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Convergence 2026
Convergence 2026
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Countdown to Convergence 2026…

Welcome to Convergence 2026

Where Ireland’s Digital Future Gets Delivered

22nd October 2026 | Croke Park, Dublin

Ireland is entering a defining period.

As holder of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Ireland is helping shape Europe’s digital future. But turning ambition into outcomes requires more than strategy. It requires infrastructure, investment, energy and execution.

Convergence 2026 brings together policymakers, regulators, investors, energy stakeholders and industry leaders to focus on the decisions that will determine Ireland’s next phase of digital growth.

This is where policy meets delivery. Where investment meets infrastructure. And where strategy becomes action.

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Croke Park, Dublin

Thursday, 22nd October 2026

Senior policymakers, regulators and industry leaders

Focused on policy, energy, investment and delivery

High-value networking with decision-makers

Taking place during Ireland's EU Presidency year

Convergence 2026 is designed to:

Bring the full ecosystem together

Industry leaders, policymakers, regulators, energy stakeholders and investors all in one room.

Create a senior-level environment for strategic dialogue

A gathering focused on timely and accurate discussion.

Address the key issues shaping the sector's future

Examining the policy, energy and investment challenges influencing how digital infrastructure will be delivered in Ireland.

Why Attend?

✓ Gain clarity on Ireland’s digital infrastructure roadmap

Understand the policy, regulatory and market developments shaping the next phase of growth and investment.

✓ Hear directly from decision-makers

Join discussions with government leaders, regulators, investors and industry executives influencing Ireland’s future.

✓ Understand the challenges and opportunities ahead

Explore the realities of power availability, infrastructure readiness, investment conditions and AI-driven demand.

✓ Build valuable connections

Meet senior leaders from across government, energy, digital infrastructure, technology and investment.

✓ Help shape the conversation

Be part of the discussions that will influence how Ireland delivers AI, cloud and digital infrastructure at scale.

The Agenda Themes Shaping Ireland’s Future

Six themes. One goal: delivering Ireland’s digital future.

Energy & Power

The future of digital infrastructure depends on energy.

Discussions will cover grid capacity, private wire, LEAP, PPAs, renewable energy integration, sustainability and the practical realities of powering infrastructure responsibly at scale.

Policy, Regulation & Investment

Creating the conditions for long-term growth.

Explore the regulatory landscape, public trust, investor confidence, financing models, EU policy alignment and the actions required to strengthen Ireland’s competitiveness.

Infrastructure, Connectivity, Technology & AI
The infrastructure behind the digital economy.

From data centres and fibre networks to cloud, AI and hyperscale demand, this theme examines the full stack required to support Europe’s digital future.

Supply Chain, Skills & Capability Building

Building capacity from Ireland and for Ireland.

Sessions will explore workforce development, skills shortages, supply chain resilience and how Irish companies can continue to grow as strategic partners in global infrastructure delivery.

Strategy & Action

Moving from ambition to execution.

Learn from international examples, explore coordinated planning approaches and discuss the practical actions needed to deliver Ireland’s long-term infrastructure goals.

Cyber Security & Resilience

Protecting critical infrastructure in an increasingly connected world.

Topics include cyber security, critical national infrastructure protection, resilience across energy and communications networks, emerging threats and the implications of quantum security for the future.

Who You’ll Meet

Convergence 2026 brings together leaders from across the digital infrastructure ecosystem, including:

Government & Policymakers

National and local government leaders, regulators and public sector decision-makers responsible for shaping Ireland’s digital future.

Energy & Utilities

Energy providers, grid operators, renewable developers and infrastructure planners supporting Ireland’s growing digital economy.

Digital Infrastructure Leaders

Data centre operators, cloud providers, connectivity companies and technology leaders driving digital transformation.

Investors & Advisors

Investors, financial institutions, consultants and professional services firms supporting infrastructure growth and development.

Enterprise & Industry

Organisations dependent on digital infrastructure to support innovation, productivity and economic competitiveness.

Join the Leaders Shaping Ireland’s Digital Future

The decisions made over the next few years will determine how Ireland competes in an AI-driven economy.

Convergence 2026 brings together the people responsible for making those decisions and delivering the infrastructure that will support them.

