Chairperson
Majella is the Director of Finance at MSD and a Chartered Accountant with over 36 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. She holds a BComm from University College Cork and a Diploma in Professional Accounting from University College Dublin. Throughout her career, she has held various leadership roles, bringing expertise in finance, governance, and strategic planning. Majella was introduced to Anam Cara in 2013, when her son Daniel, despite his brave fight, passed away from a rare form of leukaemia. Committed to ensuring that other bereaved parents receive the same support that helped her navigate her loss, Majella became a volunteer parent in 2017 and joined the board in 2021.
Board Member
Rory is a Commerce graduate of the University of Galway and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (FCA) in Ireland. Rory has over 35 years of experience in Finance, having started his career with KPMG in Ireland before moving overseas and spending many years as a CFO for a major multinational in the US before returning home and establishing his own specialist tax practice in Galway. Rory is a strong believer in the unique support that Anam Cara provides to bereaved parents and is a member of the Finance committee.
Board Member
Pat is a chartered accountant with over 30 years of experience as a partner at Deloitte, where he held key leadership roles, including Head of Taxation, Head of Finance, and Managing Partner. Since retiring, Pat has served as a Non-Executive Director across a variety of organisations in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. His current directorships include FBD Hotels, Park Developments, Greenman Investments, and St. Michael’s House Foundation. Pat is committed to supporting Anam Cara in building a strong, respected, and effectively governed organisation. He was honoured to join the Board and contribute his experience to furthering its important mission.
Board Member
Frank is a retired ICT professional with experience across multiple sectors, including IT programming, manufacturing, construction, and social housing. As Head of ICT at Clanmil Housing Association, he was responsible for IT strategy, infrastructure, and systems implementation. A volunteer parent with Anam Cara since 2019, Frank played a key role in establishing the Belfast Group and has represented the charity at many events. Having experienced firsthand the support Anam Cara provides to bereaved parents following the loss of his son Ronan, he is committed to using both his personal experience and professional expertise to support the charity’s mission and future development.
Board Member
Nora joined the Anam Cara board in 2024, bringing over 22 years of experience in marketing communications. She is currently the Communications Lead for Johnson & Johnson Campus Ireland, based in Cork. Since her return to Ireland in 2022 following a decade in Brussels, Nora has worked with leading agencies and led award-winning, multi-market campaigns, including Friends of Glass for the European Glass Packaging Industry. Nora’s involvement with Anam Cara is deeply personal. Her youngest brother, Killian, passed away from cancer in 2021 at the age of 24. She understands the profound grief of sibling loss and is committed to supporting others navigating similar experiences.
Board Member
With a background in sales and marketing, and over 42 years’ experience within the engineering industry, Tony’s career spans across several leadership roles within the DSP Group. With responsibility for a team of 28 across five offices and direct responsibility for 420 engineering professionals in Europe, Tony has vast, varied, insightful experience across a ‘wide’ specialist business spectrum. Tony also served in the Reserve Defence Force and retired with a Commission, and holds an Individual Accreditation from the EMCC Global as a Business & Executive Coach. Tony is a bereaved parent, having lost his youngest daughter Alma in 2012 when she was 24. He joined the Board in December of 2017.
