regarded as one of the most authoritative sources of property information in the Irish market. A regular commentator in the Irish media on property matters, Marie produces a range of publications on all sectors of the market and carries out specialist consultancy work on behalf of a broad range of institutional, private and public sector clients of CBRE’s Irish business, helping occupiers, developers and investors make location and investment decisions.
Marie is an Executive Director of CBRE in Ireland and a member of CBRE Ireland’s Executive Committee. Qualified as a Chartered Surveyor, she is a Fellow of the Society of Chartered Surveyors in Ireland. In 2018, she was awarded Businesswoman of the Year by Image Magazine.
Jonathan Healy, Broadcaster
After graduating with a degree in law from University College Cork, Jonathan Healy worked in radio, television and online media for two decades. He has been a presenter with Newstalk 106-108fm and a senior correspondent with Sky News, with his work featuring prominently on both stations. Jonathan also has experience working with TV3, RTE, FM104, The Cork Independent and Cork’s 96fm.Having conducted thousands of interviews with people from all works of Irish life, he is a skilled interviewer and proven cross-platform content creator with extensive contacts across politics, business and public relations throughout the country, Jonathan is also a proven event facilitator and engaging MC. He has also delivered high impact voice-over work for corporate videos and campaigns.
Phelim O’Neill, Head of Property, the Land Development Agency
Phelim previously held senior positions at the National Asset Management Agency including Head of Property and Development and Senior Divisional Manager (NAMA). Prior to joining NAMA he worked in the property industry in various development and project management roles.
TJ Cronin, President, the Society of Chartered Surveyors in Ireland (SCSI)
TJ is a Registered Valuer, Senior Negotiator and Valuer with Irish and European Cork Limited. He has in excess of 20 years’ experience in the Cork residential property market. During this time, TJ has been involved in the acquisition and disposal of various asset types and also provided strategic advice on portfolio management for institutional, state bodies and private clients. He is a member of the SCSI for over 19 years and has been the chairperson for the Southern Region, having served on the regional committee for 6 years. He has been instrumental in establishing CPD briefings for all counties within his region.
Pat O’Sullivan, Head of Real Estate Research, AIB
Pat has over 30 years’ experience of working in the financial markets. He is responsible for the research and analysis of the Irish commercial real estate and residential development markets in Ireland for AIB. Pat is on the senior management team of AIB’s Real Estate Finance division which is a leading senior debt provider for land and development finance and commercial real estate finance in Ireland.
Pat is a graduate of University College Dublin and Dublin City University and has a BA and MA in Economics, an MSc in Investment and Treasury and is a CFA.
Ruairi Revell, ESG Manager for Real Assets
Abrdn Abrdn is the largest active asset manager in the UK, with investments in equities, multi-asset, fixed income, liquidity, sovereign wealth funds, real estate and private markets. In July 2021 the company changed its name from Standard Life Aberdeen to abrdn plc. Ruairi supports the global real estate business to integrate ESG in all elements of the investment process, with particular focus on core plus and value add strategies. Prior to joining abrdn in 2015, Ruairi worked as a sustainability consultant at Ove Arup and Partners where he supported a wide range of organisations to improve sustainability performance and led the sustainability input to a many high profile real estate and infrastructure development projects.
Chris Collins, Country President Ireland, Schneider Electric
Chris leads Schneider Electric’s business in Ireland. He plays a vital role in directing the next phase of growth and strategy in the country. He began his career working in engineering and operations roles with field services teams in Siemens and TFC Automation. He joined Schneider Electric as a Business Development Manager in 2003 and was responsible for building automation and security products in the North East region of the US. Over the past seventeen years, he has held several roles, including senior board-level positions at Schneider Electric and is a seasoned business leader, having overseen Schneider’s smart buildings business, covering both the commercial and residential sectors in the US. Prior to taking on his current role in April 2021, he was Vice President of Systems Transformation, Digital Energy in the US.
Chris holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Management Systems from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and an MBA, Business Administration, Management and Operations from Loyola University Maryland. Chris is a Director of the France Ireland Chamber of Commerce Council and sits on the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland Infrastructure Taskforce.
Sean MacHale, Head of Institutional Strategy, Sustainability & Growth, Bank of Ireland M&T
Sean is a senior business leader across institutional banking and capital markets. He is currently the head of Institutional Strategy, Sustainability & Growth at BOI M&T, having just delivered a first of its kind Natural Capital transaction on behalf of Coillte and Forestry Partners. Previously Sean headed the Institutional Banking business for Danske Bank in Dublin where he led the inaugural Republic of Ireland €3bn green bond transaction. Prior to joining Danske Bank, Sean was Head of Global Markets for HSBC Bank Ireland. He has published many ESG thought leadership pieces and has a number of active engagements in the space.
Sean is a Certified Bank Director and has been a guest lecturer to the MSc in Investment and Treasury in DCU and Fintech meets ESG in Dublin Business School.
