Ann O'Dea (right) with fellow award-winner Leonora O'Brien. Photo via @AnnODeaSR on Twitter
Ann O’Dea, Silicon Republic’s CEO and editor-at-large, has been named Media Woman of the Year at the Irish Tatler Women of the Year Awards 2014.
The ceremony, which was hosted at the Four Seasons in Dublin on Saturday 8 November, celebrated Ireland’s leading women in business, media and entertainment.
Hosted by broadcaster and publisher Norah Casey, 15 awards were handed out during the event, with Tánaiste and Labour Party leader Joan Burton presented with the overall title of Woman of the Year 2014.
As a woman in finance and politics, Burton has been a pioneer, being among the first women in Ireland to become a qualified chartered accountant and the first female finance spokesperson of a major Irish political party.
Despite previously being recognised for her Outstanding Contribution at the IIA Net Visionary Awards in September this year, O’Dea was surprised at being presented with the Woman of the Year Media award and had to accept the honour with no words prepared in advance.
Get a load of us @Leonoraobrien Lesson learnt: Always prepare a few words just in case 😉 Love to Audrey, photo ace pic.twitter.com/c7EiFmGgyx
— Ann O’Dea (@AnnODeaSR) November 9, 2014
The 14th annual Women of the Year Awards also honoured Pharmapod founder and CEO Leonora O’Brien and Joanne O’Riordan, a Cork teenager with tetra amelia who issued a challenge to engineers to build her an assistive robot – a project currently in progress at Trinity College Dublin.
The full list of Irish Tatler Women of the Year Award winners is as follows:
- Business: Caroline Keeling, CEO, Keelings
- Entrepreneur: Leonora O’Brien, CEO and founder, Pharmapod
- Sport: Briege Corkery, camogie player and Gaelic footballer, Cork
- Media: Ann O’Dea, CEO and editor-at-large, Silicon Republic
- Film and Drama: Deirdre O’Kane, actor and comedian
- Arts and Literature: Siobhán Parkinson, author
- Fashion: Helen Steele, artist and designer
- Public Life: Emily Logan, chief commissioner, Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission
- Music: Faye O’Rourke, musician, Little Green Cars
- Entertainment: Maia Dunphy, TV producer and broadcaster
- Hall of Fame: Myrtle Allen, Michelin star-winning chef
- Special Recognition: Joanne O’Riordan, speaker and assistive technology advocate
- Special Achievement: Philomena Lee, adoption rights activist
- Special Contribution: Panti Bliss, drag celebrity, publican and marriage equality activist
- Overall Winner: Joan Burton, Tánaiste and Labour Party leader
Women Invent Tomorrow is Silicon Republic’s campaign to champion the role of women in science, technology, engineering and maths. It has been running since March 2013, and is kindly supported by Accenture Ireland, Intel, the Irish Research Council, ESB, Twitter, CoderDojo and Science Foundation Ireland.
