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Announcing the shortlist for the IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of the Year Awards 2026
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These are the 2026 IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of the Year finalists – the visionaries who are not just leading industries, but defining the legacy of Irish business.
For five decades, IMAGE Media has chronicled the stories of female ambition, innovation and success. Today, we are proud to unveil the 2026 IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of the Year shortlist, which represents the very pinnacle of that journey.
“For half a century, IMAGE has walked alongside the women who are shaping the Irish business landscape. This year, as we celebrate our 50th anniversary, the IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of the Year shortlist feels more significant than ever,” says Clodagh Edwards, CEO, IMAGE Media.
“We have always believed that when women rise, everything rises. This shortlist is a powerful testament to that unwavering truth. We are honoured to spotlight the ambition of these women and to provide a platform worthy of the scale and transformation they bring to our country. We look forward to honouring this incredible group at our 18th annual awards ceremony on Friday, May 15, at the RDS.”
The standard across all categories was exceptional, making the judging process more competitive than ever. Behind every entry is a powerful story, supported by clear achievements, ambition and vision. These women set the pace, are leaders we admire, the voices we seek out, and the changemakers we are proud to champion and celebrate.
And with that, these are the 2026 IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of the Year finalists – the visionaries who are not just leading industries, but defining the legacy of Irish business.
IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of The Year Shortlist 2026
CEO of the Year
- Áine Mulcahy, Managing Director, OCS Group Ireland
- Amanda Roche-Kelly, Managing Director, Just Eat Ireland
- Daisy Mauhay, Founder and CEO, The Nightingale Placement Agency
- Emma Richmond, Managing Partner, Whitney Moore
- Fiona Gallagher, CEO, Wells Fargo International
- Larissa Feeney, CEO and Founder, Kinore Finance and Business Services
- Lorraine Heskin, CEO and Founder, Gourmet Food Parlour
- Madeline Riley, CEO, Luxor Leisure Ltd t/a Radisson Blu Royal Hotel Dublin, Velvære Spa, Dublin Royal Convention Centre, Old Town Café, Old Town Wine Bar, Crown Square Leisure Ltd. t/a Radisson RED Galway
- Melíosa O’Caoimh, Country Head, Northern Trust Ireland
- Raluca Saceanu, CEO, Smarttech247
Creative Businesswoman of the Year
- Aisling McVeigh, Founder and Creative Director, DANU Collective
- Carol-Anne Leyden, Founder and Creative Director, CA Design
- Edwina Forkin, Managing Director, Treehouse Media
- Francie Duff and Sonia Reynolds, Co-founders, STABLE of Ireland
- Gráinne Dwyer, CEO and Founder, Heritage
- Jenny Huston, Founder and Creative Director, Edge Only
- Laura Weber, Owner, LW Pearl
- Madeleine Blaine, Founder and Managing Director, Silver Works and The Collective
- Maria Schweppe, Company Co-director and Festival Director, Schweppe Curtis Nunn
- Nicki Hoyne, Owner and Founder, Nicki Hoyne
- Shauna Griffith, Casting Director, SG Casting
- Tara Fay, Founder and Lead Planner, Tara Fay Events
Diversity & Inclusion Leader of the Year
- Caroline O’Driscoll, Co-founder, I Wish
- Eibh Collins, Programme Director, National Talent Academy for Film & Television Drama
- Emily Harnett, Head of Marketing, Codex
- Fernanda Duffy, Founder, Ipanema Agency
- Geraldine Joanes, People and Culture Director, Diageo Ireland
- Heather Lowry, Head of Talent and Organisation Development, An Post
- Karen Hackett, Head of People, PTSB
- Katriona O’Sullivan, CEO, Triumph Talks
- Linda Coogan Byrne, CEO, Why Not Her?
