Shane Ryan is the General Manager of Takeda in Ireland, a position he has held for over seven years. Under his leadership, Takeda Ireland was recognised as the Life Science Company of the Year in 2024. Shane has over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sector. He is a passionate advocate for the biopharmaceutical sector and the role it plays at the forefront of discovering, developing, and bringing life-changing medicines and innovations to patients, clinicians, and the communities that support them. In September 2024, he became the President of the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association, having previously served as Vice President and, prior to this, as a Director on the Board. Shane is also committed to ensuring the sector represents the diversity of the individuals, carers, and clinicians it serves and continuously volunteers his time to lead initiatives that drive this goal.

Appointed by the Taoiseach to this role in January 2025, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill previously served as Minister of State for European Affairs & Defence across the Departments of the Taoiseach, Foreign Affairs and Defence. Prior to that, she was Minister of State in the Department for Finance with special responsibility for Financial Services, Credit Unions and Insurance.

Minister Carroll MacNeill was re-elected as a TD for the Dún Laoghaire constituency in the 2024 General Election, having first been elected to the Dáil in 2020. She served on a number of Oireachtas Committees including the Public Accounts Committee, the Justice Committee and the Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. She was also a member of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly.
Before entering elected politics, Minister Carroll MacNeill qualified as a Solicitor and Barrister.  She holds a PhD in public policy where her research interest was in political institutions and the judiciary.
Minister Carroll MacNeill has worked as a lawyer in the public service, both within the Oireachtas as Legal Adviser in the Office of the Leader of Fine Gael and within Government as Special Adviser in the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, in the Department of Justice and Equality and in the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government.

Dermot O’Leary is Chief Economist with Goodbody Stockbrokers, a position he has held for over 20 years. He is responsible for the economics output of the research department. This role entails providing commentary and analysis for a large range of domestic and international clients through regular research reports and briefings. His work focuses on the Irish and UK economies. He is a member of the firm’s asset allocation committee, assessing global macro developments that influence clients’ portfolios. He was appointed to the Minister for Housing to the Housing Commission in Ireland. In that role, he chaired the committee responsible for looking into medium-term issues around finance, viability and capacity, amongst other areas. During Ireland’s adjustment programme with the EU/IMF, he was a regular private sector participant in the missions. He is a regular contributor to economic debate in the domestic and international media (cited in the Financial Times, New York Times, Irish Times, among others).

Olivér Várhelyi is the European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare in the von der Leyen Commission II since December 2024. He previously served as the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement from 2019 to 2024 (may need to amend as this is from Wikipedia. As Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare, Olivér Várhelyi’s task is to complete the European Health Union. He will do this by diversifying supply chains, improving access to the most advanced treatments, boosting the competitiveness, resilience and security of health systems and working on strategic inventories. He is also tasked with building on the One Health approach, which recognises the connection between people, animals, plants and their shared environment.

Nathalie Moll graduated in Biochemistry and Biotechnology joint honours from St Andrews University, Scotland. As a biotechnologist, she has worked 30 years for the biotech & pharma industries at EU and national level in corporate and association positions.

She has been the Director General of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) since 2017, with EFPIA being named Best Trade Association in Brussels in 2022. Prior to that, she served 14 years at EuropaBio,  lastly as Secretary General, during which time the association was ranked most effective trade association in Brussels in 2013.

Nathalie was also a founder and held the position of Vice Chair of the International Council of Biotech Associations (ICBA) before moving to EFPIA. Moll was named one of the 15 leading women in biotech in Europe in 2017,  recognised as one of the “20 Women Who Shape Brussels” by POLITICO Europe in 2020 and Among the Women who advance associations in 2021.

Sandra Gallina joined the European Commission in 1988. She is today Director-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE).
Before joining DG SANTE, between 2018 and 2020, she was Deputy Director-General for TRADE.
Between 2014 and 2018, she was Director for DG TRADE Directorate D “Sustainable Development; Economic Partnership Agreements – African, Caribbean and Pacific; Agri-food and Fisheries”. Sandra Gallina was also the EU chief negotiator for the EU-MERCOSUR Free Trade Agreement.
Between 2001 and 2009, she was the EU Lead Negotiator for Non-Agricultural Market Access in the WTO Doha Round and in that capacity, she defined and presented EU policy for the Doha Development Agenda on non-agricultural market access negotiations.
Before joining DG TRADE, she worked in the Directorate General for Taxation and Customs Union (DG TAXUD) at the end of the 1990s.

