IBN Leadership Sector

Take three leaders of very different organisations and what have you got ?  

We hope an interesting debate and discussion on what leadership means in a variety of contexts and how we can all learn from each other. Whether you are a leader and manager of a small team or a large complex organisation, there is always much to learn. As part of the leadership forum, we hope that leaders and those who aspire to leadership positions, will take the time to share their experiences, their learning and indeed the mistakes that they have made along the journey.

Identified by Which School Advisor as one of the most “Inspiring Women in Education”, Fiona Cottam is Principal at Hartland International School, a school recently judged as Outstanding in every category by the British Schools Overseas Inspectorate. Fiona joined Hartland International School in 2016 after an extremely successful tenure at GEMS Education where she held a variety of senior positions including Director of Schools and Senior Vice President New Schools. Fiona is a graduate of University College Dublin and majored in Classical Music and English and is an IBN committee member. Fiona will speak about leading organisations in a time of significant change. She will focus on how leadership needs to be underpinned at all times by a focus on our core values.  Values driven leadership and its importance in defining purpose in the organisations and communities that we build has perhaps never been more crucial. The pandemic has certainly taught us a lot about humanity and has challenged us all, however, this seismic shift has also given us time to reflect on who we are as leaders, on our values and on the importance of the positive partnerships that we build.

Richard Fitzgearld IBN committee member and entrepreneur, also joins to discuss his leadership and how he has grown and developed a company and culture. Richard is CEO and Founder of Augustus Media, an award winning modern media company in the UAE and KSA, publishers of Lovin Dubai, Lovin Saudi and Smashi. He has worked in the media advertising space since 2006 at agencies in Ireland, England and the UAE. He successfully built a regional Social Media department at Mindshare MENA before becoming Managing Director of a creative technology start up.  In 2015 he launched Augustus, a ‘new media’ company, which was recognised as Best SME Company in the 2018 MENA EFFIE Awards. In 2019, they added ODEUM, a content studio. The company has grown to $4m in revenue in 2021 and 50 employees in Dubai, Riyadh and Cairo. Richard is fascinated about changing media consumption habits, and passionate about creating effective brand communications through native advertising,

Joining Fiona and Richard will be Michael Connolly.

Having internationalised his Irish family business since the 1990’s, Michael will speak about his experiences of leadership across multinational sales and administration teams and client bases with diverse cultures. Michael leads the export strategy and business development division of Kilkenny based Connolly’s RED MILLS Group, a world leader in performance animal nutrition. What started at a local mill in South-East Ireland has grown into an international brand available in over 80 countries around the world. The RED MILLS brand shares a passion for equine nutrition and well-being with a dedication to innovation. This is clearly seen in the success of a business run by the 5 generations of Connolly’s which has carried the brand through decades of socio-economic and natural challenges, ensuring they remain a self-sustaining brand.

Fiona Cottam - Principal at Hartland International School

Michael Connelly - Business Development Director (Exports) Red Mills

Richard Fitzgerald - CEO & Founder of Augustus Media

The IBN Leadership Sector Leader - Fiona Cottam 

Notice of Filming & Photography

When you attend this event, you enter into an area where photography, audio, and video recordings may occur. By entering the event premises, you consent to such recording and release, publication, exhibition or reproduction.