- Lorraine Curham, Founder and Director, Fierce Tech Founders
- Olga Shevchenko, Director, Immigrant Advice Bureau
- Sonia Harris Pope, Managing Director, Harris PR
Entrepreneur of the Year
- Charlene Flanagan, Co-founder, Ella & Jo
- Jenny Johnston, CEO, Azure Communications
- Joeanna Caffrey, Owner and Founder, Joeanna Caffrey Flowers
- Julie Collison, Director and Co-founder, Clear Strategy
- Linda Stinson, CEO, Bellamianta
- Louise Whelan, Founder and Managing Director, Pioneer Homecare
- Lowry O’Mahony, Director, MaxPhysio and Pilates
- Nadia Adan, Founder, Ashford Motors
- Rena Maycock, Founder and CEO, Chirp
- Sinead O’Brien, Founder and CEO, Vacious
- Siobhan Lam, Founder and Director, April and the Bear
- Suzanne Cummins, Founder, 14 Day Mani
ESG Champion of the Year
- Adina Dumitrescu, CSR and Sustainability Manager, Smarttech247
- Aoife Mc Namara, Founder, Aoife Mc Namara
- Caoimhe Buckley, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Fyffes
- Caroline Friel, Co-founder and Sustainability Director, Ample and Ample Earth
- Dearbhla Richardson, Ireland Advocacy and Campaigns Lead; Europe Campaigner, The Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative
- Fiona Donnellan, Founder, Sustainable PR
- Kayleigh-Ann Myles, Head of ESG, Lawler Sustainability and Founder of STPS
- Pat Kane, Chief Sustainability Officer, Antaris Consulting
- Sarah Blake, Director, Earthology
- Susan Rossney, Sustainable Advocacy Manager, Chartered Accountants Ireland
Family Businesswoman of the Year
- Antonia Hendron, Managing Director, M50 Truck & Van Centre
- Brigid Derry, CEO, Derry Bros Shipping & Customs Clearance
- Clare Kelly, Fiona Kelly and Rebecca Kelly, Directors and Owners, Glandore
- Gillian Murtagh, Shared Services Director, Shay Murtagh Precast
- Harriet Tindal, Director of Wine, Tindal Wine Merchants
- Jacqueline Higgins, Director, Higgins Waste & Recycling Services Ltd
- Joanna Gardiner, CEO, Gardiner Family Apothecary
- Julie Conran, Commercial Director, Conran
- Michelle Butler, Innovation Director and Dietitian, Good4U
- Nicola Casey, Managing Director, Lankel Refrigeration Ltd
- Sarah Furno, General Manager, J&L Grubb Ltd t/a Cashel Farmhouse Cheesemakers
- Sophie O’Neill, Company Director, Manhattan Peanuts Ltd
Emerging Executive of the Year
- Elaine Deehan, Country Manager for Ireland, Monzo
- Jean Noonan, Assistant Lecturer, Technological University Dublin
- Karen De Brun, Senior Sales Manager, Sciton
- Kate English, Chief Economist, Deloitte Ireland
- Laura Hogan, Marketing Manager Lifestyle and RTD Brands, Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard
- Laura Noonan, Partnerships and Development Manager, Cork Opera House
- Máire Neary, VP of People and Legal, Flipdish
- Marian Ryan, Assistant Group Financial Controller, Glanbia
- Maud O’Callaghan, Director of Business Operations and Growth, Simply Social
- Niamh de Niese, Chief Digital and Data Officer, Bank of Ireland
- Sarah Murphy, General Manager, International, Clio
- Siobhán Grimes, Head of Revenue and Commercial, Dairygold Co-Op
Senior Executive of the Year
- Aimée Cafferty, Managing Partner, Wyse Property Management
- Catherine Hanley, Chief Claims Officer, Intact Insurance Ireland
- Eve Mulconry, Partner, Arthur Cox LLP
- Fiona Carney, Chief Operating Officer, Microsoft EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa)
- Joanne McMullan, Chief People Officer, FINEOS
- Lorna Devenney, CFO, BnM
- Maria Cassidy, Director of Braeburn Coffee, Applegreen
- Marie Donnellan, CEO, Platform94
- Michele McGuirk, Chair and Director of Operations, Clinch Wealth Management
- Nicola Sadlier, Head of Fraud Protection, Bank of Ireland
- Sarah Byrne, Director of Agency, Private Equity and Venture Capital Partnerships, EMEA, Google
- Wendy Chang Smith, Chief Digital Transformation Officer, Glanbia