Whether your focus is policy, energy, investment, technology or infrastructure delivery, you will leave with a clearer understanding of what Ireland must do next, and who will be responsible for delivering it.

Be part of the conversation. Be part of the solution.
Be part of what comes next.
Register Now

Meet the Speakers

Dónal Travers

IDA

Mark Kelly

AI Ireland

Errol Close

EirGrid

Michael Winterson

EUDCA

Oonagh Buckley

Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment

Michael Murray

Kirby Engineering
View All Speakers

Diamond Sponsors

Platinum Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Strategic Partners

Speaker Bio

Cathal Quinn

Chairman, Business Leader, Speaker & Mental Health Advocate, MOY Group

With over 20 years of experience in construction, critical infrastructure and international business, Cathal Quinn is an experienced business leader, speaker and advocate for mental health and wellbeing. Having joined MOY in 2006, Cathal progressed through senior commercial and leadership roles before becoming CEO in 2022. In October 2026, he transitions to Chairman of MOY Group, continuing to support the business's strategic direction and long-term growth. Through CathalQuinn.com, Cathal shares his knowledge and experiences, focusing on leadership, resilience, mental health and high performance. Combining commercial expertise with a people-first approach, he is passionate about creating meaningful conversations, inspiring positive change and building stronger, healthier workplace cultures.

Speaker Bio

Jesse Morris

Head of Marketing Ireland, Schneider Electric

Jesse Morris leads marketing and market development for Schneider Electric Ireland, championing the technologies enabling sustainable, energy-secure digital infrastructure. Prior to Schneider Electric, Jesse built and led marketing functions across high-growth sectors, from mission-critical transport software to next-gen battery systems and industrial engineering. A strategist with an eye for both operational complexity and clear communication, he works closely with industry leaders to navigate the twin transitions of digital innovation and grid decarbonisation.

Speaker Bio

Michael McNamara, MEP

Member of the European Parliament

Michael McNamara was elected to the European Parliament to represent the Ireland South constituency in June 2024. He is Co-Chair of the European Parliament’s Working Group on the Implementation and Enforcement of the AI Act. Michael is a Member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) and the Delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia. He is also a Substitute Member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) and the Delegation to the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly. Michael represented the Clare constituency as a member of the Irish parliament from 2011 until 2016, and again from 2020 until 2024. He was appointed Chair of the Special Committee on the COVID-19 Response in 2020 and was also appointed Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Drug Use in 2024. He is a barrister and a farmer.

Speaker Bio

Marcus Purcell

Strategy and Transactions Partner, EY

Marcus Purcell is a Strategy and Transactions Partner at EY Ireland who has spent 20+ years helping clients get transactions over the line, on both the buy side and sell side. He leads EY's Transaction Diligence team in Ireland and specialises in financial due diligence and transaction readiness. At Convergence 2026, he'll share his insights on the attributes on executing a successful transaction

Speaker Bio

Tom O'Brien

Group Chief Executive, Nephin Energy

Tom is Group Chief Executive of Nephin Energy, Ireland’s largest natural gas production company. He was project lead in Ireland for CPPIB’s $1.23bn acquisition of Shell’s interest in the Corrib Gas field and subsequently led the build out of Nephin Energy. In 2024, he founded Nephin Renewable Gas (NRG), with the ambition of becoming Ireland’s leading biomethane producer. In July 2025, NRG commenced construction of Ireland’s largest agri-based biomethane plant in Co. Mayo, with first gas targeted for Q1 2027. With over 25 years’ experience in the energy sector, Tom began his career as a projects and energy lawyer before moving into senior leadership roles across several Irish businesses, including two publicly listed companies. He is a regular contributor to Irish energy policy debate and holds a master’s degree from University College London.

Speaker Bio

Eoin Lennon

PAN European White Space Business Development Director, Crystal Air

Eoin Lennon, B.Eng (Hons), MIRI, is the PAN European White Space Business Development Director at Crystal Air ltd. With a strong engineering background, specialist expertise in data centre environments and nearly four decades of experience in the cooling industry, Eoin brings together a deep understanding of cooling technology, infrastructure and practical project delivery. His current focus is on supporting the evolving requirements of mission-critical facilities across Europe, combining technical expertise with real-world experience to develop efficient, resilient and high-performance cooling solutions. Having worked extensively with Mitsubishi Electric technology throughout Crystal Air’s long-standing relationship with the company, Eoin also brings significant knowledge of advanced applied and IT cooling technologies and their application within increasingly demanding data centre environments.

