Meet the Leading Project Management Educator

Ed Naughton is the Founder & Chairman of the Institute of Project Management, a former Vice President of the IPMA (International Project Management Association) and is an internationally respected expert in the discipline. Since 1989 he has been pioneering the development and promotion in Ireland of project management as a unique discipline. He has extensive experience in project management - as a practitioner, leader, writer, coach and instructor and is responsible for the design and development of all programmes.

Gordon is an independent Consultant in Technology & Change. A dynamic, commercially astute business and technology leader, with over twenty years of global experience leading multi-million dollar technology transformation projects, designed to drive operational efficiencies and revenue growth.

Strong track record working with boards and executive teams in companies across a wide variety of business sectors on the implementation of robust enterprise digital technology solutions, digital transformation, and business process improvement.

Maria is a highly accomplished professional with a Master's in Industrial Engineering & Management and IPMA Level D certification. With experience as a quality control engineer, project manager, and operation manager, Maria brings a diverse skill set and proven expertise to IPM. Currently serving as Training Manager at the Institute of Project Management, she plays a vital role in shaping the careers of aspiring project managers. 

Andrew started his Project Management career with 15 years in the automotive industry at Land Rover where he quickly experienced the people side of delivering projects. He then spent 4 years as a Project Management Lecturer delivering short training courses on Project Management topics. Andrew then moved on to spend 13 years at Coventry University teaching Project Management and Research Skills, building his knowledge of Project Management and people issues with a PhD on the use of Project Management Simulations.

He has volunteered for the APM for nearly 20 years, and has held committee positions on the Coventry Chapter, Midlands Branch, and National Branch Steering group and as chair of the People SIG committee. He is currently a ChPP Chartered Project Professional, a Fellow of the APM and also holds RPP status.

Rob is a Director at Rubikon Consulting LTD, he is also a freelance project management consultant and educator based in London, UK. He has over 15 years’ experience managing projects, and helping organisations to manage projects better. In recent years, he has focused on strategic change projects in the food and hospitality industry. Rob also serves as a charity chair, non-executive director and board advisor. Rob is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, the Association for Project Management and the Higher Education Institute. He is a certified PRINCE2 and Agile Practitioner. He holds an MBA [Technology Management] from the Open University and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching from BPP

Jackie is currently President of the Ireland Chapter of PMI. A certified PMP® since 2003, she has a BSc. Computer Science (Trinity College Dublin), a Diploma in Advanced Project Management (IPMI /UCC), a Masters Degree in Project Management (University of Limerick) and a Diploma in Strategy Development and Innovation (UCD Smurfit). She is also currently Director of Group Strategic Initiatives at UDG Healthcare and a member of the Judging committee PMO Global Awards (PMO Global Alliance 2019, 2020, 2021). Jackie has 25+ years experience in Portfolio, Programme & Project Management, and in setting up and running PMO’s of all types in multiple industries: Pharma, Health Insurance and Clinical Healthcare, Financial Services, General Insurance FMCG and Telecoms.

David Shiel is an Associate Director, PMO and Business Integrations at Boston Scientific– Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) Region. He leads teams of PM’s working on Transformation Programs to achieve the region’s Strategic goals. With a proven track record of meeting Project scope, schedules, and budgets, he has a thorough understanding of commercial, product development, quality & regulatory requirements. David also has experience of development start-up innovation tactics.

Diane has been a pivotal member of Arup for over 26 years, currently serving as a Director after a longstanding tenure as an Associate Director since 1998. Based at One Albert Quay in Cork, her leadership has significantly shaped the strategic direction and project execution within the organization. Diane holds a BSc in Construction Management from Waterford Institute of Technology and a Diploma in Project Management from University College Cork. She is also a certified PRINCE2 Foundation and Practitioner, credentials that highlight her robust project management skills and her commitment to continual professional development.

James brings over two decades of combined industry and academic experience to his lecturing role at the Institute of Project Management, focusing on business development and people management. He extends his expertise in strategic sourcing and corporate social responsibility to various educational platforms. As the owner and director of PQS Logistics Ltd, he offers consultancy and educational services, further enhancing his practical teaching approach. His academic pursuits include a PhD in supply chain management, reinforcing his credentials as a dynamic and knowledgeable educator.

