Meet the judges for the IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of the Year Awards 2024

The countdown is on for this year’s IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of the Year Awards.

An incredibly high calibre shortlist has been compiled from hundreds of impressive nominations and we have a fantastic evening lined up on May 10 at The Clayton, Burlington Road in Dublin. Guests will be treated to a gourmet dinner, delicious drinks, great networking opportunities and a special musical performance from Imelda May.

The evening will be hosted by Melanie Morris, IMAGE contributing editor, and Richard Chambers, author and Virgin Media news correspondent, will join us as we celebrate Ireland’s most influential businesswomen.

In the meantime, the judges have be tasked with the truly difficult job of narrowing down the shortlist to a single winner (or team) in each category. Here’s a bit more about the highly esteemed judging panel, who you can look forward to meeting on the big night.

The Judges

Clodagh Edwards

Chair, CEO, IMAGE Media

Clodagh’s passion for media, innovation and disruption means she was always destined for a career in publishing. As the chief executive officer of IMAGE Publications since 2015, Clodagh has reinvented an iconic brand, developing it from one entirely founded in print into a modern, relevant media business that boasts leading digital, video, social and experiential channels. Under Clodagh’s dynamic leadership, IMAGE is Ireland’s leading female-first multi-platform publisher and a renowned innovator in the events and digital space.

Melanie Morris

Contributing editor, IMAGE Media

With expertise in PR, event management, publishing and journalism, Melanie joined as the editor of IMAGE Magazine in 2005, and since then her role has taken many shapes and forms. Promoted to editor-in-chief in 2013, she founded the company’s now thriving events division and has since been the catalyst for many of IMAGE’s broad-spectrum offerings.

Creativity is always at the heart of everything Melanie does and she enjoys the thrill of building and connecting long-lasting relationships. Inherently curious, Melanie is always scouting out the next big thing. Her close personal and professional relationship with IMAGE Media CEO Clodagh Edwards sees the two constantly hatching plans, usually over Diet Cokes and coffee.

She continues to hone her skills as a wearer of many hats, including journalist, brand strategist, beauty influencer, founder of Genius Ideas Inc and contributing editor of IMAGE Media. When she’s not brainstorming, you can usually find her chatting with some of Ireland’s top businesswomen on and off stage at business events.

Laura George

Group editor at large, IMAGE Media

Laura George brings flair and creativity to everything she works on. She is the chair of the board of IMAGE Media and has worked in publishing as an editor, mentor and content creator for 35 years.

Laura have overseen pivotal changes in the industry, designing and implementing innovative projects at IMAGE Media. Her fresh and balanced perspective means she brings a powerful and unique approach to projects and challenges. Laura is a passionate supporter of Irish crafts and design, she is always on the lookout for new talent.

Lizzie Gore-Grimes

Editor-in-chief, IMAGE Media

With over 25 years’ experience in magazine publishing, Lizzie has edited almost every type of magazine, from interiors, food and travel to bridal and lifestyle. Her career in magazines has taken her from House & Garden in Cape Town to GQ, London before returning to Ireland to edit a number of different titles, including Cara, Food & Wine, IMAGE Brides, IMAGE interiors and IMAGE.

In 2018, Lizzie took the helm as editor-in-chief and head of IMAGE Media’s print department. Under Lizzie’s direction, both IMAGE and IMAGE Interiors magazines have been reimagined and rebranded as quarterly and bi-annual titles respectively, with a renewed vision to produce less, produce better, and continue to be the most highly regarded magazine titles on the Irish market.

Lizzie is an experienced food writer (active member and former chair of The Irish Food Writers’ Guild), cookbook editor and journalism lecturer. She sits as a judge on a number of various industry award panels.

Samantha McCaughren

Business editor, Sunday Independent

Samantha McCaughren is Head of Change (Editorial) at Mediahuis Ireland, playing a key role in Mediahuis Ireland’s digital transformation.

Formerly, she was the business editor of the Sunday Independent from 2016-2023, responsible for driving the business coverage of Ireland’s biggest selling newspaper. An award-winning journalist, she was previously business correspondent and columnist with The Sunday Times for several years and chief business correspondent with The Sunday Business Post.

Samantha is a member of the Press Council of Ireland and a regular broadcaster, contributing to both radio and television programmes like RTÉ, Today FM, TV3 and others.

Tom Lyons

CEO, The Currency

Tom Lyons is a decorated business journalist and chief executive of The Currency, an online publisher offering insightful, dynamic and brave stories, commentary and investigations with a focus on business, finance, economics and public policy. Named Business Journalist of the Year on three occasions, Tom won plaudits and respect for his unflinching coverage of Ireland’s boom, bust and recovery.