Speaker Bio

Declan Cullinane

Managing Director, Amarenco Ireland

Declan Cullinane is an Irish renewable energy executive with more than 20 years of experience in the development, financing, and delivery of large-scale solar, wind, and energy storage projects across Ireland and international markets. A mechanical engineer by training, he has held senior leadership roles in the renewable energy sector and is recognised for his expertise in project development, commercial strategy, and sustainable infrastructure. In 2025, he was appointed Managing Director of Amarenco Ireland, where he leads the company's expansion in solar and battery energy storage projects. He also serves as Chair of the Board of Solar Ireland, helping to advance Ireland's transition to a low-carbon energy future.

Speaker Bio

David McAuley

CEO, Bitpower

David McAuley is founder and CEO of Bitpower, an advisory consultancy supporting the sustainable development of Ireland’s digital infrastructure. He provides market insights for data centre investors and operators and supports project master-planning and development. David has extensive experience across Irish industry and the public sector, including roles with SEAI and Government enterprise agencies. A mechanical engineer, he has worked across the pharmaceutical, semiconductor and data centre sectors.

Speaker Bio

Craig MacFadyen

Director, Offer Strategy & Portfolio Management, Munters

Craig MacFadyen has over 40 years of experience in the HVAC industry, with a career dedicated to advancing high-performance cooling technologies. For the past decade, he has specialised in mission-critical data center facilities, helping operators meet the growing demands of efficiency, reliability, and sustainability. Craig currently leads Offer Strategy and Portfolio Management at Munters, a global leader in innovative air treatment and climate solutions. In this role, he drives the development and alignment of Munters’ cooling portfolio, ensuring it meets the evolving needs of hyperscale, colocation, and enterprise customers worldwide. With a deep technical foundation and decades of industry insight, Craig combines strategic vision with practical expertise to guide innovation in mission-critical cooling. His work continues to influence how data centers balance performance with energy and water efficiency, supporting operators as they scale to meet the challenges of the digital age.

Speaker Bio

John Kennedy

Associate Professor in Vibrations, Acoustics and Dynamics, Sea-Scan

Dr. John Kennedy is Associate Professor in Vibrations, Acoustics and Dynamics at Trinity College Dublin and Co-PI on Sea-Scan, co-funded by Research Ireland and the Department of Defence. Sea-Scan uses Distributed Acoustic Sensing to turn Ireland's existing subsea fibre-optic cables into continuous listening arrays, with machine-learning models that recognise vessels by size, type and engine signature. The system provides a 24/7 autonomous early-warning system that detects "dark vessels" and aims to protects the transatlantic cables underpinning Ireland's digital economy. Dr. Kennedy brings expertise in signal analysis and AI-driven acoustics. He has secured over €4.3 million in research funding and authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications.

Speaker Bio

Peter Lantry

Managing Director Ireland, Equinix

Peter Lantry leads Equinix’s business in Ireland and is responsible for driving the company’s growth as Ireland’s digital economy expands in tandem with data volumes. In his role, Peter works closely with customers to support their business growth, while also ensuring they have the critical digital infrastructure required to innovate and support daily life in modern society. With a passion for sustainability, Peter is also responsible for delivering environmental and community engagement initiatives crucial to the sustainable goals of both Ireland and Equinix. Peter has two decades of experience in senior managerial and director roles in large enterprises spanning the technology and Irish energy sectors. Most recently Peter was Country Managing Director and Global Data Centre Lead for Hitachi Energy where he was focused on developing sustainable energy solutions for the industry. Peter holds multiple degrees from University College Dublin including Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, a Masters in Management Science, and an MBA in Business/Commerce.