IDA Ireland is the government agency responsible for attracting and supporting multinational investment in Ireland. Rachel Shelly is the Global Head of Life Sciences & Food in IDA Ireland and a member of IDA’s Executive Leadership team.

Rachel joined IDA Ireland in 2006 following 15 years in the Private Sector, predominantly within the Health/Tech industry. Rachel was based in IDA Ireland’s New York office from 2006-2011, managing strategic client corporate relationships and business development on the US East Coast.  On her return to Ireland, Rachel led IDA’s East Coast US & Canada: Content, Consumer & Business Services sector from 2011-2017. Prior to her current role, Rachel led the Medical Technologies Department within IDA Ireland from 2018-2023.
Rachel represents IDA in several fora including as a Non-Executive Board member of Digital Manufacturing Ireland. Rachel holds an MSc. in Strategic Management, a BBS in Marketing Management and a Professional Diploma in Change Management.

Panti is Ireland’s foremost “gender discombobulist” and “accidental activist.”  She began performing while an art student in the late 80’s before moving to Tokyo and becoming a fixture on the Tokyo club scene.

Returning to Dublin in 1995 she ran some of Dublin’s seminal club nights, hosted the legendary Alternative Miss Ireland for 18 years, and performed all over the world.

Panti has written and performed five critically acclaimed, hit theatre shows: In These Shoes,  All Dolled Up, A Woman in Progress, High Heels In Low Places ,and If These Wigs Could Talk, which have played to stellar reviews and packed houses across Ireland, the UK, Europe, Australia, and the US.

She also starred in the spectacular and acclaimed show Riot which toured across Europe, Australia and North America.
In October 2014 she published her bestselling memoir Woman In The Making.
In January 2014 Panti’s creator Rory O’Neill sparked a national furore when he appeared on RTE television and discussed homophobia in Ireland. The ensuing scandal became known as “Pantigate”.

In Feb 2014 Panti took to the stage of the National Theatre to defend herself. Her ten minute oration, which became known as The Noble Call, has been compared to some of the great speeches in the English language and a video of the speech went viral online, was broadcast on TV and radio around the world, and became an international sensation. It was also put to music by pop royalty, Pet Shop Boys. In 2015 year she expanded on some of the themes of that speech in a TED talk which also attracted a lot of attention.
Panti became an iconic figure for equality in Ireland, and in 2015 she played a major role in the successful referendum campaign for Marriage Equality in Ireland.

In October 2015 a critically acclaimed documentary The Queen Of Ireland about Rory and Panti broke box office records in Ireland and picked up awards at festivals around the world.
She has been the recipient of many awards for both her work as an entertainer and as an activist, including a ‘Person Of The Year Award’ and an Honorary Doctorate from the prestigious Trinity College Dublin.

She also hosted Pantisocracy, a popular radio chat show focused on science and the arts, on the Irish National Broadcaster RTE, and continues to appear regularly on TV and in movies, and was even a contestant on Dancing With The Stars in 2023.
She is much in demand at home and abroad as a speaker and activist, and has travelled extensively around the world as an ambassador for the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Irish Aid.
Panti is also the landlady of her popular Dublin bars, Pantibar and Pennylane which opened in 2007 and 2019 respectively.

Alice is the EY global value-based contracting health and contracting solution lead.  She has worked in pricing and market access strategy across therapeutic areas and countries for 15 years.  She leverages her pricing and access skills to drive the innovative price and value-based contracting agenda for EY through consulting services and digital platforms. Alice is committed to driving better outcomes for patients.

Andrew Browne is a Director in EY’s Life Sciences Business Consulting practice, a role he has held for the past three years. He advises life science clients on corporate strategy, commercial, launch excellence and business transformation. He has over 20 years’ experience working in the pharmaceutical industry for AbbVie, BMS and Organon. He has worked in both the European and Irish context.

