The Better Leadership Forum

The Line-Up

The panel discussion will be moderated by journalist, broadcaster and author Alison O’Connor, while the speakers are:

• US Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill, who represents New Jersey’s 11^th Formerly a Navy pilot and a federal prosecutor, she is a member of the Democratic Party, and was elected to the House of Representatives in 2018, defeating Republican Jay Webber. She was re-elected in 2020 by a slightly narrower margin.
• Jim O’Callaghan TD, who has served as a Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin Bay South since 2016 and was formerly a member of Dublin City Council. He is currently Fianna Fáil’s Director of Elections for the by-election in Dublin Bay South.
• Activist and academic Ailbhe Smyth, who served as strategic advisor for the Marriage Equality referendum campaign and co-director of the Together for Yes campaign for the referendum on the Eighth Amendment. In 2019, she was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world.
• Olwyn Enright,

  Olwyn Enright, former TD, was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 2002 becoming FG Spokesperson on Education and Science and was re-elected in 2007 serving as Spokesperson on Social Protection.Before that she served as a councillor for the Birr electoral area from 1999. She was the first female TD to represent the Laois–Offaly constituency. On leaving politics Olwyn worked as Director of Public Affairs in Edelman until 2017. She is currently working as an advocacy consultant with Dóchas. Olwyn has a degree in Civil Law degree and attended the Law Society of Ireland in Blackhall Place, Dublin, qualifying as a solicitor in 1999 and a Diploma in Community Development Practice from NUIG.

• Professor Niamh Brennan, the Michael MacCormac Professor of Management at University College Dublin and Founder/Academic Director of the UCD Centre for Corporate Governance. Niamh is the Better Leadership Series  Rapporteur and will compile a report at the end of this series.