Deirdre Hayes, Head of Irish Commercial Property, Irish Life Investment Managers (ILIM)
Deirdre is responsible for strategically driving asset management initiatives across the property portfolio enhancing income and capital value through a number of initiatives including leasing, major redevelopment and refurbishment projects. She is a general practice chartered surveyor with over 24 years’ experience in commercial property. Prior to joining Irish Life, Deirdre was Managing Director of Aramark Property and a board member of Aramark Northern Europe where she was responsible for the management and development of the business, enhancing service delivery and driving change strategies. Prior to joining Aramark, Deirdre was a founding partner of HT Meagher O’Reilly (now Knight Frank). She holds a BSc (Surveying) from Trinity College, Dublin and a Diploma in Property Economics from the Dublin Institute of Technology. She is a member of Society of Chartered Surveyor Ireland and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Rami Nassar, Head of Sustainability, JLL
Rami is responsible for developing and delivering energy and sustainability consultancy services to clients both internally and externally.
As the head of the sustainability team in Ireland, he provides technical and strategic advice to a diverse range of clients, both owners and occupiers. Rami’s primary role is to lead the sustainability advice on green building certifications, assets optimisation and strategy development enabling clients to achieve their sustainability goals and aspirations.
Rami has over 16 years of international experience in energy and sustainability consulting spanning across three continents. Having filled a diverse set of roles and responsibilities from designing, specifying and detailing green building solutions early in his career to then spearheading energy and sustainability programs, his approach to sustainability planning and team leadership is grounded in practical experience. Rami’s “out of the box” thinking has helped him deliver on the most technically challenging projects and offer clients the best-value pragmatic sustainability advice.
Brian Moran, Senior Managing Director, Hines Ireland
Brian is responsible for developing Hines’ Ireland business. He established the Hines platform in Ireland over 10 years ago which currently has more than €2.3 billion of retail, office and residential assets under management, in addition to a major development pipeline with over €2.0bn of capital committed across a range of asset types including the development of approximately 5,000 residential units. He re-joined the firm in Ireland in 2011 having previously worked with Hines in Russia in the 1990’s. In between, Brian ran his own successful development management and investment advisory firm in Dublin which focused on large urban regeneration, university campus developments and housing PPP projects.
Brian is a graduate of Architecture from the Dublin Institute of Technology and obtained an MBA at the University of Chicago. He is a trustee of ULI Europe, a ULI National Council Member for Ireland, a director of Irish Institutional Property and currently chairs the Irish Architecture Foundation.
Dawn Slevin MD, ELS Europe, Member EU Sustainable Finance TEG & EFRAG Task Force on reporting of non-financial risks & opportunities
Dawn has over 25 years’ experience on international complex risk management and sustainable finance providing expertise directly to the financial sector, industrial and commercial operators, and government regulatory & prudential authorities. Her experience spans a range of industries including construction & real estate, brownfield development, water treatment & supply, waste management, mining & manufacturing, renewable energy, oil & gas, petrochemical & refining, warehousing, transport & logistics throughout Europe and internationally.
Dawn is one of the thirty-five technical expert group (TEG) members of the European Commission’s Financial Stability, Financial Services & Capital Markets Union (DG-FISMA) on Sustainable Finance. In this capacity as a member of the Taxonomy Working Group (TWG) Dawn has contributed to the architecture and operationalisation of Europe’s first green sustainable finance ‘Taxonomy‘.
Dawn is a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) and Chartered Waste Manager (MCIWM), holds an MSc. with Distinction, Environmental Engineering from Queen’s University Belfast (2002) and Honours Degree Environmental Science from Trinity College Dublin (1994), and is a member of associated professional institutions.
Rick Larkin, Executive Director, Twinlite
Rick Larkin is a real estate developer and executive director of Dublin based Twinlite. Having constructed more than 3,000 residential units in Ireland, along with commercial and leisure assets, Twinlite also developed office property in London, completing the former headquarters of the Prudential plc along with other smaller projects. In 2018, Twinlite launched Vesta – Ireland’s first digital build-to-rent property platform, providing a seamless (and touchless) resident experience while reducing asset management costs for its investors. Twinlite is currently completing a large build-to-rent project in north Dublin, consisting of 658 apartments and is also on site constructing 101 apartments in Dalkey, with a pipeline of an additional 1,000 apartments across Dublin city.
Conor Daly, Chief Operating Officer, Property Bridges
Conor is a career banker with over 30 years experience in both Irish and International Financial Services Institutions. Throughout this time he has held a number of senior roles, including that of Director of Banking, Chief Credit Officer and HR Director. He has extensive property experience, both from a Banking and Investment perspective. A graduate of University College Galway, Conor holds degrees in both Law and Economics.
Patrick Hogan, Director – Head of Residential Capital Markets at Cushman & Wakefield Ireland
Patrick is a Chartered Surveyor with over 20 years’ wide ranging experience and is a recognised industry expert and advisor in the investment management of residential, PRS/ BTR and mixed use developments. Patrick is the head of Cushman & Wakefield’s Residential Capital Markets team and has transacted in excess of €600M in the sector in the last 12 months
Sinead Byrne, Chief Operating Officer, Initiative Ireland
Chief Operating Officer, Sinead Byrne has over 15 years experience in the financial services industry. As COO she leads the operational activities of the company in addition to overseeing all change programs within the organisation. Having specialized in managing risk strategy and operations, she has led risk management and transformation programs in Irish Banks. Sinead has worked within national and multinational Irish and European finance providers, inclusive of Ulster Bank, EBS and Citi Bank. Sinead holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematical studies and Psychology from National University of Ireland, Galway followed by a Higher Diploma in Financial Mathematics jointly from Heriot Watt University and University of Edinburgh