Tom is a founding Director and Honorary President of NTR plc. Tom is also a founding Director of Woodford Capital Management, a private family office and investment company. He holds several other directorships. Tom graduated from Trinity College Dublin with an MA (Economics) degree and holds an MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

I’ve reached the third ‘D’ stage of my Executive life: 

- Decide 
- Delegate 
- Depart

Conor is Executive Chairman, and former CEO and CIO, at Woodford Capital DAC. Woodford is a private investment company with interests in renewable energy, infrastructure, hospitality, real estate and other investments. Conor holds an MBA from UCD Smurfit Graduate Business School and is a graduate of the General Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Conor Roche and his third generation (G3) siblings are in the unusual situation that both parents come from separate family business backgrounds: NTR, a world-class renewable energy provider and The Doyle Collection, a group of international luxury hotels in which the Roche family is a significant shareholder. 

‘Past tensions amongst the previous generations in both our family businesses made us determined to adopt a different approach. Led by Tom, the family retained international family business consultants and developed a collective vision, governance, structure and plan for succession to give us the opportunity to be a successful family in business’.

A Non-Executive Director and advisor to family businesses and private companies, Paul was a partner in PwC for almost thirty years where he led the Firm’s Family Business practice including the establishment of the PwC Global Family Business Survey. Prior to becoming chairman of the National Centre for Family Business Advisory Board 2018 -2023, Paul had served as a member of the board from 2014-18. Paul, along with specialist programme members, is committed to the critical importance and value of family business strategic development and coaching to support best practice family business; for the business and the families involved. Paul Hennessy is a founding director of Leading Families in Business Development & Coaching Programme.

Kevin O’Connor joined his father’s family business General Paints, known commercially as Colourtrend, as General Manager in 1983 and was appointed Managing Director with majority shareholder in 1988. Kevin graduated from Trinity College Dublin with a BSc (Chemistry) and an MBA from Arizona State University. Kevin’s daughter Rachel O’Conor is now leading the family business as CEO since 2020 while Kevin is GPG Chairperson. Kevin served as a member of the National Centre for Family Business Advisory Board 2017 – 2023 and is a founding director of ‘Leading Families in Business Development & Coaching Programme’.

Having consulted in the family business market for many years, Michelle then held a senior management role with UCD Smurfit Executive Development 2017 2021 on the international Leadership Development programme. Subsequently she was appointed Executive Director of the National Centre for Family Business 2022 - 2023. Michelle is a founding director of ‘Leading Families in Business Development & Coaching Programme’.

'Making it in business without losing in life'.

An enthusiastic, results-focused business growth professional with a proven track record in delivering both local and global business success. An award-winning executive coach with a foundation career in healthcare and pharma with a strong commercial and communications background, Marina’s dynamic style delivers results through focusing on building a leadership mindset, management, and communication skills. 

Marina, a Graduate of UCD Smurfit Business School, Executive & Business Coaching, with professional ICF accreditation, is passionate about helping her clients learn to make it in business without losing in life. She believes that achieving business success should not come at the cost of personal well-being, and she inspires her clients to maintain a healthy balance between their professional and personal lives.   

Works with agility in a fast-paced, dynamic environment. Marina has a proven track record working with family businesses in Ireland, helping them grow sustainably, build the succession plan, improve communication, and define vision, values, purpose, and culture to execute strategy and deliver results successfully. Marina works with clients to build the future, achieving results through creating a culture of positive accountability where the “blame game” is eliminated.       

Marina is passionate about supporting enterprise and indigenous businesses in Ireland. An elected member of the Dublin Chamber Council and IBEC Small Firms Association National Council,  past President of North Dublin Chamber. 

Michael is a Founding Director and Chairman of the Board of the Family Business Network of Ireland and is an Adviser to a number of Irish Family Businesses. Michael was previously Chief Executive Officer of Woodford Capital Management DAC, the Family Office of the Roche Family, from 2011 until 2023. 

Woodford Capital is the Investment Vehicle of the Roche Family, which has interests in Renewable Energy (through NTR plc), Hotels (through The Doyle Collection), Real Estate and other investments.

Michael served as Group Finance Director of NTR plc from 2003 until 2010. Prior to joining NTR, Michael was Group Finance Director and Company Secretary of Musgrave Group plc, one of Ireland’s oldest Family Businesses, for ten years. He also worked with PwC in both Dublin and London. 

He has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from The National University of Ireland, Cork and is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland.

Jacky is a qualified chartered accountant and an experienced finance professional with extensive and varied knowledge.  After building a strong foundation in auditing and accounting at KPMG, Jacky moved to Bank of Ireland where she held the role of Senior Manager in its corporate banking division before moving to the role of Finance Director of Woodford Capital Management DAC, a Family Office in Dublin managing investments in Renewable Energy, Hotels, Commercial Property, Liquid Assets and various new ventures.  Jacky is now an Executive Director of Woodford where her responsibilities include managing the family office, investment management and working with the family owners on strategic direction and governance. Jacky is also chair of MYP, a community charity focused on the welfare of children.

Professor Craig Crossley is an internationally recognised trust scholar and business school professor at the University of Central Florida. Prior to this appointment, Craig led critical initiatives in leadership development, corporate strategy, sales, and marketing in one of the largest U.S. family-owned companies (22,000 employees and $3.5 billion in revenue).

Craig has been a Fulbright Scholar at Dublin City University and is currently the Fulbright-Hanken Distinguished Chair at the Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki, Finland. His work bridges research and practice, impacting both multinational corporations and SMEs, including family businesses.

Craig’s achievements include numerous industry awards and recognition in major publications like Fortune and Leadership Excellence. His research appears in top journals such as the Academy of Management Journal. His career spans academia, corporate America, and international collaborations, underscoring his commitment to advancing trust, culture, and leadership in business.

On Values & Trust

'Values and trust are vital for long-term business success. They create a strong, cohesive culture, align goals, and guide ethical decision-making. Together, they ensure transparency and stability, supporting both the business and the family involved.'