Speaker Bio

Gemma McRann

Director, Macquarie Group

Gemma has c.14 years of infrastructure investing and financing experience across PPPs, social, transport and digital infrastructure projects. Gemma currently leads the capital solutions and coinvestment / divestment strategy for Macquarie Capital Infrastructure Principal team, which is a principal investor across digital infrastructure and energy transition globally. She also leads MacCap’s investments in Ireland, including leading the Board of Higher of Education Bundle 1 PPP through construction of six new higher ed facilities in Ireland until 2026. Since joining Macquarie Capital in 2017, Gemma has led principal investment and financial advisory processes in the fibre and data centre, social accommodation, transport, PPP and offshore transmission sectors. Prior to Macquarie, Gemma spent 6+ years in ING Bank where she specialised in project financings, whole business securitisations and infra fund financings across UK, Europe and the US and managed c.€500m assets for infrastructure and digital infrastructure clients.

Speaker Bio

Michael Winterson

Secretary General, EUDCA

Michael is Secretary General of the European Data Centre Association (EUDCA) since January 2024; was President from 2021-2023; and Chair of the Policy Committee 2016-2021. In this current role, Michael coordinates the association for the board and its various committees. Working with other members, he is raising awareness of the importance of datacentres as digital infrastructure and a core element of a growing digital economy in Europe. The EUDCA is taking this message directly to the European Commission and other international bodies and indirectly to national governments via our network of national trade associations.
Michael has over 30 years experience in the European technology industry. He was involved in starting up three technology companies. In 1999, one of those was datacentre operator IXEurope which was later acquired by Equinix. He held a variety of commercial roles within Equinix and, after 24 years of work in datacentre companies, made the move to focus his time on advocacy and regulation of the digital economy. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and French from Northwestern University and a Master’s Degree in International Economics from The Graduate Institute, Geneva (IHEID). Michael is an American who has lived in Europe for over 40 years.

Speaker Bio

Suzanne Tracy

Chief Technology Officer, Crosslake Fibre

Suzanne is a senior technology executive with more than 25 years’ experience spanning engineering, telecommunications, large-scale infrastructure delivery and digital operations. She established and leads the Technology function at SIRO, delivering full fibre broadband to homes and businesses across Ireland. In this role, she has executive responsibility for network operations, architecture, design and rollout. IT systems deployment and operations, and in-home installation for SIRO’s retail and enterprise customers.
Suzanne began her career as a process engineer in pharmaceuticals before building extensive international experience with Vodafone Group Technology across European markets. Her leadership extends beyond SIRO through her role as a board member of the FTTH Council Europe, as a board member of Vodafone Group Services Ireland Limited and the board of An Garda Síochána including the Audit & Risk committee, reflecting her governance experience and standing across the technology and infrastructure sectors.

Speaker Bio

David Abrahams

European Key Client Director, Schneider Electric

David Abrahams is a dedicated European Key Client Director who specialises in developing trusted customer partnerships and delivering results. He combines strong commercial awareness with a customer-first mindset, helping clients achieve their objectives while supporting sustainable business growth. David is recognised for his relationship-building skills, problem-solving approach, and commitment to delivering outstanding service.

Speaker Bio

Fergus Innes

CCO, Crosslake Fibre

Fergus Innes is Chief Commercial Officer of Crosslake Fibre. Prior to Crosslake, Mr Innes spent 8 years as Regional Vice President, EMEA and Executive Management Team member at Hibernia Networks where he built and lead the EMEA Carrier, Finance & Media business until the successful exit to GTT for $590m in January 2017. Prior to joining Hibernia Networks in 2009, Mr Innes worked for Colt, where he spent 8 years in a number of senior management roles. These included four years at Colt Ireland as Sales Director where he oversaw the migration from Colt’s country management operation to a centralised Business Enterprise Unit. Before Colt, he held senior positions at Cable & Wireless, Telia Sonera and IT&T Communications. Mr Innes holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Information Systems and a Diploma in Business Studies from the University of Hull.

Speaker Bio

Jim Power

Economist, Jim Power Economics

Jim Power has worked as an economist in the private sector for over 38 years. He is owner-manager of Jim Power Economics, an economic and financial consultancy, which he set up in 2009. He was previously Treasury Economist at AIB (1987-1991), Chief Economist at Bank of Ireland Group (1992-2000) and Chief Economist Friends First Group (2000-2018). He is a board director of Love Irish Food, BMW Financial Services and Arboretum Garden Centre. He is a member of the Institute of Directors in Ireland. He successfully completed the Institute of Directors Diploma examinations in Company Direction in 2022. He teaches on the Executive MBA and the Full-Time MBA at Smurfit Business School, UCD. In February 2021, Jim and UK-based economist Chris Johns launched a Podcast ‘The Other Hand’, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other podcast hosts.

