Marie Donnellan. Image: Platform94
The appointment comes as the hub formerly known as the Galway Technology Centre recently celebrated its 30th anniversary and expanded its HQ.
Platform94, an innovation hub in the west of Ireland, has appointed former EY director Marie Donnellan as its new CEO.
After a combined tenure of nearly 15 years at EY Ireland, where she was first a senior auditor and more recently a director, Donnellan was announced as the new CEO of Platform94 in an announcement today (20 March) and will take over the role starting tomorrow.
A chartered accountant by background, Donnellan has spent the last number of years working with companies and entrepreneurs in the mid-west, west and north-west of Ireland. Other than EY, she also had a brief stint at Apple as a financial analyst in 2013-14.
“When it comes to business expansion, we should always be looking through an international lens. Ireland has a world-leading ecosystem for fostering innovation and providing support for startup entrepreneurs. However, when it comes to supporting established innovative businesses to scale internationally, I believe there is a gap in the ecosystem, especially at a regional level,” Donnellan said.
“At Platform94, we will strive to address that gap, providing businesses with a suite of international scaling support services, regardless of where their business is physically located. I look forward to helping businesses from all over the region, not only in identifying growth opportunities, but in recognising and addressing both internal and external barriers to growth.”
Her appointment comes just weeks after Platform94, previously the Galway Technology Centre, celebrated its 30th anniversary and underwent a €5.2m expansion that saw the size of its Galway headquarters increase to 66,000 sq ft across four floors.
“Entrepreneurship can be a lonely place. At Platform94, our highly talented team can provide those all-important links, helping businesses and key stakeholders to collaborate, and giving businesses the ideal platform for international growth,” Donnellan added.
Owned by Galway Chamber and WestBIC, the hub was originally set up in 1994 to facilitate emerging ICT businesses in the west as they grew their operations. It works closely with local start-ups and scale-ups as well as other business support organisations based in the west, such as the Portershed, ITAG and CREW.
Currently a team of six, Platform94 has supported more than 300 companies and claims to have generated an estimated €1.3bn in value for Ireland’s west. Last year, the centre launched their International Scale-up Programme to increase the number of successful Irish-founded companies overseas.
“Marie [Donnellan] has vast experience and a proven track record,” said Platform94 chair Dave Hickey.
“Her extensive strategic leadership, together with her financial and business development experience in a global-centric environment, will be of massive benefit. We look forward to seeing her lead Platform94 to expand its regional and national scale-up offerings, and to reach new heights in the international technology landscape over the coming years.”
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