Speaker Bios

Ms. Noelle O’Connell

Vice-President, EM International

Noelle has been the CEO of EM Ireland since April 2011 with overall responsibility for all governance, financial and operational matters of the organisation in growing its development as it works to further strengthen the connection between Ireland and Europe.

In November 2020, Noelle was elected as a Vice-President of the board European Movement International. Noelle is also the official spokesperson for the organisation and has regularly presented in national and international media in addition to leading on a variety of national and international training, communications, education, outreach and citizen engagement programmes on behalf of EM Ireland. Prior to joining EM Ireland, she provided business development training, education and public affairs consultancy to a wide variety of both private and public sector clients including government bodies and in the third level sector including HEA, Fulbright Commission, Irish Research Councils.. She held management consultancy positions in Accenture; headed up the Training, Education and Business Development function of the Construction Industry Federation, and was formerly a Director on the Board of the semi state agency, Skillnets. Noelle previously worked on Business Development and Member relations for the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society in addition to working with Thea and on an Interreg Programme.

Noelle is also a Fellow of the Irish Institute of Training and Development, and International Leadership Fellow of the Society of St. George Windsor Castle, a member of the CIPD and the Institute of Directors of Ireland, a voluntary Board Director of Alliance Française Ireland and Chair of the UCC Dublin Alumni Chapter. In 2017, she was awarded the Chévalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite – awarded second highest national order of France by the President of the Republic of France for public service between Ireland and France. A qualified Coach, she holds a BA Hons in European Studies and Languages from UCC, DEUF diploma from Université Jean Moulin, Lyon III, France and an MSc in International Relations from the University of Edinburgh Scotland.

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