NATIONAL LEARNING NETWORK - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Chairman of the Rehab Group Board
- Chartered Accountant
Aidan Walsh, a Chartered Accountant, was a partner in PwC, until his retirement from the firm in in 2017. He led their corporate finance / business strategy and advisory practice for 30 years, and was on the local PwC leadership team. During this period, he spent two years on secondment as acting CEO of VHI. He has also advised other state entities, and healthcare businesses. He is on the board of Drury group, a PR and Communications business. He spent 6 years on the board of the Carers Association. Mr. Walsh was appointed to the Board of the Rehab Group on the 14th September 2020 and is currently serving his first three-year term as Director.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Rehab Group Board
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Director of Business Development
- Board Member and Treasurer of the Neurological Alliance of Ireland
- CEO of the Rehab Group
Barry McGinn is CEO of the Rehab Group.
Barry McGinn has been the CEO of the Rehab Group since February 2020 and has overall responsibility for the day-to-day running of the Group in Ireland, Scotland and Poland.
Barry joined Rehab in June 2017 as Director of Business Development. Prior to taking up this role, he worked for the Health Service Executive (HSE) for 12 years in a variety of senior management roles across hospital, primary, community and continuing care services. Immediately prior to his appointment, he was Assistant National Director at the Health and Wellbeing Division of the HSE. He has previously worked at the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the Department of Health.
Barry has been a Board member and Treasurer of the Neurological Alliance of Ireland. He is currently Chair of the National Disability Services Association, the representative body for some of the largest national providers of disability services in the community across Ireland. Barry is a member of the National Council of the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC) and is an Associate Lecturer at the Institute of Public Administration, specialising in Health and Public Policy.
Job Titles:
- Chartered Accountant
- Member of the Rehab Group Board
Conor Whelan, a Chartered Accountant, has over 20 years general management experience having been Managing Director of Eason, BWG Foods and Stafford Lynch. He has led significant strategy and change programmes during that time. He was previously Chairman of Retail Ireland, the retailer representation body in IBEC, Non-Executive Chairman of Associated Hardware, the builders merchants group and, was a director of Repak.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Rehab Group Board
Job Titles:
- Member of the Rehab Group Board
Job Titles:
- Production Operator, Rehab Logistics, Limerick
I'm Dermot Murphy. I'm a Production Operator with Rehab Logistics at their facility in Limerick city. I joined Rehab Logistics in the early 1990s. Until recently, I was responsible for checking and packing diagnostic tubes for a medical equipment company. At the moment I'm working on the production line. It's a new job, but I'm enjoying it. It's good to try something new.
The management and staff here at Rehab Logistics are all very nice and there's a great atmosphere in work. Over the years, I've made loads of friends. I'm mad into sport and I'm a big fan of Manchester United and the Munster rugby team. There's always great banter in the lead-up to big matches.
My girlfriend is also a Production Operator with Rehab Logistics. We met in work over 12 years ago. There was lots of slagging when our colleagues first found out about us, but it was all a bit of fun. We sometimes talk about work, but mostly we talk about other things. She's a big sports fan too and we've even travelled together to the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff to see Munster play in the Heineken Cup Final. You can imagine how happy we were when former Munster rugby player Jerry Flannery called in to Rehab Logistics for a surprise visit a couple of years ago. It was one of the best days at work ever!
I've been on lots of courses during my time with Rehab Logistics including manual handling and health and safety. I also did a very interesting course on looking after your mental health. I'm really happy at Rehab Logistics and I'd like to stay working here for as long as I can.
Job Titles:
- Director of People and Culture
Job Titles:
- Director of Corporate Affairs
Fin has worked in Rehab for two years and has spent 25 years working in corporate services. During this time, he has worked in a number of charities the airline industry, International NGOs, Government and Asset Banking. He has established operations in the US, China, Russia, Middle East and Europe. Most recently Fin worked as a managing Director in the UK's Health Service.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Rehab Group Board
Fiona Hartley started her career as a teacher in the UK and then worked in the Vocational Education Sector (VEC) sector in Ireland going on to become a principal of a Further Education College. Fiona was Chief Executive Officer of County Wicklow VEC for six years before being appointed Executive Director of Strategy in SOLAS until she retired in 2017.
