Join our networking Event: ‘Sustainability: Making it Pay’

What if doing the right thing could also enhance your bottom line? What if supporting the environment ties in with better commercial success? What’s soon going to be essential compliance? For whom? And what brings a grant, and/or a tax benefit with it?

As the role of environmental social governance becomes a non-negotiable in Irish business, we want to dedicate an evening to enlightening IMAGE Business Club members on how and where the advantages lie and how to take the first – or next steps – in futureproofing our organisations, as well as our planet.

Join us Tuesday, April 9 at The Westbury Hotel for an evening in the presence of three experts from the worlds of tax, media and consultancy, who will demystify, inform and present strategic options that are sustainable, ethical, and commercially advantageous.

Our panel will feature Jo Linehan, editor of the CLIMATE supplement at The Sunday Times Ireland; Sinead Kelly, tax director at PwC with a focus on ESG; and Aisling Connaughton, sustainability solutionist and co-founder with Cyd Connects, in a series of conversations and presentations, moderated by IMAGE contributing editor, Melanie Morris. 

We’ll be talking about everything from EU reporting and Irish governmental subsidies, to looking into the future and seeing what could be put in place now for some smart, financially-positive, ESG-compliant outcomes.

As always, the evening will start with Malfy Gin and Fever Tree cocktails, and a chance to catch up with your IMAGE Business Club community. There’ll be plenty of opportunities to meet our speakers, plus a prize on the night and a gift bag for everyone on departure. 

Tickets are available, exclusively to IMAGE Business Club members on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration will open on Tuesday, March 26 at 10am.

Schedule

6pm – 7pm: Network over Malfy & Fever-Tree cocktails and canapés

7pm – 8.30pm: An information conversation with our experts

8.30pm – 9pm: Meet the speakers and network further over more Malfy & Fever-Tree cocktails

Gifts and prizes

Each attendee will receive a gift bag from Ethos (worth €50!).

Ethos was founded in 2020 by Fergus Kerrigan and Amy O’Flaherty, an Irish couple from Galway and Dublin who left demanding corporate careers motivated by their personal experiences with stress-related health issues.

Together with an expert team of doctors and nutritional therapists, they’ve developed the Ethos’ natural supplement range to help you build resilience to modern life stresses and restore mental and physical balance. The Ethos stress-care™ range now includes award-winning food supplements, functional tea blends and a balm product to support the five essential health functions: the gut, the mind, sleep, immunity and energy.

Plus, each attendee will be in with the chance to win a fabulous prize – a Tidings 100% silk scarf worth €249!

Tidings is a luxury accessories brand launched in 2020 by Niamh Gillespie. The idea for the brand came about when Niamh stumbled across a message in a bottle on her local beach in Co Louth. Inspired by this moment, Niamh embarked on a mission to convey her own messages through silk accessories, infusing each piece with empowering slogans like “Bloom with Grace,” “Femme & Fierce,” and “Girls Girls Girls.”

Since launching, Tidings has earned prestigious design awards and secured placements in renowned establishments like Dromoland Castle, Adare Manor, Stable of Ireland, Fortnum and Masons, and the Museum of Art and Design in New York, among others.

Niamh’s journey to Tidings was fueled by her rich experience in the fashion industry, having spent 15 years in London working with iconic brands like Topshop, Paul Smith, Alexander McQueen, and Liberty before returning to her roots in Ireland.

When and where

When: Tuesday, April 9 at 6pm

Where: The Westbury, Balfe Street, Dublin 2

Tickets

Places to this event are available on a first-come first-serve basis and are limited. Please book early to avoid disappointment. In the event you cannot attend the event, we kindly ask for a minimum of 48 hours’ notice.

Meet the speakers

Jo Linehan, Editor of the CLIMATE supplement with The Sunday Times Ireland

Jo Linehan is the Editor of The Sunday Times Ireland CLIMATE supplement and a sustainability columnist with The Sunday Times Ireland Home magazine and Irish Country Magazine. 

Having gained first-class honours in the MSc in management for sustainable development at Dublin City University in 2023, Jo focuses on supporting ESG education and conversation through her Futurist podcast, events, writing, and circular interiors platform GAFF Shop. 

Aisling Connaughton, Co-founder & Sustainability Solutionist, Cyd Connects

Aisling Connaughton is a co-founder of Cyd Connects, a women-led sustainability consultancy helping businesses become a force for good. Cyd Connects is a participant of the UN Global Compact and specialises in accelerating the Sustainable Development Goals via B Corp and sustainability roadmaps that make navigating the journey fun and inspiring. At Cyd Connects, we don’t just talk about sustainability, we are committed to being the change through how we act as a business, as leaders, and as women.

Now is the time for every business to become a force for good. Through Cyd Connects, Aisling turns social and environmental responsibility into a competitive business advantage. As a TEDx speaker and guest lecturer at Goldsmiths University, Imperial College and EADA Barcelona, Aisling’s skill is in taking what can seem like a dry and overwhelming subject like sustainability, and making it simple, innovative and fun.

Aisling’s 18-year global career in PR spans sustainability, marketing, and communications. She has worked for Huawei Technologies holding posts in Shenzhen and San Francisco. Aisling began her career in the beauty industry, working for L’Oreal, Aveda and Clarins before taking the Global Head of PR role with leading sustainable British brand Liz Earle Beauty Co.

Aisling is a proud member of the University of Cambridge Wo+Men Leadership Centre. She has a master’s in social entrepreneurship from Goldsmiths University of London and received a scholarship to the Cambridge Judge Business School Rising Women Leaders Programme. In her role as a certified B Leader, Aisling is working to raise awareness of how the B Corp framework can act as a catalyst for better business and accelerate the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Sinead Kelly, Tax Director, PwC

Sinead Kelly joined PwC Ireland in 2021 as a director in the financial services tax team. Today, she is the team’s sustainability leader with a focus on funding for decarbonisation projects. Together with her team, she supports clients who invest in sustainable business transformation and helps them navigate the role of tax in the transition to a low-carbon future.

Sinead’s interest in sustainability and climate change started in 2010 when she worked with renewable energy companies. She has since completed the sustainable finance course with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. Sinead is also a recognised thought leader in this space, having written articles about the role of tax in ESG. This includes a series published in 2023 on why tax should be a critical part of ESG and sustainability strategies and projects. She also speaks regularly about ESG and tax at industry events and webcasts.

Sinead is a mother of three girls and is originally from Dublin. She has lived in Galway and Mullingar and worked in Australia and Luxembourg. She studied accounting and finance at Dublin City University and became a chartered accountant and a chartered tax advisor. She began her career as a trainee accountant with Rawlinson Hunter Mazars and has worked for several other firms, including Arthur Andersen, BDO and KPMG. Outside of work, Sinead serves on the board of a non-profit organisation that is in a start-up phase.