​Emergency Services & Military Expo

Alan Shortt is a professional MC and motivational speaker with more than 25 years’ experience in radio and television, including RTÉ and BBC Radio Ulster.

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Known for his engaging stage presence and dynamic interview style, he has hosted conferences, awards ceremonies and live events across Ireland and beyond.

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Over the course of his career, he has shared the stage with internationally recognised figures including Sir Richard Branson, John Cleese, Pelé and Tony Robbins.

James Carty served for 27 years in An Garda Síochána, leading teams in high-pressure operational environments.

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He holds a Master’s in Professional Leadership and a Level 9 qualification in Executive Coaching and Practice.

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Through his F.O.R.G.E. System, he works with leaders and teams to build resilience, protect mental wellbeing and sustain high performance.

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James is also a charity endurance fundraiser, having raised over €100,000 through major physical challenges, and is Chairperson of Down Syndrome Mayo and a committed advocate for the disability community.

Michelle O’Toole and Brian Doyle are co-founders of HUGS Community, a social enterprise established in 2024 following the successful three-year evidence-based HUGS@Home research programme at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin.

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Michelle is a Teacher Practitioner and Research Fellow at RCSI and a Lecturer in Paramedicine at University College Cork, while Brian is a Research Assistant with RCSI SIM, Centre for Simulation Education and Research and a former Dublin Fire Brigade firefighter/paramedic.

Together, their work focuses on first responder wellbeing, peer support, psychosocial trauma education, and support for emergency personnel and their families.

Stephen O’Connor is founder and director of Gym Life Wellness, a serving member of An Garda Síochána, and a health and performance specialist with more than 20 years’ coaching experience.

His work focuses on translating evidence-based wellbeing, lifestyle medicine and performance coaching into practical strategies for frontline personnel and other high-pressure roles.

Stephen holds qualifications in physical education, policing, exercise physiology, workplace wellness and lifestyle medicine, is currently completing an MSc in Positive Health Coaching at RCSI, and is creator of the Guard Your Wellbeing framework.

Dr. Conor Buggy is an Associate Professor in Occupational and Environmental Studies at University College Dublin and Director of the UCD Centre for Safety and Health at Work.

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With a background in project management on large-scale engineering projects, he brings a practical, problem-based approach to teaching and learning.

His work focuses on worker wellbeing, occupational safety and the role of education in driving behavioural change in the workplace.

Helen Brown is an experienced education professional at the University of Limerick, where she works in professional education and supports learning, innovation and learner engagement across the university.

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Her expertise includes strategic business development, flexible learning, organisational behaviour and learner-centred programme development.

She holds a BA in Psychology and a Master of Business Studies in Human Resource Management from the University of Limerick.

Dr. Paula Kenny is President of Independent College and an experienced academic leader with extensive expertise in governance, change management, teaching and learning, research, and quality assurance.

Her career spans higher education systems in Ireland, the United Kingdom and the Middle East, and she previously served as a Visiting Senior Research Fellow in Criminology at the University of Suffolk.

She holds a PhD in Criminology, along with qualifications in sociology, legal studies and restorative practice.

Jackie Kehoe is Project Manager of the HEA HCI Pillar 3 Cyber Skills initiative, which supports higher education upskilling to strengthen Ireland’s cyber resilience.

With a long career in software development, she has held senior technical and management roles across sectors including transport, telecommunications, financial systems and the national lottery.

She holds a BSc in Applied Mathematics, a Postgraduate Diploma in Computer Engineering, and is currently pursuing a Professional Doctorate focused on micro-credentials and industry-led upskilling.

Anne Marie Allen is an independent executive coach and founder of AMA Coaching Solutions, with senior leadership experience in the Irish Prison Service and community organisations.

She has a strong background in training and development across the public and non-profit sectors and is a passionate advocate for human rights, children’s rights and women’s rights.

In 2025, she published her memoir Serve: My Lost Years at the Heart of Ireland’s Opus Dei, which sparked national discussion on accountability, resilience and recovery.

Shane Crawte is a Director at EY in CFO Advisory – Aviation Finance, with more than 13 years’ experience across MRO operations, aircraft leasing and technical advisory.

A former Defence Forces aircraft engineer, he has supported lessors, airlines and asset managers across Europe and the Middle East, bringing together engineering, operational and financial expertise.

He holds a BEng in Military Aviation Technology and is currently completing Chartered Accountancy with Chartered Accountants Ireland.

Jennifer McCarthy is a former trauma nurse and police officer who spent her career working on the frontline in high-pressure environments.

Drawing on lived experience of injury, bereavement, divorce, burnout and serious illness, she speaks with honesty about transition from service, identity loss, moral injury and sustainable resilience.

Her perspective combines frontline experience with personal insight into rebuilding life beyond a service-based role.

Jonathan Kelleher is Managing Director of Career Decisions Ireland, one of the country’s leading firms in outplacement, career transition, coaching and leadership development.

A retired officer of the Irish Defence Forces, he served on several United Nations missions before moving into consulting and leading major transformation programmes across the public sector, financial services and technology.

His expertise centres on leadership, career transition and helping organisations navigate change and uncertainty.

Keith Dore is a Station Officer at Tallaght Fire Station with Dublin Fire Brigade, where he has served since 2003, following earlier service in both An Garda Síochána and the Irish Defence Forces.

His background across fire, policing and military service is supported by qualifications in environmental health and safety, fire safety engineering, emergency services management and policing studies.

Keith is also the founder of ActSafe Ltd., a company providing health and safety training and consultancy services.

Nuala Moore, from Dingle, Co. Kerry, is one of the world’s leading extreme cold-water swimmers, known for pioneering achievements in some of the harshest environments on earth.

Over two decades of extreme expeditions, she has developed deep expertise in risk assessment, situational awareness, teamwork and decision-making under pressure, bringing these lessons into her keynote speaking.

Nuala is the founder of Ocean Remote, Recovery, Remote Emergency Care, an interagency summit focused on improving water-event safety, and the author of Limitless: From Dingle to Cape Horn, Finding My True North in the Earth’s Vastest Oceans.

Anthony Richardson is a Qualified Financial Advisor and Director of Pathway Financial Management, with more than a decade of experience advising individuals and families on financial planning.

He specialises in supporting frontline and public sector workers with pensions, retirement planning, income protection and investment decisions.

Before founding Pathway Financial Management, he spent eight years with Cornmarket Group Financial Services and he currently supports members of An Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces, Fire Services and the Prison Service.

Senator Gerard P. Craughwell has been a member of Seanad Éireann since 2014 and is known for his work on defence and security, trade union issues, independent politics and Seanad reform.

A former member of both the Royal Irish Rangers and the Irish Defence Forces, he served to the rank of Sergeant before moving into education and union leadership.

He holds a BSc in Economics from the London School of Economics and a Postgraduate Diploma in Computing from the University of Limerick.