Speaker Bio

Oonagh Buckley

Secretary General, Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment

Oonagh has served as Secretary General of the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment since 2023. During her tenure to date, Oonagh has led the development and delivery of landmark policies to accelerate Ireland's clean energy transition, including major investment in the electricity grid, the expansion of offshore and onshore renewable energy, and the implementation of ambitious climate action targets. Under her leadership, the Department has played a central role in advancing Ireland's energy security, decarbonisation, environmental and circular economy ambitions. Prior to taking up that role Oonagh served as Interim Chair of An Bord Pleanála, on secondment from her role as Deputy Secretary General in the Department of Justice with responsibility for civil justice matters, including immigration, courts and civil and family law. Oonagh had previously held the position of Director General in the Workplace Relations Commission. Before that she worked at a senior level in a number of Government Departments, including the Departments of Public Expenditure and Reform, Environment and Foreign Affairs.

Speaker Bio

Errol Close

Chief Corporate Services Officer, EirGrid

Errol Close was appointed Chief Corporate Services Officer in August 2024, having previously held the roles of Head of Group Regulation and Head of Strategy and Sustainability at EirGrid. Errol has over 20 years experience in the sector having also held senior roles in the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, and SSE. He has a degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Queen’s University, and an MBA from DCU.

Speaker Bio

Ed Galvin

Founder & Chief Evangelist, DC Byte

Ed has been working in data centres for more than a decade, and in commercial property for nearly twenty years. Prior to starting The Data Centre Heat Company, he founded information services firm DC Byte in 2017, which has since grown into the leading provider of market insights to data centre operators, investors and developors worldwide. It was from his work at DC Byte that Ed saw the potential impact that data centres could make to reducing carbon emissions associated with burning fossil fuels for heating homes and businesses. Ed is a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and a graduate of Cambridge University.

Speaker Bio

Ronan Kelly

Digital Infrastructure Ireland, CEO

A 30-year veteran of digital infrastructures, Ronan has assisted some of the world’s largest operators achieve commercial success. Board level experience with INEX, The New IP Agency, plus President of FTTH Council Europe, in addition to serving on operator advisory Boards.
Dedicated to advancing Digital Infrastructure Ireland, elevating its profile and that of its partner base to trusted advisor status throughout the globe. He is a passionate advocate for equality, diversity and sustainability in the workplace. He holds an MSc in Technology & Innovation Management and an MBA from Technology University of Dublin.

Speaker Bio

Dónal Travers

Executive Director, IDA Ireland

Dónal Travers is Executive Director at IDA Ireland, the Irish government’s Investment Development Agency. He joined IDA Ireland in 1997 from the food sector and has worked in a number of locations for the agency, including five years in the Silicon Valley office in Mountain View, California.

As Executive Director, Dónal has oversight of a number of IDA Ireland’s operations and services remits. These include client-facing activities in Technology, Financial Services, Emerging and Scaling Business, and Industrial Engineering. He also has responsibility for the organisation’s Corporate Services, Regions, and Property activities, with a focus on the delivery of IDA Ireland’s five-year strategy, Adapt Intelligently: A Strategy for Sustainable Growth and Innovation. 

Dónal is a graduate of Dublin City University.

Speaker Bio

Garrett Blaney

Commissioner, ComReg

Garrett Blaney joined the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) as Commissioner on 7 January 2019. He is currently the Chairperson of ComReg, having also previously held the position of Chairperson from 2019 until January 2022.  He is the ComReg representative for the Digital Regulators Group. 

Garrett was previously a member of the Commission at the Commission for Regulation of Utilities since February 2010 and Chairperson from February 2014 to February 2017. In 2017, he was elected the Chair of the ACER Board of Regulators (Agency for the Co-operation of Energy Regulators) and also the President of the Council of the European Energy Regulators (CEER).

Prior to becoming a Regulator Garrett had over 20 years of experience working in the energy industry. He was previously Strategic Development Director for Viridian Power and Energy, Commercial Director for Huntstown Power, Ireland’s first independent power producer, and Asian regional director for ESB International.