Social Entrepreneur of the Year – Charitable Organisation
- Aisling Hurley, CEO, Breast Cancer Ireland
- Helene Hugel, CEO, Helium
- Maria Fleming, CEO, First Fortnight
- Marie Daly, CEO, Crann Support Group
- Mary Lawlor, CEO, Clann Credo
- Michelle Noone, CEO, Social Entrepreneurs Ireland
- Nicola Byrne, CEO, Shine
- Orla Dolan, CEO, Breakthrough Cancer Research
- Pauline McKeown, CEO, Coolmine Therapeutic Community
- Suzanne Ennis, Clinical Manager, Turn2Me
- Tammy Darcy, CEO and Founder, The Shona Project
- Tanya Ward, Chief Executive, Children’s Rights Alliance
Social Entrepreneur of the Year – Community Impact
- Angela Hayes, CEO and Founder, The Thomas Hayes Trust CLG (Teac Tom)
- Aoife Smith, CEO, The Great Care Co-op
- Ciara Mangan, Founder and CEO, Beyond Surviving
- Clare McGee, Co-founder and CEO, AwakenHub and AwakenAngels
- Elaine Noonan, CEO, Community Connect
- Finola Cassidy, Spokesperson and Survivor, Irish Thalidomide Association
- Hilda Chan, Executive Director, Newpark Academy of Music
- Professor Jean O’Sullivan, Founder and Medical Director/Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine, Global Emergency Care Skills (GECS)
- Michelle O’Toole, CEO and Co-founder, HUGS Community
- Ranae von Meding, CEO, Equality for Children
- Sinéad Ryan, Founder and CEO, Little Fitness
- Therese Coveney, Co-founder, Together Academy
Start-Up Businesswoman of the Year
- Áine Devlin, Founder, ExamRevision
- Amy Huberman, Founder, Ah Wines
- Anna Forde, Owner, Haumea Skincare
- Aoife Matthews, Jennifer O’Connell and Louise O’Riordan, Co-founders, Sisterly
- Claire Fullam, Director, Remi
- Hazel Burton, Owner and Founder, The Home Reset
- Jennie Haire and Lisa Hughes, Co-founders, Gigi Supplements
- Kim O’Sullivan, Founder and CEO, BROW AID
- Nicola Lyons and Elaine Crosse, Co-founders, Bánór
- Patricia Cullen, Founder and Clinical Lead Sonographer, OvaScan
- Dr Sarah Kelly and Dr Michelle Hone, Co-founders, Herology
- Sofie Rooney, CEO, Chimac
Stem Professional of the Year
- Dr Alessandra Sala, Senior Director of AI, Shutterstock
- Amanda Jolliffe, Dream Space Lead (STEM Education), Microsoft Ireland
- Ciara, Saoirse and Laoise Murphy, Co-founders, ACT
- Enrika Moore, COO and Co-founder, Viska Systems
- Fiona Melrose, Director of Product Management, Workday
- Jessica Gregory, CEO and Founder, Oak Hall Consulting Ltd
- Katie McCarthy, Cybersecurity Senior Manager, Uisce Éireann
- Maryellen Kelledy, Chief of Staff, Overhaul
- Niamh Donnelly, CTO and Founder, Akara Robotics
- Dr Niamh Shaw, Science Communicator, Explorer, Writer, Dream Big Space & Science Communications
- Rebecca Keenan, Solutions Director, AI and Automation, Expleo
- Sorcha McAnespy, Senior Engineer and Data Analyst and Founder, Fig Tec Ltd
Young Businesswoman of the Year
- Aoife Kelly, Co-founder and COO, Celtonn
- Brónagh Mulhall, Co-founder and COO, Powercut
- Edel Breslin, Founder and Managing Director, Óir Tonics
- Emilie Williams Kimmerling, Founder and CEO, Ditsy Bits
- Isabella Hughes, Founder and CEO, EstateMin
- Keilidh Cashell, Creative Director, KASH Beauty
- Louise Checa, Founder and Creative Director, Louise Checa Landscape Architecture
- Onagh Chira, CEO and Founder, Platinum Expert Hair
- Roisin Scanlan, Founder, Align The Agency
- Sallyann Concannon, Founder and CEO, Mettle & Bloom
- Sarah O’Sullivan, Founder, SOS Cookies
- Shona Mahon, Founder, Wink with Mink
Tickets
Tickets are available below or by emailing our events team at events@image.ie.
Each ticket includes:
- Welcome drinks reception & opportunity to network with Ireland’s leaders in business
- Delicious four-course dinner including wine
- Luxurious gift bag
- Special musical performance
- Opportunity to win fantastic prizes
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