Strategic Employer Advisory Group

Áine Kearney

Senior Leader, Department for the Economy (secondment), Formerly Director of Events for Tourism NI

Alan Lowry

Chair, Federation of Small Business NI (FSB) / CEO, Environmental Street Furniture

Alan Lowry is Executive Chair of Environmental Street Furniture (ESF), a Newtownabbey-based award-winning global exporter supplying sustainable and technology-enabled street furniture to more than 30 countries. Having established the company in 2012, Alan has extensive experience in entrepreneurship, international trade, business growth and innovation, including establishing international operations and developing partnerships across the UK, Europe, the USA and beyond.

Alan is also Chair of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) in Northern Ireland and serves on its UK Policy Board, providing a strong voice for Northern Ireland’s SME sector and extensive engagement with government and policy stakeholders at Stormont, Westminster and internationally. He is also Chair of the Independent Remuneration Board of the Northern Ireland Assembly, a member of the UK Government Small Business Growth Forum and an Export Champion for the Department for Business and Trade.

With a particular interest in sustainability, technology and responsible business, Alan has led the development of innovative solar-powered and recycled-material products and has worked collaboratively with universities, technology companies and other partners, including Ulster University, on product development and innovation. He was named Northern Ireland Sustainable Leader of the Year in 2025.

Alan is a regular contributor to business and policy discussions and currently serves as a guest lecturer with Ulster University Business School, contributing to teaching in marketing, international trade and entrepreneurship. His extensive experience as an entrepreneur, employer, international exporter and advocate for the SME sector brings valuable industry and employer insight to the UUBS Strategic Employer Advisory Group.

Dr Sharon O'Kane

International PLC Non-Executive Board Director; Entrepreneur; Ulster University Visiting Professor

For the last 11 years, Sharon served as an independent Non-Executive Director of LivaNova PLC, a Nasdaq-listed global medtech company (>3000 employees), where she was Chair of the Nomination & Governance Committee and Senior Independent Director. She recently served on the Board of Ireland's Health Products Regulatory Authority from 2019–2025, including on the Audit Committee.

Sharon has had a portfolio of Non-Executive Director positions across various innovative global organisations; companies such as IOMet Pharma Ltd in Edinburgh; ScarX Ltd in Toronto; MIDAS, the Manchester Inward Development Agency, and prior to that she co-founded and built a biotechnology company in Manchester, Renovo plc, serving as Chief Scientific Officer and leading organisational growth from academic spin-out through LSE listing, and ultimately successful partnership.

She has had Entrepreneur in Residence appointments at NovaUCD in Dublin, and at the University of Manchester intellectual property company where she was also Chair of the Drug Discovery Advisory Board. For many years she was a judge of the Young Entrepreneur Scheme Competition for postgrad students (YES) and a grant reviewer for the BBSRC and MRC, and sat on the advisory panels for the Government Office for Life Sciences Committee;  BioNoW; the Association of Greater Manchester Authority’s Business Leadership Council and the Government’s Bioscience Innovation and Growth Team Steering Group. During her academic career she had numerous publications and awards for Innovation, Leadership, and Women in Science and Business, and was a named inventor on over 300 patents.

Sharon is a Chartered Director and Fellow of the Institute of Directors UK and also in Ireland, a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors USA, and has Corporate Governance training from Harvard Business School, Oxford University, IOD and NACD.

She is a Visiting Professor for Faculty of Life and Health Sciences Ulster University and was awarded the Distinguished Graduate Award in 2011.

Laoise Flanagan

EMEA Private Equity Programme Leader, Deloitte

Laoise Flanagan is a senior strategic leader at Deloitte with more than 23 years’ experience spanning international growth, private equity, client strategy, education and regional markets. She is currently EMEA Private Equity Programme Leader, representing Growth on the EMEA Private Equity Leadership team and partnering with senior leaders across more than 16 markets to shape and execute a growth agenda across a business of significant scale. Her career has also included leadership roles such as North South Europe Growth Leader for Deloitte Private, UK Education Strategy Director, UK Growth Strategy Director, UK Deloitte Private Clients & Industries Leader, and Go To Market Business Director for UK Regions and Private Markets.

Laoise has made a sustained impact by building and leading high-performing cross-border teams, developing distinctive market strategies, strengthening Deloitte’s position in private markets and education, and creating platforms for growth across EMEA and the UK. She has led strategic programmes covering Deloitte Private, Private Equity, Tech & Digital, regional growth and brand development, including the global launch of the Deloitte Private sub-brand, the UK Scale Account programme, and major initiatives focused on private capital, family enterprise, scale-ups and education transformation.

Beyond Deloitte, Laoise holds external roles with Manchester Metropolitan University Business School, where she chairs the Strategic International Advisory Board and serves as a Visiting Professor, providing strategic counsel, supporting external engagement and accreditation priorities, contributing to student employability and delivering leadership insight to academic, civic and business audiences.

Lynne Rainey

Executive Chair, fscom, and Visiting Professor, UUBS

Executive Chair, fscom. Executive coach and former PwC partner with ~25 years’ experience in talent development and transformation; ex-Forensic Services Director & NI Place and Purpose lead at PwC UK; chairs Business School Strategic Employers’ Forum; Visiting Professor at Ulster University Business School.

Moira Doherty

Permanent Secretary, Executive Office, NI Civil Service

Permanent Secretary, Executive Office, NICS

Served as Deputy Secretary in the Department for the Economy (Skills & Education Group) and has acted as interim Permanent Secretary; senior civil servant in Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS).

Deputy Secretary of Engaged Communities

Director of Public Transport Division

Director of Strategy, Communication

Director of Community Safety

Philip McBride

(Retired) Managing Director, Thales Northern Ireland

Long-serving defence industry leader; former Managing Director of Thales IAS UK (Northern Ireland), with ~39 years’ experience in aerospace and defence; recognized with OBE for services to the defence industry.

Steven Lindsay

Founder, McHugh Lindsay Consulting Services; President, Derry~Londonderry Chamber of Commerce

Steven Lindsay is Co-Founder of McHughLindsay, providing bespoke governance, risk and advisory services to clients across the public, private and community sectors. A Chartered Accountant and Chartered Internal Auditor, he has held senior leadership positions in health and social care, including Director of Finance and Chief Executive. He also has extensive experience in private accounting practice, including 11 years as Managing Partner.

Steven advises organisations on governance, culture, strategy and transformation. He has a keen interest in leadership development and is a qualified executive coach. He is an Associate of the HSC Leadership Centre and has also played a key role in the Boardroom Apprentice programme, developing and delivering modules since its inception.

Steven is actively involved in civic and community leadership. He currently serves as President of Londonderry Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Ulster University Magee Expansion Taskforce.
He is a Governor of Foyle College and a member of the Audit Committee at Ulster Rugby. His previous voluntary appointments include serving as Trustee and Treasurer of Age NI and Verbal Arts.