Job Titles:
- Interim Director of Strategic Planning, Performance and Business
Job Titles:
- Member of the Rehab Group Board
- Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel
Gillian McMahon is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. She is Head of Human Resources at BT Ireland with over 20 years HR and leadership experience in both the public and private sectors. Gillian's interests include diversity, equity & inclusion and she has a personal interest in the inclusion of people with disabilities.
Gráinne has worked for Rehab for more than 20 years and has a long career in health and social care.
Gráinne began her career in nursing, moving onto psychology and teaching roles, before moving into middle and senior management. Gráinne has worked across all models of service delivery that RehabCare provides in areas of respite, residential, outreach, day care, children's services, and home support. As Director of Care, Gráinne has responsibility for the operational management of all Care services.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Rehab Group Board
Job Titles:
- Director of Social Enterprise and Employability
Job Titles:
- Director of Finance
- Director of Finance With Rehab Group
Lara Bannerton is Director of Finance with Rehab Group. Lara is an ACMA-qualified accountant with commercial experience garnered over 20 years working at a senior level in Financial Services, Telecoms and, most recently, in the Disability sector. Previously, Lara worked as Director of Finance, Community Services at St. John of God's. She also previously worked for Three Ireland in a Senior Finance role. Lara is responsible for all of the financial operations of the Group.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Rehab Group Board
Job Titles:
- Member of the Rehab Group Board
Job Titles:
- Member of the Rehab Group Board
Job Titles:
- Member of the Rehab Group Board
Job Titles:
- Vice - Chair of the Rehab Group Board
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Supervisor
- Assistant Supervisor, SMILES Newsagents, AIB
"The best selling chocolate bar is probably the Twix"; reflects Ronan O'Brien, Assistant Supervisor in the Rehab Enterprises SMILES Newsagent's in AIB Bank Centre in Ballsbridge, Dublin. He serves thousands of people their magazines, sweets, dry cleaning, birthday cards and various must-have items every week. "I've worked here now for over ten years, and no two days are the same. We have about 750 customers a day here on average so there is a good mix of regulars and new faces. Our customers are very important and over the years I've built up a relationship with many of them. We listen to them and their needs so we adapt small things to suit them.
"This job gives me independence both financially and socially as well as being good for my mental health. It's part of who I am. I have a learning disability and I found school tough going; especially reading and writing. After school I went to National Learning Network, (Rehab Group's training division) to do a retail sales course and I found it much easier to learn there. There wasn't the pressure of deadlines as the training and examinations were continuous. They gave me lots of support and help. Now SMILES Newsagents are really flexible and understanding too. The staff here work well as a team."
Twenty-five people work in Rehab Enterprise's retail division, staffing ten SMILES Newsagents, which are situated in large employers' premises, such as Citibank, Eircom, Ulster Bank, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Vodafone, RTÉ and Trinity College residence Trinity Hall, as well as Leinster House. Staff members are provided with training and support, and some, like Ronan, progress in their roles and take on additional responsibilities.
"I've been an assistant supervisor for a few years now and the responsibility that comes with that job is really good for my confidence. I have to look after a lot of different things, from stock control to banking to training in new staff, and I like it all to go well. I get a great sense of satisfaction when everything runs smoothly. Most of all, this job gives me a reason to get up every morning."
Job Titles:
- Member of the Rehab Group Board
Job Titles:
- Member of the Rehab Group Board
Job Titles:
- Director of Quality and Governance
Job Titles:
- Community Services Manager ( CSM ) With RehabCare in Kilkenny
"I manage three services in Kilkenny city which support over thirty people. These include a day service, a resource centre and supported accommodation. My role as CSM is challenging and very diverse. I work with a wide range of individuals who make the centre a lively and exciting place to be. My days are enjoyable, fast-paced and varied and I have the pleasure of working with lots of people who keep me on my toes!
I have essential responsibilities that I must complete on a daily or weekly basis, and these include timesheets, supported accommodation/on-call rotas, status reports, invoicing, key performance indicator monitoring of staff, students and volunteers, health and safety checks for all three services and HR administration tasks. However, I have a very varied role and a ‘typical' day is hard to quantify and I can safely say that no two days are the same!
Job Titles:
- Member of the Rehab Group Board