Caroline O'Neill
BSc Occupational Therapy
A graduate of Ulster University in 2006, Caroline O’Neill began her professional journey in healthcare, qualifying and working as an Occupational Therapist for three years.
Driven by entrepreneurial ambition, she stepped into the world of business, launching and running her own retail store for 12 successful years. Her experience building a brand from the ground up laid the foundations for her next evolution, media and marketing.
Caroline later pivoted into the digital space, founding her own brand, Digg which is a media and marketing platform built around powerful storytelling and meaningful impact.
The Digg Podcast has become one of the top-performing podcasts across the UK and Ireland. Through her Digg suite of media, which has grown to a community of over 250,000, Caroline has worked with hundreds of brands, helping them amplify their message and connect with audiences authentically.
Beyond business success, Caroline is deeply committed to social impact. Through her charity, Digg Deep for Kids, she has helped raise over £1 million for families living in poverty and uses her platform to create tangible change.
Caroline uses storytelling to build strength, spark conversation and drive real-world results both commercially and socially.
She will host Celebrate Her for the third year; the Celebrate Her Conference is organised by Ulster University in partnership with Enterprise Causeway in celebration of International Women's Day.
Maria McAllister
PG Diploma Accounting
Maria’s career stands as a strong testament to how leadership, purpose and people-centred values can deliver lasting impact. At Ulster University, Maria completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting in 1993 before qualifying as an Associate member (ACMA, CGMA) of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. She then built her career in Corporate and Business Banking at Bank of Ireland.
With over 25 years’ experience, Maria has driven positive change across banking, professional services and the social enterprise sectors. Her senior leadership roles at Bank of Ireland UK included advancing customer excellence, strengthening governance and risk, and leading culture transformation programmes grounded in people and values. Maria is recognised for her authenticity, clarity of purpose, and trusted guidance to senior leaders and boards, as well as inspiring mentees to fulfil their potential.
Her dedication to future leaders has earned her the UK Women in Credit Mentor of the Year Silver Award, a Lifetime Achievement Gold Sovereign Award, and recently announced as a finalist in the NI Women in Business Awards.
Maria also serves as a Non-Executive Director of NOW Group, helping people with learning difficulties and autism find meaningful work and brighter futures.
Deirbhile Leonard
BSc Computer Science
After graduating with a First Class Honours in Computer Science from Ulster University, Deirbhile began her career at Allstate Northern Ireland as a placement student in 2022.
During her placement, she worked on modernising a rating platform, gaining hands-on experience across front-end, back-end and databases. Her contributions to an API modernisation project earned recognition at the Ulster University Placement Awards, highlighting her impact early in her career.
Since then, she has won multiple awards for her achievements and has been shortlisted for the national Rising Star of the Year award in London.
Now as a full-time engineer, Deirbhile plays a key role in helping deliver accurate, reliable rating and pricing systems that directly support customers at critical moments.
Alongside her professional work, she is passionate about innovation and education, winning an AI for Personalised Learning award for her “AI Exam” project, an AI-powered application to support GCSE students to study more efficiently.
She has also spoken at conferences and built a LEGO Rubik’s Cube solving robot to inspire schoolchildren to explore technology through hands-on learning.
Shauna Blair
BSc Food Management & Marketing
Shauna graduated with a BSc in Food Management and Marketing in 2017, having studied part-time at CAFRE while building her first business. At the time, she was already running her baby food brand, Heavenly - becoming the first woman in Ireland to launch a frozen baby food range.
Over a 15-year entrepreneurial career, Shauna founded and scaled two multi-award-winning food brands, securing listings with major retailers across the UK, Ireland and international markets. Along the way, she received several personal accolades recognising her contribution to the food industry and women in business.
Studying at Ulster University played a pivotal role in her journey. Being immersed in a forward-thinking food hub allowed her to apply academic insight directly into her growing business in real time, strengthening both her commercial strategy and leadership capability.
Today, Shauna has transitioned into her next chapter as a certified Coach, Business Mentor and Reiki Master. She now supports ambitious women in business to grow and lead with confidence, clarity and alignment, combining practical experience with deep personal transformation.
Bridgene Keeley
BA Hons Business Studies
Bridgene Keeley (nee McKeever) is the Director of Sales & Marketing at McKeever Hotels.
McKeever Hotels is a leading family-owned hospitality group with a proud heritage spanning over four decades. Founded by Eugene and Catherine McKeever, and joined by their daughter Bridgene Keeley (and son Eddie), the Group is now a portfolio of seven exceptional hotels across Northern Ireland and Donegal.
Bridgene studied at the Derry~Londonderry campus of Ulster University from 2003 – 2007, completing a four year course in Business Studies, specialising in Marketing. During this time she completed her placement year within the family business, and would go on to launch the new family-owned Dunsilly Hotel at the age of 22.
Bridgene has built her career entirely within McKeever Hotels, “an inmate since birth” she jokes, progressing from a housekeeper at 15 years old to Company Director at present. She plays a key role in continuing the family legacy, driving innovation, team development, and sustainability initiatives. Guided by the “We Do More” ethos, she helps deliver world-class hospitality.
Since her Board appointment in 2015, Bridgene has led the expansion of McKeever Hotels, combining innovative strategy with goal-oriented leadership. Under her direction, the business has acquired two new hotels, driving growth and contributing to turnover rising from £15.2m in 2024 to £25.7m in 2025.
Annie Gibson
BEng Renewable Energy Engineering
Annie graduated from Ulster University with a First Class Honours degree in Renewable Energy Engineering.
Throughout her studies, Annie was recognised for both academic achievement and professional development, receiving the SSE Airtricity Scholarship, Terex Engineer of the Year, and Dean’s List Awards.
Alongside her degree, she completed the Ulster University EDGE Excel Award, which focused on developing professional skills for a successful career. This involved participating in extracurricular activities that strengthened her communication skills, supported career planning, and built confidence for the transition into industry.
One of the most valuable aspects of Annie's degree was a year-long internship at Seagate Technology, which also led to the award of Diploma in Professional Practice. This experience enabled her to translate academic theory into real world engineering solutions while gaining first-hand insight into working within a global technology organisation.
Following graduation, Annie saw Seagate as the ideal place to begin her professional career. As a global company with a strong local presence and supportive culture, combined with her positive internship experience, joining Seagate was an easy decision.
Annie began as a Manufacturing Engineer, working on continuous improvement projects focused on improving yield, efficiency, and reducing cycle time. She has since progressed into the role of Operations Planning Engineer, where she applies data driven analysis to capacity and production planning, process optimisation, and cross functional collaboration across sites.
At work, Annie is also an active member of the Seagate Young Professionals Network, which has been a great way for her to grow her network and continue learning through leadership speaker series, as well as social and community events.
Annie is also committed to STEM outreach and regularly volunteers to share her story, encouraging students to be confident in their abilities and to pursue subjects that genuinely interest and inspire them. Annie has also enjoyed supporting Seagate’s community giving and volunteering programme, including the opportunity to work with Older People North-West through their festive initiative, and be part of activities that make a difference in the local community.