Jenny has over 20 years of experience in program and project management, specialising in Change and Transformation initiatives for IBM Corporation, Oracle Corporation, and Logica-CMG-Admiral. She has successfully addressed the needs of multinational companies across various industries, including IT, financial services, insurance, utilities, and telecommunications.

Jenny holds a postgraduate qualification in Applied Mathematics from the University of Reading, an MBA from The Open University, a postgraduate qualification in Entrepreneurship from Judge Business School, Cambridge, and a CPD certificate in Strategic Planning from London Business School. She is also Prince2 certified and has undergone extensive PMO and project management training at Logica-CMG-Admiral and Oracle.

Currently, Jenny provides business consultancy services, focusing on project management and strategic planning for medium-sized organisations. She lectures on advanced and essential project management, as well as global strategies and sustainability, at two UK universities. She mentors and coaches the next generation of leaders. She serves on the board of trustees for an international charitable organisation.

Ciaran Faughnan is a seasoned project management professional with extensive experience in leading large-scale capital projects and facilities management in healthcare and construction sectors. As the current Group Director of Estates at Mater Private Network in Dublin, he oversees estate operations and capital infrastructure projects. Previously, Ciaran served as the Director of Facilities & Clinical Engineering at Tallaght University Hospital, where he was a key member of the executive team and directed numerous initiatives to enhance hospital infrastructure and operations. His earlier roles include Programme Director at St. James’s Hospital, focusing on capital redevelopment, and Senior Project Manager at Laing O'Rourke, managing diverse construction projects. Ciaran also founded Callidus Project Management, providing expert consulting services across various industries.

Rachael Milne is a highly experienced Project Management Trainer, certified in PMP, CAPM, and PRINCE2. With over 14 years of teaching experience, she has been delivering training in various Project Management areas since 2021.

Rachael is a PMI approved trainer in PMP and CAPM and has helped hundreds of people achieve their qualifications. 

In addition to Rachael is a qualified Scrum Master, holds a Project Management Diploma from MTU and a LTCL Trinity Diploma TESOL from Trinity College London. 

Her career spans over 20 years in Resourcing, Project Management, Training, and Education, with a focus on Business Process Optimisation, Systems Implementation, and Continuous Improvement in Project Management using agile methodologies.

Martina is currently the Head of PMO at Life Scientific and has over 15 years industrial experience in the areas of Project Management, Continuous Improvement (Lean/6-Sigma) and R&D, she has extensive experience in project management as a practitioner, leader, instructor and mentor. Martina has led a range of multi-site projects across Europe and America in the pharmaceutical industry including product transfers, relocation of facilities and continuous improvement culture change. Her experience has led her to work with a variety of public and private organisations, including environmental, construction and instrumentation. She specialises in facilitating and managing implementation of practical project management and improvement solutions.

Seamus has over 25 years’ experience in project, programme and portfolio management in the public sector as Head of Portfolio Management (HSE), Head of Change Management (Tusla Agency, Designate), Projects Director (Tusla Agency), Chair of National PMO Group (HSE), National Portfolio manager (Community services, HSE). Prior to that, he was Senior Operations Manager and member of the former Mid-West Health Board Management Team. Seamus is a certified Project Director at IPMA Level A®, a certified Project Management Professional (PMP®), and is a senior lecturer with the Institute of Project Management.

Richard is an Authorized Training provider for PMP. He is a Technical Project Manager with over 30+ years of experience managing complex, cross-functional, large-scale IT network build projects in international environments. He has spent many years working with large global organisations such as Ericsson, Digicel, Amazon/AWS, and Aer Lingus as a Network Project Manager or in team leader roles as a Portfolio Manager in PMO environments.

Norma Lynch has a Higher Diploma in Education and a degree in IT. She is a PMI Project Management Professional® as well as a PMI Authorised Training Partner®.

Norma has provided project management delivery and consulting services for global clients, such as Abbott, Stryker, IQVIA, Failte Ireland, PWC, Three Ireland, Medtronic, BAM, Skillnets and ETbs. She
has also lectured at MTU for the Diploma in Project Management.

Norma was a speaker at PMI® Global Conferences that were hosted in cities like Dublin, Philadelphia, and Las Vegas and she is a former Director of Volunteering and Director of Marketing
with PMI Ireland Chapter.

