FOUR MORE expatriate Irish executives have been revealed as being willing to sit on the boards of State agencies free of charge as part of the Diaspora 2016 initiative.
They are Una Fox, vice-president of technology client relations at the Walt Disney Company; Liam Casey, founder and chief executive of PCH, the technology group that is expected to float shortly on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange; Conor Allen, vice president of technology at NYSE Technologies, the technology division of the New York Stock Exchange; and Dr Harry Sweeney, a horse-breeder based in Japan.
The initiative is seeking to create a panel of 100 Irish executives based overseas who are willing to sit on State boards free of charge between now and 2016.
It is being organised by the Silicon Valley-based Irish Technology Leadership Group. Volunteers will travel to Ireland free of charge and will not claim expenses, said John Hartnett, founder of the group. The Diaspora 2016 project was announced at the Global Irish Economic Forum in Dublin Castle earlier this month.
Mr Hartnett said he had been inundated with offers from business people who wanted to volunteer their time and expertise.
“We don’t want to run these agencies but we can help guide them and provide strategic advice,” he said. “These are global leaders who have sat on executive teams who make decisions about investment around the world.”
In addition to Mr Hartnett, Tom McEnery, former mayor of San Jose; Barry O’Sullivan, a vice president with Cisco; Conrad Burke, founder of solar energy business Innovalight; and Rory McInerney, an Intel vice president, have made themselves available for board appointments.
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