Community Shoot 2025: Meet the Business Club members who are stronger together

Now in its fourth year, IMAGE Business Club has become a thriving space for women across Ireland to connect, learn, inspire and celebrate each other.

Designed to support professional women and female business founders in Ireland, and with over 1,400 members across the country, the club empowers women with access to the network, the knowledge and the experience they need to thrive in their careers.

A club that every professional woman in Ireland needs to be part of to support their career journey, membership includes a calendar of events and coaching as well as tailored content and other benefits.

Here, we spotlight seven members across the worlds of technology, not-for-profit, content creation, fashion, retail, construction and management consultancy.

The force of nature – Dee Ahearn, CEO Barretstown 

Dee Ahearn is a passionate leader, transforming the lives of children fighting illnesses. Familiar to most people in Ireland through its impressive work, Barretstown is a not-for-profit camp for children with cancer and other serious illnesses. “Leading such a wonderful team at Barretstown is incredibly fulfilling,” says Dee, who has demonstrated the impressive impact of corporate experience into the sector.

Leading Barretstown for almost 15 years, under Dee’s stewardship it has grown impressively, moving from serving 1,767 to 20,000 campers annually, with income growing from €4.5 million to €10 million per year. Dee has overseen the opening of the new €4 million medical facility and the “impact of their services equates to €1.9 billion in social value”. Dee’s business acumen is highly regarded and she was awarded the Social Entrepreneur IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of the Year award in 2023.  

Dee believes “creating a culture that values women’s leadership is essential.” She also believes in the power of fun. “I think it’s very important to balance hard work with laughter to create an environment that is both productive and enjoyable.”

The empowering optimist – Solange Abraham, Founder House of Solange

As founder and owner of House by Solange, Solange Abraham is dedicated to empowering women in business by specialising in assisting women-led, business-to-business companies build sustainable growth strategies. “Less than 10% of women receive Venture Capital (VC) funding compared to men. I’m here to change that,” she states with conviction.

Originally from the Netherlands, Solange’s career journey includes roles at major companies like Salesforce and Google. Her path from a tech startup in Amsterdam to Dublin has greatly influenced her approach to business, which she now delivers through her growth consultancy. “It’s about cutting through corporate noise and building genuine connections,” she says.

Solange’s passion and positive energy for her work shines through every conversation and it’s not surprising that her dad, when asked for this interview, describes her as “a cheerful, no-nonsense, results-driven social butterfly, with a hefty dose of humour”.

The agile strategist – Maura Winston, CPO Cairn Homes

With 25 years of experience, Maura Winston’s dynamic leadership has traversed continents and industries in her career. A native of Dublin now living in Greystones, Maura’s career journey began with Accenture, where she honed her skills in change management. “Ten years with Accenture exposed me to transformational change, shaping my understanding of how human behaviour drives business success,” she says. This was grounded in her studies – at degree and masters level – in psychology. Asked about her tenure with Accenture, she credits mentors and the support she received as a parent. “During my early days of being a mum, when it really matters, there was support from the top which made continuing my career with Accenture, and beyond, a very natural next step.”

The family moved to Australia and Maura joined the Federal Court of Australia in what grew to be a pivotal role where she implemented the Chief Justice’s vision for a fully electronic court. Returning to Ireland after 10 years, she joined Cairn Homes as Chief People Officer, then “a relatively young Plc with a huge ambition”. 

Looking ahead, Maura wants 2025 to be the year when she can support and influence the ED&I agenda. “Construction is historically a male dominated industry, and while this is changing, it is gradual and requires significant mindset changes from both males and females. Many companies are doing the right things, but there needs to be a greater commitment by ourselves and other players in the industry to grow the female talent pipeline. . . I would love to do more of this work internally and externally to Cairn.”

The relentless visionary – Ashley McDonnell, Founder Tech Powered Luxury

Ashley McDonnell, a dynamic force in the fashion industry, is bringing Irish luxury to the global stage. Born in New York, raised in Galway, she splits her time between Paris and Dublin and her passion for fashion has driven her career. “Coming from an entrepreneurial family, I chose the business of fashion, studying in France to learn from the best,” she explains. Currently, as Director at luxury group PUIG, she oversees esteemed brands such as Charlotte Tilbury and Jean Paul Gaultier.

