Influencers and trade bodies - The Business Post Property 100

Influencers & trade bodies

Tina Marie O’Neill, Donal Buckley, Killian Woods, Catherine Sanz and Emmet Ryan profile the key 100 individuals in the property industry

Alice Charles

Director for Cities, Planning and Design, Arup

Alice Charles first hit our radar a decade ago when, as head of urban development for the World Economic Forum, she warned delegates at the Sunday Business Post Sustainable Property summit 2015 that Ireland was bottom of the class when it came to future-proofing our towns and cities, homes, infrastructure links, social housing needs and healthy environmental surroundings.
She warned that the country had become complacent after the Celtic Tiger era boom and subsequent bust. And she was on point.
A leading expert in urban planning, sustainability and infrastructure, Charles is currently the director for cities, planning and design at Arup and leads strategic partnerships with the World Economic Forum, UN Global Compact, C40 Cities, and the World Green Building Council.
She also serves on advisory boards such as the UN-Habitat executive director’s Stakeholder Advisory Group Enterprise and the European Commission’s 100 Intelligent Cities.
Previously, Charles served as an external board member of Nama’s planning advisory committee. Her earlier career included roles with the Irish government, Jacobs Engineering and Avison Young in London.

A leading expert in urban planning, sustainability and infrastructure, Charles is currently the director for cities, planning and design at Arup

Read our interview with Alice Charles here

Shirley Coulter

Chief executive, Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland

Since joining the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland as chief executive in 2020, Coulter has contributed significantly to its growth and development, underlining its position as one of the country’s leading membership organisations for professionals in the property, construction and land sectors.
Drawing on the expertise of surveyors and her experience in governance, strategy, policy development and organisational transformation, the SCSI has utilised a data-driven, solution-based approach to issues. Many SCSI reports focus on the viability and affordability of housing delivery and revitalising urban areas.
The SCSI was one of the first organisations to highlight the apartment defects issue while it has also published independent cost reports on a pro bono basis to assist government and homeowners affected by mica in defective concrete blocks.
Under Coulter’s stewardship, SCSI membership has grown by over 30 per cent to 6,600, and female membership by 50 per cent, driven by schools’ outreach and a dedicated women in surveying mentoring and development programme.
Coulter previously held senior roles in a number of professional bodies including the Bar of Ireland and the Irish Medical Organisation.

Kate English

Chief economist, Deloitte Ireland

Kate English is Deloitte Ireland’s newly appointed – and first – chief economist and has been with the firm since 2022 when she established Deloitte’s real estate research team.
She previously held senior economist roles at Cushman & Wakefield Ireland and Sherry FitzGerald and is a regular commentator on national media and industry forums.
A native of New Inn, Co Tipperary, she holds a master’s in economics and a bachelor’s in economics and French from UCC. Her ability to translate complex economic data into actionable strategies makes her a sought-after commentator on macroeconomic trends, fiscal policy, capital markets and employment.

She previously held senior economist roles at Cushman & Wakefield Ireland and Sherry FitzGerald

Paul Mitchell

Co-founder, Mitchell McDermott

Paul Mitchell established Mitchell McDermott, one of Ireland’s leading construction consultancies, with Anthony McDermott in 2015. The firm specialises in residential, hotel, office and data centre projects, delivering project management, cost management and monitoring services.
Prior to that he led the Irish operation of a US corporate consultancy and was previously a partner in an Irish established consultancy.
As a quantity surveyor and active member of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland, he has co-authored some of the society’s residential cost reports. He also worked on possible solutions to Ireland’s housing crisis for one of the Housing Commission’s working groups and is an active voice on all things housing related.
Mitchell McDermott publishes an authoritative annual construction report and recently opened offices in Limerick and Amsterdam, and plans European expansion. It also developed a resource hub in Malaysia to support growth plans in that region.
It was voted Best Place to Work in Ireland in 2022 and won Project Management Firm of the year in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. The firm has delivered or is delivering over 28,000 new homes in Ireland for public and private clients.

Pat Farrell

Chief executive, Irish Institutional Property

Pat Farrell is a key influencer in terms of explaining to the Irish people, government and media about the role that institutionally financed investors are playing in the Irish real estate market and in providing housing.
Having previously held senior positions in banking and in politics, Farrell has applied his expertise to engaging with key stakeholders to build an understanding of the pivotal role his members play in both the property sector and the Irish economy.
He has highlighted how institutional investors will deliver about 60 per cent of the €23 billion required to deliver the government’s new target of 50,000 houses annually. By 2027, IIP estimates, members will have enabled delivery of thousands of new homes across all tenures and types. IIP members also manage almost €20 billion of Irish property, provide 6,000 direct jobs and a further 23,000 indirect jobs in the Irish economy.
His objective is to convince those stakeholders of the need for a stable policy regime and necessary infrastructure that gives investors the certainty and confidence to invest long-term in Irish housing.