Speaker Bio

Olivia Mullooly

Partner in the Technology & Innovation Group, Arthur Cox

Olivia is a Partner in the Technology and Innovation Group and head of the Intellectual Property Group, advising on domestic and cross border intellectual property transactions and licensing, the protection, development and exploitation of IP rights as well as IP disputes and enforcement. She also advises on data protection compliance and commercial contracts.

Olivia has advised clients across a range of sectors, including the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, food and beverage industry, technology and internet companies, third level education and research institutions, energy sector, large retailers and in the advertising, media and entertainment sector on intellectual property matters and data protection compliance. Olivia speaks regularly on intellectual property, data protection and related areas in Ireland, Europe and the US. Olivia is also very experienced in advising on the negotiation of IT and commercial contracts. Olivia is also a member of the Sanctions group in Arthur Cox, advising on export control and sanctions compliance. Olivia has advised a number of exporters on licensing requirements under the Dual Use Regulation as well as several clients on compliance with EU trade sanctions most recently in respect of the sanctions against Russia and Belarus.

Speaker Bio

Louise Parkinson

Director, EY

Louise Parkinson is a Director in EY’s People Consulting practice and leads the Talent Consulting team in Ireland. With over 15 years of experience across consulting and industry, she helps organisations design and implement talent, leadership, workforce planning and recruitment strategies that improve organisational capability and employee experience. Louise has advised major public and private sector clients on talent strategy, recruitment operating models, succession planning, skills development and strategic workforce planning, combining deep practical expertise with academic credentials in Organisational Behaviour and Career Guidance & Counselling.

Speaker Bio

Tina Raleigh

VP Offshore Wind, Statkraft

Tina Raleigh is Vice President of Offshore Wind Ireland at Statkraft and leads the development of the North Irish Sea Array (NISA), one of Ireland's largest offshore wind projects. With more than 25 years' experience across environmental, infrastructure and renewable energy sectors, Tina has extensive expertise in project development, planning, stakeholder engagement and project delivery. A Civil and Environmental Engineer by background, she is a recognised leader in Ireland's offshore wind industry and actively contributes to national discussions on renewable energy policy, consenting and marine planning. Tina is passionate about accelerating Ireland's energy transition while delivering long-term benefits for communities and the environment.

Speaker Bio

Ian Whitfield

Chief Technology Officer, Pure Data Centres Group

Ian is a Data Centre engineering authority, an award winning business leader, an Accredited Tier Designer and engineering industry Fellow. He has been designing and advising in the digital infrastructure sector for over 25 years. Ian serves on Pure’s exec team and leads Pure’s strategic data centre solutions, energy & utilities, sustainability & ESG direction.

Speaker Bio

Greg Hayden

CEO, Ethos Engineering

Greg Hayden (MBA, Chartered Engineer) is CEO of Ethos, a leading multidisciplinary engineering consultancy delivering data centre and critical infrastructure projects across EMEA. Backed by Exponent Private Equity since 2024, Greg has led significant organic growth alongside four strategic acquisitions: SimStudios in the Netherlands, 3DEC in the UK, MEPCO in Lithuania, and Hanley Pepper in Ireland. These acquisitions have broadened Ethos’ expertise and service offering, enabling the business to provide greater multidisciplinary support to clients across the project lifecycle. Today, Ethos employs more than 400 people, working across 21 countries in EMEA, with its headquarters at Bankside in Dublin 2. Greg sits on the boards of Digital Infrastructure Ireland and the FIRST Q European Engineering Network, reflecting his active role in shaping the wider digital infrastructure and engineering sectors.

Speaker Bio

Gary Watson

Managing Director, Stellanor Datacenters

Gary Watson, Managing Director at Stellanor, brings over 30 years of experience leading and scaling global datacentre platforms. He has held senior leadership roles at Keppel DC REIT and Sungard Availability Services, with full accountability for P&L, strategy, and operations across Ireland and Europe. Earlier, at TelecityGroup (now Equinix), he led major integrations and managed multi-site datacentre operations across the UK and key European markets. At Stellanor, Gary is responsible for driving the overall performance and growth of the platform—ensuring operational excellence, commercial discipline, and consistent service delivery as the business scales, while maintaining a strong focus on sustainability.