Gerard has over 30 years of demonstrated results in highly driven Project Management Office (PMO) environments, business process transformation, mergers & acquisitions, continuous improvement, and Project Portfolio Management and Information Systems. With 22 years of experience in a leadership role, he is now Vice President of Innovation & Informatics at ICON. Previous to this he was Head of Global Manufacturing Network Strategy, Business Development and Special Projects at Zoetis.

John is a seasoned professional with over 25 years of operational and executive-level experience in organisation change and development.

He has unique private and public sector experience in portfolio, programme, project and change management, with a proven track record in making change happen and realising strategic benefits.

Currently, he works as the Head of PMO at the Central Bank of Ireland and was previously Chief of Staff & Director of PMO at Eircom (now Eir).

John has a particular interest in the development of Enterprise PMOs as agents of Organisation change and improvement.

Risto is a change management consultant, trainer and lecturer. Over his career he has acquired progressive experience shaping and delivering programs of change for organisations in the UK, US, Europe, Russia, South Africa, and Latin America. His practical experience is underpinned by formal education in project and change management and certifications from globally-recognised professional bodies including the Project Management Institute, Scrum Alliance and British Computer Society.

As a member of the Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP) Standards Working Group, Risto participated in the development of first global standard for change management an served as chair of the ACMP Credential Governance Committee.  He is also a Chartered Membership Assessor for the British Computer Society (BCS) and an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Padhraic is a Program Manager with Oracle Digital Solutions. He has 34 years’ experience in the manufacturing sector and IT sector, over 30 of those with EDS and Hewlett-Packard and Storm Technology.
He has worked predominately as a Project/Programme manager providing IT application services to manufacturing companies such as GM and SKF.
Padhraic graduated from the National University of Ireland, Galway, (NUIG) in 1984 with a Bachelor degree in Industrial Engineering, holds a Masters in Project Mgmt (UL) and is currently conducting doctoral research with the Enterprise Research Centre, University of Limerick.

Joanna Koprowicz earned a Master's degree in Project Management from University College Dublin. Joanna worked in a typical waterfall environment after graduating from college, but she was later introduced to the Agile mindset and culture, which she quickly fell in love with and decided to pursue as a career. Joanna has been an Agile Coach, Trainer, and Consultant at Change Angels since 2018. 

Uriel Asamoah is an Agile Project Manager and Scrum Master with 8 years of experience leading digital transformation initiatives across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. He has worked with global enterprises, including Vodafone Group and Yum! Brands Inc/KFC UK, helping them deliver complex projects on time, within budget, and at scale. Uriel specializes in streamlining workflows and improving operational efficiency through Agile practices and tools such as Jira and ClickUp.

He has certifications in PMP, PMI-ACP, PSM II, and ACP-620, and a track record of coaching distributed teams, optimizing delivery, and enabling organizations to scale effectively, from multinationals to startups.

Darren is the the Director of Advisory Services at PricewaterhouseCoopers, with 20 years professional experience providing a range of advisory services to clients.

Through the application of leading-practice PPM, risk management and process improvement tools, Darren has helped a wide range of public and private sector clients derive maximum benefit from major strategic initiatives. Equally, he has highlighted areas of project and operational inefficiency and risk exposure and have provided clients with detailed recommendations to deliver best in class project management and enterprise wide risk and control frameworks.

David is a Consultant Project/Program Manager with over 30 years of experience in IT, Government, Education, Manufacturing and Energy sectors, including working with Siemens in Germany, 3Com and Hewlett-Packard in Ireland and the Irish Central Statistics Office. David graduated from University College Dublin in 1989 with a Bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering; he has a Master’s in Business Administration (Smurfit Business School, UCD) and has held the PMI’s Project Management Professional certification since 2002. David is also a PMI Authorized Training Partner instructor.

Yassine Tounsi is a seasoned project management professional with over 14 years of experience across various industries. He is a PMI Authorized Trainer, PMP® certified, and a best-selling author with over 18,000 copies sold since 2021.

Yassine develops and conducts project management training for professionals worldwide, collaborates with global partners like the University of Phoenix, and consults organizations on effective project delivery and leadership.