Philip Matthews

Managing director, Turner & Townsend

Philip Matthews has been managing director for Turner & Townsend in Ireland since May 2023. His career in project and cost management spans over 25 years, with previous roles including head of real estate in Ireland and board positions for both the Ireland and Europe divisions of the company.
A member of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Matthews has been actively involved in professional industry bodies. In June 2022, he was appointed chair of the SCSI project management professional group.
His leadership at Turner & Townsend includes overseeing projects across multiple sectors, ensuring that developments meet industry standards and regulatory compliance.

Marie Hunt

Head of research at Iput and chair of Urban Land Institute

Marie Hunt took those working in the real estate sector by surprise when she joined Iput Real Estate in 2022 after a distinguished 27-year tenure at CBRE.
However, for those who know her, the move made total sense given Iput’s emphasis on property investment, placemaking initiatives and sustainability programmes, all areas in which Hunt’s experience and work as chairperson of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Ireland overlap.
Among her role as Iput’s head of research, Hunt has been instrumental in the ‘Making Impact’ series, a five-year study evaluating the social, economic and environmental effects of placemaking at Dublin’s Wilton Park development, a global exemplar of successful public-private collaboration.
A Fellow of the SCSI and vice-chair of the research committee at INREV, the European Association for Investors in Non-Listed Real Estate Vehicles, Hunt is highly regarded among her peers across the real estate industry and was awarded the outstanding leader in property award at the 2025 National Property Awards.

Hunt has been instrumental in the ‘Making Impact’ series, a five-year study evaluating the social, economic and environmental effects of placemaking at Dublin’s Wilton Park development

Fidelma McManus

Partner and head of housing at Beauchamps

Over the past few years, Fidelma McManus has been involved in some of the biggest property deals to happen in Ireland, which means there are few corners of the sector of which she is not acutely aware.
McManus has advised on some large projects for Cairn Homes, Orivo Properties, Urban Life and Manley Construction.
The experienced commercial real estate partner at Beauchamps has also worked with many of the state’s biggest approved housing bodies and local authorities across deals that will deliver thousands of new homes.
McManus has also been involved with the Land Development Agency on its Project Tosaigh initiative, which involves the body linking up with private developers to buy homes for affordable housing.
McManus has also advised IDA Ireland on its real estate strategy, including acquisitions to facilitate technology park development and industrial unit leasing to large foreign direct investment companies.

John Downey

Managing director, Downey Planning & Architecture

John Downey is the managing director of Downey Planning & Architecture, a firm specialising in town planning, architecture and project management. A chartered town planner, he holds memberships with the Royal Town Planning Institute (MRTPI) and the Irish Planning Institute (MIPI).
With over 25 years of experience, Downey has worked extensively on section 34 applications, strategic housing developments (SHD) and large-scale residential developments (LRD). In the past three years alone, his firm has submitted plans for more than 10,000 residential units.
Beyond his work at Downey Planning & Architecture, he has been involved in academia and policy making. He has lectured at Technological University Dublin and has advised the government on planning frameworks, contributing to policies such as the National Planning Framework and Design Standards for New Apartments. Additionally, he has served as a board member of the European Council of Spatial Planners (ECTP-CEU) and is a former chair of RTPI Ireland.

Michael Byrne

Assistant professor at School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice, UCD

Michael Byrne, an academic focused on housing research at University College Dublin, has been slowly building a profile for himself in Ireland’s property sector.
The lecturer and assistant professor has written and co-authored an array of research papers and reports on rental sector regulation and the National Asset Management Agency.
Last year, he co-authored a report for the Housing Agency on the impact of cost rental housing.
In December at the Property Summit, a presentation he delivered on Irish rental regulation, which talked about the prospects of rent strikes in Europe, piqued the interest of a lot of private industry professionals in the room.
In addition to his academic research, his niche weekly newsletter called The Week in Housing has been gaining traction. Byrne uses the platform to write in-depth about more current topics such as new housing policy proposals by government.

