To celebrate International Women’s Day 2025, we look at exceptional Irish women leading a variety of businesses in various industries.
Ireland is full of brilliant, brave and enterprising women who are breaking new ground across a plethora of industries and in every corner of the land.
We highlight just five examples here but below you will see links to further examples of brilliant Irish women entrepreneurs and business leaders shaping their destiny and inspiring other generations who will follow.
Yvonne Brewer, Auticon
Creating a neuroinclusive working environment isn’t just good for the individual, it’s good for everyone. That’s the view of Yvonne Brewer, who leads Auticon in Ireland.
Auticon is a social enterprise that helps companies become a destination for neurodivergent talent.
Last year Bank of Ireland partnered with Auticon as part of its ambition to become one of the most neuroinclusive organisations in the country, conducting an in-depth assessment of its policies, practices and employee experience.
Nationally representative research conducted by Red C and commissioned by the Bank revealed that, of those who identified as being neurodivergent and are working, just under half have not disclosed their condition to their employer (48%) and a similar percentage (45%) feel that their workplace is not inclusive.
Brewer told the ThinkBusiness Podcast how Auticon was established 16 years ago in Germany by Kurt Schöffer, a concerned dad who was anxious for his son who was autistic and wanted to build a better future for him and his career. The organisation has become a global operation.
“We are very based on the model of a classic IT consultancy. We take on full-time consultants and we employ them on a full-time basis. We match them to projects within client organisations.
“The difference about Auticon is that all of our IT consultants are neurodivergent. Another differentiator about Auticon – and it’s our enabling factor – is that we pair our autistic consultants with dedicated job coaches to enable them to succeeed, to perform to their full potential and thrive in the workplace.”
Brewer said that Auticon in turn offers a coaching service to employers also. “That’s the main difference between us and a classical IT consultancy. Essentially we are based on that classic model and we employ neurodivergent adults with expertise in areas such as data science, AI, cybersecurity, quality assurance, testing and DevOps.”
Auticon operates in 15 countries across three continents. Ireland was its 15th country when it launched with Bank of Ireland a year ago.
Marie Donnellan, Platform94
Platform94 CEO Marie Donnellan says the opportunity to create a community of strong, scaling businesses across the West of Ireland with a focus on global growth has never been greater.
Originally forged as the Galway Technology Centre in the aftermath of Digital Equipment Corporation’s decision to substantially reduce its Galway operations in the early 1990s, the expanded Platform 94 is intent on beginning a new chapter for the region.
Recognised nationally and internationally as the West’s centre of excellence for scaling technology companies, the tech hub has grown its physical presence in Galway to more than 11 times its original size. It opened its doors in 1994 as a 6,000 sq ft facility and today, after three expansions, stands at 66,000 sq ft of space.
The former EY accountant who grew up serving customers in her family’s bed and breakfast says that Galway’s success lies in how multinationals and indigenous businesses co-exist. “Many indigenous businesses in the Galway region were spin-outs or were founded by former workers at FDI firms. When the multinationals and indigenous businesses work hand in hand, the result has a phenomenal impact on the region. It results in an established ecosystem of suppliers, customers and potential acquirers working hand in hand.”
As mentioned, Donnellan grew up in a small family business. She spent 15 years with EY and was heavily involved in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year programme. Prior to joining Platform94, she was audit director with EY Ireland.
Now as CEO of Platform94, she leads its headquarters, the SCALE by Platform94 regional community and a number of programmes/supports and hosts the “Smooth Scaling” podcast.
Platform94’s 66,000 sq ft Galway headquarters supports more than 80 companies and 640 people on site. Its recently launched regional community includes over 50 indigenous technology companies throughout the west, north west and beyond. It is also the West and North West partner for the Skillnet Innovation Exchange.
Suzie O’Neill, AYU
AYU Cosmetics founder Suzie O’Neill is on a mission to transform the beauty business by dedicating her through her dedication to vegan and sustainable practices.
It was while teaching a class in makeup artistry that Suzie O’Neill had an epiphany. Conversations with her students revealed to her that there was a gap in the market for affordable, professional, vegan and cruelty-free makeup products.
And so, in 2015 a business was born. Beginning with a line of premium makeup brushes, AYU Cosmetics has since expanded to include a full range of vegan, cruelty-free and dermatologically tested products that today includes skin-care based cosmetics and self-tanning products.
At the heart of all of this is sustainable practices, including the use of synthetic brush hairs, handles from regenerated products and plastic-free packaging.
The business sells primarily online in Ireland, the US, the UK and Australia. In 2023 it opened stores in Kildare Village, Dundrum Shopping Centre and at Mahon Point in Cork as well as concessions in Brown Thomas and Arnotts. Actress Amy Huberman acts as AYU’s brand ambassador.
AYU – the Malaysian for beauty – recently struck a deal with Bank of Ireland to support the purchase and fit-out of an A-rated warehouse and office in Clane, Co Kildare.