Speaker Bio

Matthew Baynes

VP, Secure Power & Data Centres, UK & Ireland, Schneider Electric

Matthew Baynes is Vice President for Schneider Electric’s Secure Power and Data Centre Division in the UK & Ireland, appointed on 1st January 2026. With over two decades of experience shaping the global data centre and critical power landscape, Matthew is at the forefront of enabling next-generation, sustainable AI infrastructure. His mission? To help customers and partners prepare for the explosive growth of AI-driven demand and position Schneider Electric as the energy technology partner of choice.

Previously, Matthew served as Global VP for Strategic Partners and Cloud & Service Providers, where he transformed Schneider’s hyperscale and colocation business into a globally significant operation. A passionate advocate for industry progress, he has influenced policy and sustainability initiatives through leading bodies such as techUK and the European Data Centre Association.

Speaker Bio

Puneet Kukreja

Head of Cyber Security, EY
Puneet Kukreja focuses on resilience engineering and the design of secure digital infrastructure for critical systems. His work centres on ensuring the systems that power modern societies remain secure, dependable and resilient under sustained stress. Through his work with clients, research and industry collaboration, he is helping shape how organisations approach resilience engineering for critical digital systems that modern economies depend on. As EY Ireland Resilient Nation Leader and Head of Cyber, Puneet works with leaders across healthcare, government, financial services and critical infrastructure to help ensure essential services continue to operate reliably under pressure and disruption. He leads large scale resilience and cyber programmes that protect patient care, national services and public trust. With a global career grounded in deep cyber expertise, Puneet now focuses on helping organisations adopt AI and emerging technologies securely and at scale. His work ensures digital transformation is secure by design and resilient in operation so that the systems people rely on every day remain dependable even during sustained disruption. Puneet is the creator and author of the EY Ireland Cyber Leaders Index, the country’s benchmark study examining how boards and executive teams are strengthening resilience, cyber security and digital trust across critical sectors. Through this research he provides insight into how leadership decisions shape the resilience of the digital systems modern societies depend on.

Speaker Bio

Sean Sheehan

Head of Business Operations & General Manager, SK tes
Sean Sheehan is Head of Business Operations, Ireland at SK tes, a global technology lifecycle solutions provider supporting organisations in managing technology securely and sustainably throughout its lifecycle. Sean leads SK tes’ Irish business, working across the hyperscale, colocation, enterprise and technology sectors to deliver secure, sustainable and circular technology lifecycle solutions. With extensive experience in commercial and operational leadership, Sean is particularly focused on how circularity, reuse, lifecycle extension and responsible resource recovery can support the continued sustainable growth of Ireland’s digital infrastructure ecosystem. Sean is also an Executive Council member of Digital Infrastructure Ireland.

Speaker Bio

Jacinta Conway

Partner, Arthur Cox
Jacinta Conway is a Partner in the Environment & Planning Group at Arthur Cox. She is a specialist litigator and advisor who regularly advises on the development, funding and acquisition of large scale infrastructure projects. Jacinta has experience advising clients in the pre-planning, consent, post consent, and compliance stages, with a particular expertise in the largest and first of a kind projects in Ireland. She works with developers from an early stage to secure planning consents and EPA licences and to risk reduce those consents from a third-party challenge. Jacint advises across all sectors including data centre, pharma, renewable energy waste, residential and manufacturing.

Speaker Bio

Mark Kelly

Entrepreneur and Founder, AI Ireland
Mark Kelly is an AI keynote speaker and strategist, and founder of AI Ireland. He has delivered 300+ international keynotes, trained over 10,000 business leaders, and reviewed 1,000+ real-world AI projects through the AI Awards. He is Co-Founder and Chief Customer Officer of Alldus and hosts The AI Ireland Podcast.

Speaker Bio

Jack Chambers, TD

Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation

Jack Chambers is the Deputy Leader of Fianna Fáil and Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, in the Government of Ireland. Minister Chambers is responsible for leading the Department in its mission to provide better public services, drive infrastructure delivery and to support the digitalisation of public services. Minister Chambers previously served as Minister for Finance, the Government Chief Whip and Minister of State for Sport, Gaeltacht, Transport & Defence.
He is a medical doctor and also holds a degree in Law & Political Science.