Mary Conway

Founder of Janus Estates and chair of Irish Property Owners Association

A registered nurse, midwife and clinical nurse specialist, Mary Conway left a successful 30-year career in nursing ten years ago to enter the lettings and property management sector full-time, having lived the experience of being a residential landlord for almost as long.
She returned to college, got her PSRA license and set up Janus Estates in 2019 offering property management, lettings, and sales services. She is also Ireland’s first Senior Move Manager™, a certified Living in Place professional and has been chairperson of the Irish Property Owners’ Association (IPOA) representing Ireland’s private landlords for the past three years, often being invited to meet with former housing minister Darragh O’Brien in that capacity.

Tom Phillips

Planning consultant, Tom Phillips + Associates

The go-to planning consultant for the country’s largest developers, chartered planner Tom Phillips has a deep appreciation for the built environment, with more than 30 years’ planning experience behind him, he holds considerable sway in getting modern public and private urban planning and development projects over the line in terms of approval.
Successful projects include the Glass Bottle site at Ringsend in Dublin, Johnny Ronan’s 25-storey waterfront building in Dublin, Cherrywood in Dublin 18 and the Grangegorman Campus, to name just a few.
The Meath man once described planning issues in Ireland as “never black and white but a shade of grey”. He has expressed frustration with the current planning system in terms of its complexity, lack of resources and the threat of judicial reviews, which he said is having a “numbing effect” on development and is deterring crucial foreign direct investment.
Phillips’ unique journey into planning began with a primary degree in art history, specialising in architectural history before gaining master’s degrees in planning and urban design. He is an adjunct associate professor at UCD’s School of Architecture, a council member of Property Industry Ireland, a Fellow of the Irish Planning Institute, managing director of Teepee Developments. He set up Redline Studios almost a decade ago, specialising in 3D architectural visualisations.

Conor O’Connell

Director of housing, Construction Industry Federation

Conor O’Connell is the director of housing, planning and development at the Construction Industry Federation (CIF), where he has worked for 24 years. For the past three years, he has led the Irish Home Builders’ Association (IHBA), representing residential builders responsible for nearly 90 per cent of Ireland’s new homes.
In terms of current housing supply challenges, O’Connell tirelessly advocates for a more efficient regulatory framework to support private sector development. He engages with government bodies, policymakers and industry stakeholders to drive housing policy improvements. As secretary of CIF’s regional development committee, he also works on infrastructure and regional growth strategies.
His expertise spans industrial relations, business, law, and real estate economics and finance. He has been a strong public voice on housing issues, contributing to policy reports, Oireachtas committee hearings, and national media discussions on apartment viability and housing supply.
With CIF celebrating 90 years in 2024, O’Connell is a crucial figure in shaping Ireland’s construction landscape, pushing for policies that support builders and ensure the delivery of much-needed homes across the country.

Fiona Cormican

Founder, Fiona Cormican Consulting

Given her influence in shaping social and affordable housing policies and strategies in Ireland, Fiona Cormican’s message to government at the 2024 Business Post Property Summit is likely to have stung.
She said: “My message is more of a question. Who are you listening to for your advice? Because none of the advice that you seem to be listening to and none of the proposals you’re putting forward for solving the housing crisis are being agreed with by a room full of experts here today.”
Cormican established Tógáil Developments, a not-for-profit development and construction company, in 2000, before joining Clúid Housing as its director of new business in 2007.
There, she grew the housing association’s portfolio, overseeing assets exceeding €600 million and managing a development pipeline worth over half a billion euro. Her leadership contributed to the delivery of over 7,000 homes nationwide, significantly impacting the nation’s housing landscape.
She established her own business in 2023 to support approved housing bodies in their growth strategies and serves as a board member of Progress Ireland.

Dara Turnbull

Housing Europe

Dara Turnbull is the research coordinator at Housing Europe. An economist by training, Turnbull has a master’s in economic policy evaluation and planning from NUI Galway. Before joining Housing Europe, he spent five years in the banking and finance sector.
The Local Government Information Unit named Turnbull one of the top 25 thinkers in local government. He is committed to advocating for affordable housing solutions across Europe.
He regularly writes publications focusing on housing affordability and policy issues in Europe. However, it was perhaps his laser-sharp explanation in The Journal calling out how the government collates its housing numbers and targets that comes to mind: “Imagine you have a €100 debt. One week you pay back €50, but then you also run up another €50 debt, so effectively you’re in the same place. You never get to €0. That’s what we have here,” he said.