“I wanted a career in luxury because I love the thought of creating goods that are not just to fill a necessity but a desire, that celebrate craftsmanship, creativity and rarity and that are to be cherished and hopefully last multiple lifetimes,” she explains. In an ever evolving digital world, she identified that luxury needed to catch up with technology and she has carved her path at the crossroads of luxury and technology

She is the founder of Tech Powered Luxury, which started out as an educational platform, but has grown to have events and live shows. “My big mission is putting Irish fashion houses, designers and luxury brands in general on a global stage – getting them off the island and onto international runways and into the most relevant brands, agencies and retailers is how we’ll create a healthy and thriving industry domestically,” she enthuses. 

The compassionate leader – Elaine O’Brien, CFO Woodie’s

Elaine O’Brien serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Woodie’s, Ireland’s largest home and garden retailer, where her leadership is as dynamic as her personal life. A devoted mother of two and wife to a South African husband, Elaine embraces the challenges of balancing family and a thriving career. “I’ve found that the journey is incredibly rewarding, both at home and in my professional life,” she shares.

After studying BESS in university, she says the accountancy route was “almost a rite of passage” and she trained as a Chartered Accountant in the Transaction Services team in KPMG. After qualifying, her first role in London with L’Oreal “was like a dream come true”. “I really enjoy the lens that a finance background gives to helping drive a business forward. I see the finance function as the co-pilot of the business in which they operate and I have always loved leveraging my skillset in finance to drive growth and change in the teams I operate in.”

She moved into the role of Chief Financial Officer at Woodie’s two years ago. With a keen focus on sustainability, Elaine aims to drive environmentally responsible practices within Woodie’s. “Sustainability is not just a trend; it’s essential for the future of retail,” she emphasises.

The curious entrepreneur – Katie Farrell, Co-Founder & CCO Squid 

Katie Farrell, Co-Founder and Chief Customer Officer of Squid, is making waves in Dublin’s tech landscape. A proud Dubliner and dog mom to a spirited Shiba Inu named Soda, Katie embodies a blend of curiosity, creativity, pragmatism and unyielding ambition. After earning her Masters in Engineering from Trinity College, she teamed up with friend Matthew to launch Squid, a loyalty app designed to empower small businesses to compete against larger brands that have “massive marketing budgets”.

“We saw an opportunity to make a real difference in how people interact with local businesses. We had that young, bold ambition you need when starting something new – looking back, maybe we didn’t know enough to be intimidated by the challenge, but that worked in our favour”.

After initial bootstrapping efforts, they secured pre-seed funding from Enterprise Ireland and angel investors. To date, they have raised over €5 million in funding and have built a vibrant team of 25 operating from their HQ on Dublin’s Pearse Street. Achieving a significant milestone of half a million users this past year, she reflects, “Having a great team around me has been crucial. We’ve evolved together, and that’s something I’m incredibly proud of.” 

The instinctive challenger – Emma McEvoy, Content Creator @Emmanoodle

Emma McEvoy, a chartered accountant turned fashion content creator and educator, is on a mission to help women embrace their style and confidence. Originally from Cork and now based in London, Emma has cultivated a thriving online community of over 300,000 women across Instagram and TikTok through her platform, Emmanoodle.

“My page isn’t about me; it’s about the girls watching and supporting them in feeling amazing, inside and out,” she explains. She describes her work as “helping women get out of a style rut and live as the most fashionable and confident version of themselves”.

Emma’s career is a blend of finance and fashion. She began her journey with a BA in Commerce at UCD and was nearing completion of her ACA qualification with KPMG when the pandemic prompted a shift to remote work. “Sharing my workwear and style dilemmas on Instagram started as a hobby, but it quickly turned into something bigger,” she recalls.

Her “aha” moment was “realising fashion is a form of therapy – it’s not about the clothes, it’s about self-confidence. It wasn’t just about the outfit; it was about feeling in control and confident in those uncertain moments. When I realised how many women go through the same thing in all stages of life, that’s when everything changed for me.”

Join the Club

Join the IMAGE Business Club today to be connected with a community of like-minded women who will support, inspire and celebrate you. We provide members with a calendar of networking events, coworking days, 1:1 coaching, member directory, toolkits, articles , discounts, luxury gifts and more…

All photography copyright to Anthony Woods. Styling Sinéad Keenan.