Announcing our Christmas event ‘Milestones and Momentum: Celebrating 2025’

What a rollercoaster of a year it’s been, filled with highs, lows, challenges and accomplishments. And as always, with life’s fast-forward pace, and our never-ending ‘to-do’ lists, it can be difficult to take an aerial view of the past 12 months and acknowledge all we’ve approached, all we’ve achieved and all we’ve aced.

As a memorable way to round off 2025, join IMAGE contributing editor Melanie Morris and some very special speakers as we take an immersive look at the modern world of business, and also, peek ahead to 2026 to see what waits around the corner.

Melanie will be in conversation with broadcaster, businesswoman and advocate Áine Kerr, about her own landmark year, completing the acquisition of Kinzen, the digital news monitor business she co-founded with Mark Little, by Spotify. She’ll also have plenty of insight to offer on the world of entrepreneurship, and tips for all businesswomen on personal brand, staying relevant, productivity and life balance.

Melanie will also be chatting with Áine Kennedy of The Smooth Company, a beauty business founded in 2022 that Áine has grown steadily, and organically, to become one of Ireland’s most dynamic and easily recognised brands.

There will be plenty of opportunities for festive networking – so many of our members have used previous December Business Club Live events as a focal point of their seasonal celebrations. There’ll be cocktails for all, and a special Christmas gift bag for everyone on departure.

We’ll be at our usual home – The Dublin Royal Convention Centre – from 6pm on Tuesday, December 9. As always, tickets are available free of charge to members on a first-come, first-served basis; and guests can access a limited number of tickets, priced €75 each including VAT.

Schedule

6pm – 7.15pm: Network over cocktails and canapés

7.15pm – 8.30pm: An informative conversation with our experts

8.30pm – 9pm: Meet the speakers and network further

When & Where

When: Tuesday, December 9 at 6pm

Where: The Dublin Royal Convention Centre

Tickets

IMAGE Business Club members have access to one complimentary ticket. Additional tickets can be purchased for €75* incl.VAT. Each attendee will enjoy drinks, delicious canapés and a gorgeous gift bag.

Not an IMAGE Business Club member? Become a member today and enjoy complimentary access to six exclusive live, in-person networking events. Join the club for €243 (ex.VAT) now to claim your complimentary ticket!

Already a member? Claim your free ticket here.

Places to this event are available on a first-come first-serve basis and are limited. 

Please book early to avoid disappointment. If you cannot attend the event, we kindly ask for a minimum of 48 hours’ notice.   

*Booking fees apply

Meet the speakers

Áine Kerr, Entrepreneur & Broadcaster

Áine was co-founder and COO of Kinzen, a technology company helping platforms detect and disrupt misinformation and disinformation. Kinzen was acquired by Spotify in October 2022. She served as a director at Spotify until October 2025. Previously, Áine led global journalism partnerships at Facebook in NYC. She was instrumental in helping create the Facebook Journalism Project and News Integrity Initiative (NII).

Before Facebook, she spent five years at Storyful, where she served as head of content and political editor before being appointed managing editor in December 2011 at the time of the company’s acquisition by News Corporation. Áine spent over seven years working as a political correspondent and news reporter with The Irish Times, The Irish Independent and The Irish Examiner.

Áine is chair of the Gaisce council, which oversees the President of Ireland’s Award for young people, chair of Rethink Ireland (109 million euro social impact fund) and chair of The Shona Project. She is a member of an advisory committee to focus on women and women’s stories in the national cultural collections, appointed by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

In 2018, she graduated as a Fellow of the Sulzberger Leadership Program in Columbia University in New York City. She has a Bachelor of Education (B’ED), a Master’s in Journalism (MAJ) with Dublin City University [DCU] and a Master’s in Business Science (MBSc) with University College Cork. She has certificates with Cornell University and Harvard University in financial accounting and project management, and an Advanced Diploma in Leadership and Executive Coaching with Kingstown College. She was a participant in the Boston College Irish Institute Program, a U.S. State Department-sponsored exchange Program.

She was awarded Woman of the Year in Media 2018 by Irish Tatler Magazine, the VIP Eir Power of Women award in 2022 for digital and technology and a Woman of Vision award for business and technology in 2023. Her Alma Mater DCU also recognised her with an Alumni Award in 2020.

She has spoken at major events worldwide and worked as a judge and mentor with many organisations. She is the host of her own show, Reignite on RTÉ Radio One (six seasons), and occasionally guest hosts a range of RTÉ shows.

Áine Kennedy, founder of The Smooth Company

Launched from Áine Kennedy’s attic in 2022, The Smooth Company has skyrocketed to become one of Ireland’s most loved beauty brands. Áine’s vision began with The Smooth Stick™, a revolutionary hair-taming wand that controls stray hairs without leaving hair hard or greasy.

The company has achieved over 150 million organic TikTok views, customers in over 70 countries, and has featured in Vogue and Elle. Their award-winning, innovative product range is loved by celebrity hairstylists and influencers worldwide, and is a bestseller in Brown Thomas, Arnotts, 72 Peter Mark salons, on board 432 global Aer Lingus routes and most recently became the first Irish beauty brand to get a partnership with De Bijenkorf in the Netherlands. 

The Smooth Company accolades include ‘Best Hair Brand’ at the IMAGE PwC Beauty Of Business Awards 2024, and Áine was awarded IMAGE PwC Young Businesswoman of the Year 2024 and was selected on the Sunday Independent 30 Under 30 list.