MEET THE
SPEAKERS
MICHAEL MAGNER
Irish Hotels Federation President
Michael Magner is the 40th President of the Irish Hotels Federation. A native of Kileedy, Co. Limerick, Mr Magner is owner of the historic Cork's Vienna Woods Hotel. He has studied Hotel Management and holds a masters degree in Business in HRM from the University of Limerick. He began his career in hospitality aged 16 in Newcastle West, Limerick, going on to work at the Fitzgeralds Woodlands House Hotel in Adare.
Michael has been an active branch member of the IHF since 2006 and has served as Chair of the Cork branch, a two-year term as National Vice President, and as a member of the National Council and Management Committee. He currently sits as Chair of Cobh Heritage Trust and a Director of the Board of Visit Cork. .
CLAIRE BROCK
TV Presenter, Journalist & Broacaster
A seasoned broadcaster and journalist with more than twenty years’ experience working in television and radio, Claire Brock is a news and current affairs presenter, interviewer, and moderator. Most recently she’s been a regular presence on RTE Radio, across its current affairs programming, where she has hosted Drivetime on Radio One.
As presenter of the Tonight Show, the flagship current affairs programme on Virgin Media Television, Claire cemented her reputation as an experienced anchor, regarded for bringing clarity, depth and relevance to topics that resonate with the audience. With incisive interview skills, Claire guides lively analysis of often complex subjects, covering the big issues of the day in a relatable and compelling way, while bringing empathy and clarity when talking to people at the heart of the story.
DOUG LANSKY
Travel Writer + Tourism Development Advisor
Doug Lansky is a Stockholm-based tourism expert who spent 20 years as a travel journalist, editor and author contributing to such publications as The Guardian, National Geographic Traveller and Lonely Planet. The author of ten books, Doug has given three TEDx Talks and presented to hundreds of major tourism destinations, introducing audiences around the world to new insights on smart tourism, destination management and the future of travel.
PETER COSGROVE
Founder of Futurewise
Peter Cosgrove is the founder of Futurewise, a future of work insights company focused on workplace trends, technology, and talent transformation. Peter researches and publishes widely on hybrid work, remote work, automation, and AI’s impact on jobs. Companies bring Peter in to help leaders understand the skills of the future and prepare for what’s coming next. He also speaks on engaging men in gender diversity conversations, providing practical and inclusive solutions.
Peter has written two books, Fun Unplugged and Family Fun Unplugged, designed to get families off screens and reconnected. He also chairs multiple non-profits, giving him real insight into leadership under pressure.
ERIFILI GOUNARI
Gen Z Expert, Founder & CEO at The Z Link
Erifili Gounari is an entrepreneur, author, social media strategist and public speaker. She’s one of the leading global
voices on all-things Gen Z and social media strategy. Erifili’s work as Founder and CEO at The Z Link is paving the way in the field of Gen Z marketing and engagement.
Since launching in 2020, The Z Link has helped brands such as
Deloitte, the United Nations, Pepsi and IKEA. Erifili is listed on Forbes ‘30 Under 30 Europe’ and she has been featured in major media publications such as the Wall Street Journal, NBC News and Business Insider.
DANNY MCCOY
Irish Business & Employers Confederation Chief Executive
Danny McCoy is Chief Executive Officer of Ibec, Ireland’s largest business representative organisation and one of the largest in Europe, since 2009. He is a graduate in Commerce from the University of Galway and postgraduate in Economics from University College Dublin. He has held lecturing posts at University College London, University of Oxford, TCD andDCU. He has been senior economist at the Central Bank of Ireland and the ESRI as well as being a consultant to the European Commission in Brussels and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris. Danny is currently the Chair of Business Europe Task Force on Security and Defence, Employer Leader on the tripartite Labour Employer Economic Forum, Executive Committee of BusinessEurope, advisory committee of the Marine, Resource and Energy Institute (MaREI), member of both the State Investment and Trade Council and the Balance for Better Business group.
PAUL GALLAGHER
Irish Hotels Federation Chief Executive
Paul joined the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) in January 2025. He is a past President of the IHF and former Chair of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC), Paul was previously General Manager of Buswells Hotel, Dublin for 27 years. He is a Government appointee to Tourism Ireland as a Non-Executive Director and has previously served on numerous Government taskforces, including the Tourism Recovery Oversight Group, the Brexit Taskforce, the Advisory Group on Small Business, the Tourism Recovery Taskforce and Grow Dublin Taskforce.
Paul is a fellow of the Irish Hospitality Institute and holds a Master’s Degree in Business and Hospitality as a graduate of the University of Galway and Shannon College of Hotel Management.
ALICE MANSERGH
Tourism Ireland Chief Executive
Alice Mansergh is Chief Executive at Tourism Ireland, the organisation with leadership responsibility for marketing the island of Ireland to overseas visitors. Collaborating with industry and government, Alice and the Tourism Ireland team are proud to grow the contribution overseas tourism makes to economies and communities across the island. Previously, Alice spent 19 years leading large-scale commercial organisations at Google. As Managing Director, UK & Ireland Customer Solutions, she helped hundreds of thousands of businesses to digitise and succeed online. During a period in London, Alice led Google’s own consumer marketing, growing iconic brands like Google Chrome to market-leading positions. Alice is passionate about tourism and has not let a year of her life go by without holidaying around the island of Ireland. From 2018 to 2023, she served on the board of Fáilte Ireland.
TOM MCDERMOTT
Founder and Managing Director of Agility Hospitality
Tom is a hospitality specialist helping hotels improve performance by streamlining processes, standardising ways of working, and unlocking the potential of their teams. Founded in 2020, Agility Hospitality works with hotel owners, leadership teams and frontline team-members. The focus is on embedding a practical continuous improvement mindset that delivers real results. These include improved productivity, stronger margins, better guest experiences and more engaged teams. Tom and his team are known for cutting through complexity, helping hotel leaders move from firefighting to flow by identifying low-hanging fruit and building improvement capability within their own teams without adding layers of bureaucracy or extra workload. Previously Tom held senior operational and leadership roles in hotel groups and went on to lead Hilton’s Operational Excellence programme across EMEA, working closely with GMs to standardise everyday processes and improve operational performance at scale.
SARAH DUIGNAN
Director of Client Relationships at STR
Sarah is STR’s director of client relationships and is based in London. Prior to joining the business Sarah spent 7 years in hotel operations in Ireland and held a variety of roles including on Front desk, in reservations, sales and event management. She joined the HotelBenchmark team at Deloitte in 2005 as a Business Development Executive, later becoming an Account Manager responsible for a number of key international clients. Sarah regularly attends and presents at hotel operator and industry events, spreading greater awareness of STR’s benchmarking services. Sarah holds an honours degree in translation (German & Spanish) from Dublin City University (DCU).
And many more to be announced...
BOOK
NOW
Hoteliers, Exhibitors, Associates and Affiliates can all book the conference and accommodation using the link below. Please note that booking is through a third party and all fees must be paid directly to Advantage PCO and not the IHF. You can choose from discounted packages or select individual functions.
Packages Available: