Our Leadership

Cathy Reynolds, Chair

Cathy joined the Board of the Alzheimer Society of Ireland (ASI) in 2021. 

Prior to joining the Board, Cathy served on the Advocacy and Public Affairs Committee, and later the ASI Fundraising Advisory Committee, roles she continued to perform until assuming the role of Chairperson. Cathy has a personal interest in dementia borne out of her own experiences caring for loved ones in her own family. 

Cathy is also a member of the Commission on Care for Older People, which is an independent body tasked with examining the health and social care services for the ageing population, and to make recommendations to the government for their future development. 

Cathy holds a B.A in Economics and Politics and a Masters in Business Studies from UCD. Over the course of her career, Cathy has held many executive positions in the field of Communications and Public Relations, before eventually leaving the workplace to care for her family. Cathy is married and mother to three children. 

Noel Heeney

A self-employed shop owner, Noel has been active in local community affairs for many years. During that time, he has served on the board of Duleek Credit Union and is the current chair of the Duleek Development Association and Chairman of a local preschool group. He is a founding member and current President of Duleek AFC. He was a member of the board of directors of Drogheda United AFC from 2009 to 2013. Noel joined the fundraising committee of ASI’s South Louth Branch in 2015, and after quickly making a positive impact, he was asked to take on the role of Chair, a position he currently holds.

Kate Irving 

Kate is a jointly appointed Professor of Clinical Nursing and Dublin City University and Community Health Organisation. Kate has a PhD from Curtin University Western Australia Entitled: A discursive case study investigation into the use of physical and chemical restraint use in acute medicine. She coordinated the FP7 funded In-MINDD study on dementia deterrence and has partnered in many more international research projects.  Kate has a particular interest in timely responses to dementia and nursing care ethics.   Kate also led a National Dementia Education Programme ‘The Dementia Skills Elevator’ , which continues to develop dementia champions in many health services across the country.  The central concept is that each member of society can go up one step on the elevator (from no awareness to some awareness or from low skills to higher skills) and then cascade their new knowledge to others in communities and workplaces.  The model was formally adopted by the National Understand Together Programme, which was formed following the completion of the dementia skills elevator project.

Helen Rochford-Brennan LLD

Helen Rochford-Brennan is a Global Dementia Ambassador who has significantly contributed to dementia advocacy and research. She has served in leadership roles in organizations like the Irish Dementia Working Group and the European Working Group of People with Dementia, and served as a Board member of Alzheimer Europe. Helen is involved in multiple initiatives, including the Alzheimer Europe Foundation, the WHO Global Dementia Observatory Knowledge Exchange, the International Advisory Board for Alzheimer’s Disease International, and European Brain Health. She also supports research projects and collaborates with organizations like the European Mental Health Commission, the Global Brain Health Institute, and the Global Coalition on Aging. Helen is known for her efforts to raise awareness of dementia and promote a rights-based approach. Before her dementia advocacy work, she had a successful business and community development career. Helen was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2012 and has since shared her personal experience through writing. She continues championing the rights of people with dementia and actively contributes to research and educational programs. Helen has received numerous awards and has contributed to various publications. Her journey has been featured in documentaries and films, including the global documentary “Keys Bags Names Words.”

Sinéad McSweeney

Between 2012 and 2022, Sinéad was a senior member of Twitter’s public policy team, initially leading the regional team in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa and latterly heading up the global team. In 2016, she was appointed managing director of Twitter’s international headquarters in Dublin.
Before Twitter, Sinéad was Director of Communications for An Garda Síochána from 2007 to 2012 and before that was Director of Media and Public Relations for the Police Service of Northern Ireland between 2004 and 2007. From 1996 to 2004, Sinéad held various political advisory positions in the Irish government, including roles as Special Adviser to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and at the Attorney General’s Office. A native of Midleton, she studied law at University College Cork and qualified as a barrister in 1993. She has recently returned to full-time education to study psychology at Trinity College Dublin.

Sean O’Keefe

Sean is a Chartered Accountant who worked with KPMG for 37 years including 25 years as a Partner. During that time, he served as Head of Audit from 2019 to 2022 and served as a Board Member for eight years.  He worked with many of Ireland’s leading public, private and not for profit organisations in both an audit and advisory capacity advising on accounting, governance, and deal transaction matters. Sean has a law degree from Trinity College Dublin and is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland. 

Conor McDonnell

Conor is Of Counsel to KPMG Ireland. Prior to that, he was a senior partner in Arthur Cox for 25 years, practising in the area of Dispute Resolution. During his time at Arthur Cox, he held a number of management and governance positions, including as Chair of its Corporate Social Responsibility programme. Conor has a law degree from Trinity College Dublin.

David Stanton

Mary Manning 

Mary was the General Manager in the National Dementia Office within the Health Service Executive until retirement in August 2021. As General Manager, her role involved leading on the Implementation of the National Dementia Strategy. She has a wealth of experience of working at strategic and operational levels within the health service  

Prior to this, she was the National Nurse lead for Dementia for the Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Planning and Development unit HSE (ONMSD). She had responsibility for education and training in dementia and worked with Dublin City University in the development of the Dementia Elevator Educational programme.  

She completed an MSc Education &Training Management in Dublin City University and a MSc Interdisciplinary Dementia Studies in University of Ulster. 

In addition to her longstanding professional interest, Mary has a deep personal interest in dementia, a condition which has impacted members of her family.