Officers & Board

John Byrne

Hon Secretary

John Byrne is Director of Sectoral Engagement with Engineers Ireland where he has been a member of the leadership team since April 1995. In this role he provides strategic leadership to the network of 30 regional and engineering specific sectors across the country and overseas facilitating networking, sharing knowledge and best practice and ongoing engagement with industry and academia on behalf of our 25,000 members. Prior to this John was Director of Finance and Operations and was responsible for the financial management and performance of Engineers Ireland for over 23 years and he has also held the role of head of HR.

John is a Fellow, CMC and current Hon Secretary of the IMCA.

Kathleen O Reilly

Kathleen is a higher education professional and consultant with over 25 years of academic and industry experience. As a lecturer in UCD’s College of Business, she is the Academic Director of the Smurfit School’s MSc in Management Consultancy. In addition to holding CMC certification from the IMCA, Kathy is an Academic Fellow of ICMCI, the professional Institute of the management consulting industry globally. She is currently completing a Doctorate in Higher Education, focusing on the integration of theory and practice in higher education.

Declan Carew

President of IMCA

Declan Carew is the President of the Institute for 2024 and has over twenty-five years’ experience in delivering transformational and innovative business opportunities working with leading technology-driven companies in product and service development, commercial strategy and investment management contexts. He has experience in business, innovation, research, academia and he supports technology-led start-ups in an advisory capacity.

He has an Engineering (B.Eng.) background with Masters Degrees in Business management (MBA) and Governance (M.Sc) and has lectured extensively on management topics including; Operations Excellence, Supply Chain Strategy, Lean Principles, Project Management, and Contract Management. Declan is a Professional Product Development and Management Professional as approved by the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA.org).

Cassandra Corbet

Cassandra is an experienced professional with a demonstrated history of working as a management consultant for health care structures in the US and the UAE. She is skilled in Cultural Integration, Team Building, Sales, Communication, Stakeholder Engagement, Programme and Project Management and Strategic Planning. Cassandra earned an Honours Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Event Management from Dublin Business School and a First Class Honours Master of Science in Management Consultancy at UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School.

Cassandra is Chair of the IMCA’s new ‘Young Consultants Group’. She currently works as a Consulting Manager with Prospectus Management Consultants.

Lisa Byrne

Lisa specialises in Forensic Accounting & Litigation Support and manages the forensics team at Cooney Carey Chartered Accountants, an IMCA Accredited Consulting Practice.  Her wide sectoral knowledge enables her to offer specific advice when working with clients, solicitors and barristers in matters including commercial litigation, dispute resolution, marital separation / divorce, financial investigations and fraud.   She also manages the audits of a number of wealth management products for one of the top global banks with responsibility for planning, implementing and reviewing the audit and advisory services provided.

Lisa is a a Member, CMC of IMCA, a member the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland and an accredited mediator and member of MFI (Mediation Forum Ireland).  She also holds a Diploma in Forensic Accounting and a Diploma in Managing People.

Emer McDonagh

Emer McDonagh is a Director of Pinnacle Project Partners, an Irish-owned, consulting firm specialising in programme and project management and an Accredited Consulting Practice of IMCA. She is a Senior Programme Manager with a strong background in project and programme management, experienced in leading multi-skilled teams across diverse locations and time-zones to achieve challenging objectives. Extensive experience in the financial services sector, most recently in Data Warehousing, Regulatory Change and Treasury systems implementation. Delivery focused with excellent leadership, communication, facilitation, training and stakeholder management skills. Chartered Chemical Engineer

Fredericka Sheppard

Fredericka Sheppard is Director and Joint Managing Partner with Voltedge Management Ltd.   A graduate of UL and NCI in Human Resources Management, Fredericka has worked in Human Resource Management since the mid 1990’s during which time she held senior HR Management roles with a range of organisations. Working as a consultant for over 10 years, she has extensive knowledge and experience developing HR strategies, providing outsourced HR services and partnering with HR departments to provide support or advice in specific areas of Human Resources Management. She was appointed to the National Framework Committee on Work Life Balance – Panel of Experts in 2002 and 2007, and is a member of the HR and OD Consultants Panel with Enterprise Ireland.

Fredericka is a Member, CMC of IMCA and a Chartered Member of CIPD.