The top 50 Irish/Irish-American global technology leaders – surnames S-W:
David Smith, SVP (Telecoms/Wireless), Enterprise Ireland, Silicon Valley Office
David Smith is a SVP with Enterprise Ireland, the Irish government agency responsible for assisting Irish companies in growing exports internationally.
Smith has had a varied career, including roles in financial services, international services, software, electronics and now telecoms/wireless in the private and public sectors.
He works with innovative Irish companies, driving their market development, sales, VC, IP licensing and PR activities in the U.S. He also supports U.S.A.-based entrepreneurs to found their new start-ups in Ireland.
Smith is also recognized as a LinkedIn/social networking expert and is the best networked Irishman in Silicon Valley.
Hailing from Dublin, Smith has master’s and bachelor’s degrees from University College Dublin.
Smith and his family moved to Silicon Valley in July 2006.
H. Brian Thompson, executive chairman of Global Telecom & Technology (GTT)
H. Brian Thompson is executive chairman of Global Telecom & Technology (GTT), a global telecommunications network integrator. He also heads his own private equity investment and advisory firm, Universal Telecommunications, Inc.
From 2002-2007, Thompson served as chairman of Comsat International, Inc., and as non-executive chairman of Telecom Eireann (now Eircom) in 1999.
Thompson also worked as chairman and CEO of LCI International from 1991 until its sale to Qwest Communications in June 1998, and then served as vice-chairman until his resignation in December 1998.
From 1981-1990, Thompson held the role of executive vice-president of MCI.
Thompson now serves as a member of the board of directors of Axcelis Technologies, Inc., Pendrell Corporation, Penske Automotive Group, and Sonus Networks, Inc.
Jacinta Tobin, chief marketing officer, Cloudmark, Inc.
Jacinta Tobin is chief marketing officer for security company Cloudmark, Inc., responsible for developing the company’s strategic framework and leading global growth strategies.
From 2004-2011, Tobin served as senior vice-president, Worldwide Sales and Business Development for Cloudmark, growing revenues by more than 10 times and establishing the company as an industry leader.
Tobin serves on the board of the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group, a global organization that promotes co-operation between the world’s largest service providers and mobile operators to fight messaging abuse.
A native of Co. Clare and a graduate of Dublin City University, Tobin has more than 20 years of experience in leading global sales and marketing for high-technology companies.
She began her sales career in 1990 with Kindle Systems in Dublin, now part of Mysis Group, and then moved to the Cap Gemini Group, driving international sales across Europe, Asia Pacific and the US.
Lorraine Twohill, vice-president, Global Marketing, Google
Twohill joined Google in 2003 and is responsible for the company’s marketing efforts globally. Her team’s marketing programs focus on the go-to-market strategy and adoption of all of Google’s products and brands, from consumer offerings to business services, across the globe. Previously, she built and led all of Google’s regional marketing teams and activities in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Twohill has 20 years of experience in marketing. Before joining Google, she built and led the marketing team for Opodo, the European travel portal created by nine of Europe’s airlines. She led the launch of the company across Europe, bringing it to a top 3 position in all launch markets within two years.
Twohill also worked for Bord Failte for four years, as general manager, Italy, and then general manager, Northern Europe.
A native of Carlow, Ireland, Twohill holds a degree in international marketing and languages from Dublin City University.
Michael Walsh, president and CEO, CyberSource
Michael Walsh has more than 20 years of experience in the technology and financial services industries.
After joining CyberSource in 1998, Walsh took over North American sales in 2000 and played a key role in leading the company through the “dot-com” bubble and bust. In 2004, he began work as senior vice-president of Global Sales & Services, leading CyberSource’s expansion into emerging markets in Europe, Asia and Latin America. Then, on 1 Jan., 2010, he was named CyberSource’s president and chief executive officer.
Walsh has also been instrumental in doubling CyberSource’s footprint in the payment space, through the $660-million acquisition of Authorize.Net in 2007. The deal gave CyberSource a leadership position in both the large merchant, as well as the small and medium-sized merchant, e-commerce segments.
In 2010, Walsh led negotiations that resulted in Visa’s $2-billion acquisition of CyberSource Corporation, boosting Visa’s presence in the merchant payment space.
Walsh’s career includes sales and business development roles at Oracle Corporation and Merrill Lynch.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from The University of California at Irvine.
Helen M. Wilmot, vice-president, Space Planning & Transition Strategy, Stanford Hospital & Clinics
Helen M. Wilmot’s career has touched all aspects of health-care delivery.
Currently, she is the operational lead for the build of a new hospital to expand Stanford’s medical campus. She also leads the development of a space master plan.
Wilmot has also been vice-president, Ambulatory Care, at Stanford Hospital & Clinics, with responsibility for operating out-patient clinics and leading the build out of an out-patient center.
Previously, Wilmot worked as founder, president and CEO of healthcare software company Concuity. She raised $12 million in private equity financing, developed products, and led the company in its initial customer acquisition and implementation.
Wilmot has also been senior vice-president and chief turnaround officer of Kaiser Permanente, California Division, where she engineered a $300-million turnaround.
She also worked as senior vice-president and area manager of the Kaiser Permanente Silicon Valley Region, with responsibility for the health plan and hospitals, and as partner at APM, Inc., a health care strategic management consulting firm.
Wilmot is also a leader in the Silicon Valley business community, having been treasurer on the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group board of directors.
She holds a MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School and a BSc in nursing from San José State University.
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