Carol Tallon

Chief executive, Property District and iProperty Radio

Her admirers joke that she could power the national grid and Carol Tallon’s extensive list of achievements is certainly impressive.
An accomplished author, Carol has penned several influential books, including the Irish Property Buyers Handbook series and the Property Insiders series. She is a regular columnist for national broadsheets, including the Business Post, and is the founder and chief executive of Property District, a leading strategic marketing and communications agency, which specialises in the planning, construction, property and proptech industries. She also hosts a weekly podcast on iPropertyRadio with her daughter Katie.
Somewhere in the busy schedule, she recently managed to complete a master’s in planning and development, to add to her previous qualifications, which include a degree in law and business, a postgrad in entrepreneurship, a diploma in psychology, and is currently studying economics of the property market at Trinity College Dublin.
Tallon is committed to collaborative placemaking through initiatives such as developing virtual town hall platforms to facilitate community involvement in planning processes and is on a mission to drive regional infrastructural initiatives.

An accomplished author, Carol has penned several influential books, including the Irish Property Buyers Handbook series

Eamonn and Brian Fallon

founders Daft.ie

Founded in 1997 by brothers Eamonn and Brian Fallon, the now well-established property website Daft.ie lists properties to buy, rent and share across the country. The platform attracts about 2.5 million users monthly, generating around 228 million page impressions and hosting about 70,000 property listings at any given time.
In September 2024, reports emerged that Distilled, the parent company of Daft.ie, was exploring a potential sale that could value the business at up to €600 million. By November 2024, Dublin-based Blacksheep Fund Management was identified as the prospective buyer, with the Fallon brothers retaining a shareholding and continuing to lead the business.
Researched and written by Ronan Lyons, associate professor of economics at Trinity College Dublin, Daft.ie has, since 2004, published the longest running reports on sale and rental prices in Ireland.

Genevieve McGuirk

Head of operations, IPAV

With 18 years in the property sector, Genevieve McGuirk leads professional education and development at the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers (IPAV), fostering a future-focused and ethical industry.
McGuirk, a Technological University Dublin graduate, began her career in residential sales with Savills before managing a homecare agency and facilitating a successful merger. Since joining IPAV in 2015, she has enhanced operational efficiency, team performance and member engagement.
Passionate about professional development, she has expanded IPAV’s educational initiatives, including the TU Dublin programme and TEGOVA, a European group of valuers’ associations working for standards, ethics and quality in the real estate valuation market. Active in industry bodies such as Digital Business Ireland, McGuirk is known for her integrity, dedication and commitment to real estate excellence.

Gavin Lawlor

President, Irish Planning Institute

Gavin Lawlor, with nearly 30 years in planning, serves as president of the Irish Planning Institute (IPI) for 2024/25, representing more than 1,000 of the country’s planners. He is also a director at Tom Phillips + Associates where he has worked on some of the country’s largest real estate developments and projects over the last 23 years.
Lawlor was instrumental in convincing the government to add town planners to the critical skills occupation list, which it just did in March this year. His own research has revealed that judicial reviews, whilst vital, have led to abuse of the system and risk undermining trust in planners and the expertise they bring to complex decision-making.
He has also suggested the lengthy Planning and Development Act introduced late last year has complicated rather than simplified the system and could lead to further delays in housing delivery.

Declan Wallace

Chair, MMC Ireland

BritishDeclan Wallace is chair of MMC (Modern Methods of Construction) Ireland, the umbrella industry body he co-founded in 2022. His goal is to develop and promote off-site technology in Ireland, an industry and way of construction that the body believes will shape the future of construction in Ireland and is an obvious but misunderstood answer to Ireland’s housing shortfall.
Wallace has advocated for laws and regulations that address compliance, testing and certification in Ireland’s MMC sector, which he argues is an under-utilised but offers a suitable alternative to traditional construction methods.
Wallace is also chief executive of Evolusion Innovation, a leading engineering consultancy that specialises in off-site construction and modern methods of construction. Under Wallace, Evolusion has expanded, including opening a Birmingham office to better serve the British market.

Colm Lauder

Co-founder, Lauder Teacher and Business Post columnist

A weekly columnist at the Business Post since 2023, Colm Lauder is Goodbody’s former head of real estate equity research and is a prominent figure in the Irish real estate sector, known for his expertise in investment analysis and strategic consultancy.
In September 2024, he co-founded Lauder Teacher, a strategic consultancy firm, with British property advisory veteran Andrew Teacher.
Prior to joining Goodbodys, he was vice president at MSCI, focusing on real estate investment analytics and research in the EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) region, particularly in London and Irish markets.
He holds a master of philosophy in real estate finance from the University of Cambridge and a bachelor of science in property economics from Dublin Institute of Technology.