O’Neill’s journey into the beauty business began almost 20 years ago when she qualified as a beauty therapist from the Fernanda Scappaticci College of Beauty in Dundalk and went on to tutor beauty at the Institute of Beauty and Holistic Training in Newbridge.
“We began with vegan and cruelty-free brushes almost 10 years ago and five years ago we went into cosmetics as the business began to grow. The core of it is that I don’t like to think of anything being tested on animals. I’m a big animal lover. Everything we do and produce is ethically-sourced and our brushes’ handles come from sustainable and regenerated forests. The hair is synthetic and it’s fully vegan-friendly in that sense.”
AYU isn’t O’Neill’s first foray into entrepreneurship. Before AYU she had operated her own beauty salon. “I was always creative and gravitated towards fashion. Having worked for many years in the industry with large brands as a trainer and eventually a tutor and I was always soaking up the education piece.
“I realised that my students couldn’t afford all the high-end brands that were out there and they wanted something that was accessible and not intimidating to them. I wanted to make beauty less intimidating for everyday people and be able to give them access to a luxury, premium product that they could afford.”
Mary Sadlier, CEO and Director, Coole Swan
Coole Swan was founded in 2010, but the idea for the brand started as far back as 2005. The brand was brought to life after it became clear that the Irish cream liqueur category was waiting for a premium player in market, tired of the traditional image the category held. The team at Coole Swan trialled 231 combinations of the three key ingredients, Single Malt Irish Whiskey, Belgian White Chocolate, and fresh Irish dairy cream, until the final blend was perfected.
Mary Sadlier became CEO of Coole Swan, the family-run Irish liqueur business, over a decade ago in 2011. Prior to joining the brand, her impressive career included time at Diageo, the global drinks business, as a corporate finance director and Arthur Andersen as a chartered accountant. Alongside this, Mary has served as a non-executive director with Love Irish Food and has lectured in the field of Entrepreneurship. She has an honours degree in Economics from University College Dublin.
Mary grew up in Dublin and moved to Navan, Co Meath, when she married Philip Brady, a fifth-generation farmer The family farm is in the ancient and beautiful Boyne Valley in Co Meath, where Coole Swan now operates. The family business is driven by a common goal to be the best premium Irish cream liqueur and be a drink of choice for consumers across the world.
The Coole Swan team trialled 231 combinations of the three ingredients, whiskey, chocolate and cream, until they had the perfect blend. The quality of the product is a fierce passion at Coole Swan; it defines the brand’s identity and how the company operates. Coole Swan has won numerous awards, which is testament to the passion and talent of the Coole Swan team. Among its many accolades, being the first Irish cream liqueur to win The World’s Best Liqueur at the World Spirit Competition in 2009 and being the first Irish Spirit to receive a rating of 96/100 from Wine Enthusiast in 2010 and 2020 stand out in particular.
Speaking with ThinkBusiness she said: “We are now the second biggest liqueur in the Irish Market and we are growing rapidly in the UK and we are exporting to five continents: US and Canada, China, Africa (small steps), Europe and Australia. That’s from five people in a shed in Co Meath!”
Florrie Purcell, The Scullery
Florrie Purcell started The Scullery, based in Nenagh in Tipperary, with a small saucepan and a big dream. That dream was to create a range of relishes, sauces, compotes and Christmas puddings that were high quality, delicious, natural and affordable. Fast-forward more than a decade and her dream has become a reality.
Not only has she her own extensive range, which is entirely free from artificial additives and uses no GM ingredients, but she has also been entrusted by some of the world’s biggest names, including Lidl and Guinness, to develop and make new and exciting products for them. The Scullery has won many awards and accolades over the years, from Blas na hEireann to Great Taste Awards both in Ireland and in the UK.
“I started with a massive dream in the scullery in my mom and dad’s family home,” Purcell said, adding her mother infused a passion for food in her while her dad helped finance it. “I was always doing my Christmas pudding and I felt I was going to feed the nation with my great granny’s recipe. And that’s how I started.
“But I soon realised I couldn’t make a living out of it because it was so seasonal and hence the relishes. And now I do relishes, chutneys, pasta sauces, barbeque sauces all year round.”
She said that an intimate relationship with her customers gave the business its start. “I had a deli and a wine bar and my customers were fabulous. I was a bit like Willy Wonka in the kitchen, forever making stuff. And I’d go out in the afternoon and I’d get the customers to taste it and give their feedback. And it was from that that they kind of gave me wings and legs, to be honest. And that’s how it started.”
More examples of Irish women in business:
100 inspiring Irish women entrepreneurs
Visa’s She’s Next awards €90k grants to Irish women entrepreneurs
Irish women entrepreneurs Going for Growth
Women entrepreneurs to watch in 2025
24 women entrepreneurs from rural Ireland to watch
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