She is an Actuary and a Medical Doctor and has expertise in both the financial services and health sectors. Mary has a deep understanding of health systems and their financial and operational dynamics. Having worked closely with key HSE personnel in recent projects, she knows HSE structures (including the RHA landscape) and the associated complex stakeholder environment. She leads data driven transformation and ensures that the questions being answered are aligned with required outcomes.

Avril Daly is CEO of the patient-led global umbrella organisation, Retina International, which represents the voice of charities and foundations concerned with the promotion of retina research and related health policy in 43 countries.
Avril has worked in health policy for rare and common eye disease since 2000 and was CEO of the Irish NGO, Fighting Blindness for eight years. She was Chairperson of Rare Disease Ireland from 2006–2019. In 2009 she was elected to the Board of Directors of Rare Disease Europe – EURORDIS, and is now the President of the organisation.
In 2011 Avril was appointed by the Irish Minister for Health to a steering committee working towards the development of the Irish National Plan for Rare Diseases. The plan was published in 2014. She was appointed to the Irish Clinical Programme for Rare Diseases at the Health Service Executive (HSE) in Ireland in 2014 and was recently appointed to the Rare Disease Technology Review Committee and the National Centre of Pharmacoeconomics (NCPE) to review orphan therapies that fail initial Health Technologies Assessment (HTA) for statutory reimbursement.
Avril has held board positions with the European Patient Forum, The European Platform for Patient Organisation Science and Industry (EPPOSI), the HRCI (formerly Medical Research Charities Group) in Ireland and IPPOSI, the Irish Platform for Patients Organisation Science and Industry. She believes that patients have a critical role to play in aiding the development of appropriate interventions from concept to delivery.
Avril holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and International Relations. She is affected by Retinitis Pigmentosa.

Muiris O’Connor is an Assistant Secretary at the Department of Health, which he joined in 2015 to establish and lead the R&D and Health Analytics Division. The Division reflects the Department’s commitment to evidence‑based policy and the advancement of research and innovation across Ireland’s health and social care system. Its responsibilities include All‑Island, EU, and international engagement, as well as policy development.
The Division now comprises the Research and Innovation Unit, the Health Information Policy Unit, and the Policy, Strategy and Integration Unit, alongside key elements of Sláintecare implementation. Muiris plays a central role in major reform initiatives, including the Health Information Bill and Ireland’s implementation of the European Health Data Space. He also leads the Department’s preparations for Ireland’s upcoming Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Before joining the Department of Health, Muiris held roles in the Higher Education Authority, the Department of Education and Skills, the Conference of Religious of Ireland, the Economic and Social Research Institute, and the National University of Ireland, Galway.

Sibilia Quilici (MBA, MSc) is Executive Director of Vaccines Europe, the specialised vaccines group of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), since January 2021.
She leads the strategic engagement of Europe’s innovative vaccine industry, representing a membership of 15 leading innovative research-based vaccine companies operating in Europe, including small and medium-sized enterprises, and a network of 26 national vaccine industry groups across Europe. Vaccines Europe’s mission is to foster innovation and value recognition of life-course immunisation in Europe, to protect people against evolving health challenges.

In her role, Sibilia engages with European and national policy ecosystems to advance immunisation as a cornerstone of public health, health security, preparedness, and economic resilience.
With over 17 years of experience in the vaccine sector and five years as a UK-based Health Economics & Outcomes Research consultant, she brings deep expertise in health economics, prevention, and life-course immunisation. She has led and contributed to work demonstrating the full societal and economic value of vaccination, supporting evidence-based policymaking across the EU.
Sibilia holds an International MBA in Entrepreneurship and an MSc in Health Economics and Biostatistics.

In March 2024, Olaf Weppner assumed his current position of Vice President Europe Region North. He joined AbbVie (formerly known as Abbott Laboratories) in 1999 holding various positions in sales & marketing with growing responsibilities including Vice President & General Manager AbbVie Germany and Vice President Immunology Global Marketing and Commercial Operations. He gained international experience working multiple years in the United States and Switzerland with extensive engagement in various trade associations, e.g. board member of vfa, Germany and chair of the Executive Committee at Interpharma, Switzerland. Olaf was recently elected as the Vice-Chair of the EFPIA European Market’s Committee. He holds a bachelor’s degree in science and business administration from the University of Applied Sciences in Mainz, Germany with majors in health economics, hospital management & organizational development.