Prior to The Currency, he worked with The Sunday Business Post for four years, serving as deputy editor and then as executive editor. In these roles, he was crucial to the revival of the newspaper, both commercially and editorially. He is the co-author of two bestselling books, The Fitzpatrick Tapes and Fingers, and a presenter of Inside Irish Nationwide, a full-length television documentary.

Edel O’Leary

MBA programme director, Michael Smurfit Business School

Before taking up her position as MBA programmes senior manager at UCD Smurfit School, Edel O’Leary had a decades long career in various marketing and communications roles. She sees this switch from industry to education as something that helps her in her day-to-day interactions with the MBA students.

“Because I was in industry for so long I can find a natural empathy and understanding with all of the students – I have had experiences that are akin to their own careers.”

Stha Banks

Sales manager, UKI Tech (Global Business Group), Meta

Stha Banks has over 15 years of experience working in digital marketing – from strategy right through to implementation, analytics, and reporting. As sales manager for UK and Ireland in Meta, she works across multiple verticals including fintech, tech and healthcare.

As an advertising professional, Stha has delivered award-winning campaigns with local and international brands, helping them connect with their customers using digital platforms. In her previous role, she headed all of paid social activity for Core (part of Publicis). During her time in that role she doubled her team; developed processes and best practice frameworks; and drove strong revenue growth for that part of the business.

Stha also served as board director of the Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland (IAPI) until January 2022, where she had led the diversity, equality and inclusion projects such as the first-ever global diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) census in the marketing and advertising world. As a passionate advocate of diversity and inclusion, Stha continues her DEI work in meta through internal resource groups.

Bobby Kerr

Entrepreneur, presenter, Newstalk Down To Business

Best known in Ireland as an original Dragon on the Irish TV version of Dragons’ Den, Bobby is an experienced businessman, broadcaster and public speaker. Bobby is formally co-owner and CEO of Insomnia Coffee Company (which he exited in 2018), Ireland’s largest independent coffee chain, which at that time had over 140 shops, employed over 500 people and sold over 14 million cups of coffee a year.

He is a presenter on Down to Business, the popular Newstalk radio business show with 115,000 listeners, and co-hosts an SME slot called “#open4biz” on Lunchtime Live on Newstalk.

Bobby is passionate about small business. He sat on the board of Microfinance Ireland (MFI) for three years, a not-for-profit lender that provides loans to small businesses, and is a member of the Small Business Advice Programme – a targeted programme set up to provide free advice and support to SMEs.

Caroline Kennedy

Founder, Kennedy PR+Brand

Caroline Kennedy is the founder of Kennedy PR+Brand, one of Ireland’s leading communications agencies specialising in premium and luxury consumer brands. The company has an impressive reputation over 25 years as a leader in the beauty, hospitality, fashion, property, interiors and lifestyle sectors.

Caroline and her team regularly work with blue-chip companies and brands such as Louise Kennedy, Brown Thomas, Hermes, Jaguar, Landrover, Nespresso, The Merrion, Sheen Falls, Zalando, Waterford Crystal, Ballyfin Demesne, and the FX Buckley Group, amongst others.

She is a board member of the Ireland Funds and is passionate about media and the consumer marketplace. She has also been responsible for the inception of the IMAGE Businesswoman of the Year Awards and has been a judge at the awards each year.

Aine Kerr

Entrepreneur & Broadcaster 

Áine is a successful Digital Entrepreneur, Journalist and Advocate for Gender Equality. She is Co-Founder and COO of Kinzen; a technology company helping platforms detect and disrupt misinformation and disinformation. Her expertise in this area was honed throughout her career – five years at Storyful, where she served as head of content and political editor before being appointed managing editor and leading global journalism partnerships at Facebook and leading the creation of the News Integrity Initiative (NII).

Before this Áine spent over seven years working as a political correspondent and news reporter and regularly brings her expertise to the radio waves. She is an accredited Executive Coach and a seasoned speaker with a fresh approach and broad appeal. She is chair of The Shona Project, IMAGE Media’s charity partner, and a member of the Irish Women’s Museum Advocacy Group.

Sinead Lonergan 

Women in Business Manager, Enterprise Ireland

Sinead Lonergan is Women in Business Manager at Enterprise Ireland,  an initiative designed to empower female entrepreneurs and leaders in the Irish industry. With a 25-year career advising Irish companies on growth strategies and extensive international experience, Sinead brings a global perspective to all projects she is involved in.

The objective of the Women in Business strategy is to grow the number of women becoming entrepreneurs and leaders, and it has ambitious targets, which Sinead spearheads. In 2022, 37% of the 161 start-ups Enterprise Ireland invested in were women-led, up from just 8% in 2012. Another notable professional accomplishment was managing Enterprise Ireland’s France office, expanding its presence in Lyon.

Sinead is a proud mother of three, and her diverse interests range from cycling and hiking to gardening and theatre.