Joe Shrieves was first diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) in 1987 and was initially given 2 to 3 to live as there were no treatments to address cancer of the blood at that time. Shortly afterwards, a life-saving treatment was developed for the condition and while it was manufactured in Ireland, initially it wasn’t available here. Thankfully, in 2000 Joe eventually managed to get on a trial for the treatment and has never looked back. Joe has been living with CML for 38yrs and believes that he is one of the longest surviving patients of the disease. Joe will celebrate his 80th birthday on May 2nd this year and is extremely proud to have had the opportunity to live a long and meaningful life as a result of medical innovation.

Steve is an experienced media and technology leader with over 20 years experience in communications, public policy and digital transformation.  He has worked in publishing, broadcasting, advertising and PR, with significant experience in regulatory compliance and digital product development. He holds a Masters in Computer Science from TCD and a Masters in Philosophy from UCD.

Dr. McCann received her undergraduate degree cum laude from the University of Notre Dame in 2000 and MB BCh (Hons) from University College Cork 2006. She is a Member of Royal College of Surgeons Ireland. She is a former post-doctoral research associate in molecular biology at the Indiana University School of Medicine and former Fellow at the Eck Institute for Global Health.
Dr. McCann is certified in lifestyle medicine, and is a Member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and the British Society for Lifestyle Medicine. She has an international diploma in lifestyle medicine and certification from The Strategic Centre for Obesity Professional Education (SCOPE).  In 2018, she began a community health promotion project on social media, which is still ongoing, focusing on family health and urban mythbusting. She is a member of WHO Fides.

Since March 2020, Dr. McCann has held a position in clinical covid research at St. Vincent’s University Hospital, in collaboration with UCD and CEPHR, and has co-authored multiple papers.  She has academic collaborations with University of Limerick. Dr. McCann also contributes as a lecturer in RCSI. She is the Chairperson of Women in Medicine in Ireland, and has been active in the development of the newly formed Irish Society of Lifestyle Medicine and sits on the board of Yoga4Health Ireland.
Dr. McCann enjoys cooking, hill-walking, and going to the beach with her husband, two young sons, and their rescue terrier, Lucy.

Stephen O’Leary is the founder of Olytico, Ireland’s leading social media analysis company. As well as an Irish and international client list, research and analysis carried out by Olytico has been published by major national and international media outlets including RTE, The Irish Times, The BBC and The Washington Post.
Stephen sits on the Commercial Advisory Group at Munster Rugby, the Communications Committee of the GAA, and is Past President of Dublin Chamber.
Stephen is a Fellow of Griffith College Dublin, where he lectured in Online Journalism.

Stephen Donnelly is a Partner at healthcare consulting firm Carnall Farrar. He served as Ireland’s Minister for Health from 2020 to 2025, leading the national health response to Covid-19 followed by the most comprehensive programme of healthcare investment and reform in decades. This reversed years of deteriorating patient access and falling productivity, with a 60% reduction in patient waiting times estimated to date. Funding and progress was secured for many clinical areas including women’s healthcare, public health, GP and primary care, cancer care, palliative care, older persons services, cardiovascular care, mental health, stroke and paediatrics. Long-standing deficits in infrastructure, workforce and digital were addressed via multi-annual investment programmes.

Regarding medicines, he prioritised repairing the relationship between the industry, IPHA and the State, with an emphasis on fostering a partnership approach. He established the National Clinical Trials Oversight Group and secured significant additional funding for new medicines. He published the Mazars report and funded new investment in the medicines approval process. He is frustrated to hear that progress on this remains stubbornly slow!

Prior to being elected to Dáil Éireann in 2011, Stephen worked for McKinsey & Co, specialising in healthcare. He holds an engineering degree from UCD, a Master’s in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School and was a visiting scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

David has been involved in the pharmaceutical market for over 30 years. His career within the sector commenced with the Bayer organisation where he held a number of sales, marketing and country management roles. David has been an integral part of United Drug since 2012, providing strategic leadership across Pre-Wholesale, Government Contracts, and Public Affairs. He was appointed Managing Director of United Drug Supply Chain in April 2025 where his deep industry knowledge, commitment to service excellence, and proven ability to navigate complex healthcare environments will help grow and strengthen the Supply Chain business in Ireland.