Thursday May 29th 2025
BiG* Leaders Summit
The Premier Business & Networking Event In The West of Ireland – The Galway Executive Skillnet BiG* Leaders Summit is the highlight not to be missed.
Proceeds from the event will go to our Charity Partner – The Blue Teapot Theatre Company.
Individual Ticket – €25
Table Booking – €160
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2025 Speakers
Niall Breslin
Keynote Speaker | Social Entrepreneur | Academic
Niall Breslin is an internationally respected voice on mental performance, leadership, social change and wellbeing. Drawing on a unique career that spans professional rugby, multi-platinum music, adventure sport, and broadcasting, Niall brings real-world insight to the challenges of performance and wellbeing. As a social entrepreneur and academic, he combines lived experience with evidence-based approaches – making him a trusted advisor and one of the most sought-after speakers for organisations across a myriad of industries today.
Margaret Cox
Margaret is Director & CEO of ICE Group. As a committed Leader with, unique experience in leading and managing a multi-faceted and thriving successful business, and a successful career in Irish National Government (10 years as a Senator), her vision is to make people’s lives better. This includes the people who she works with, the clients that she supports, and the community and society that she lives in.
Margaret is also the author of ‘The 3-Day Weekend‘ book on the company’s 4 Day Work Week journey.
Julie-Ann Russell
Julie-Ann Russell is a Sales Manager at Microsoft and a former international footballer. With 66 caps for the Irish Women’s Football team, Julie-Ann brings the discipline, resilience, and strategic mindset developed on the field to her approach in business. She leads a team at Microsoft to drive innovation and growth, helping organisations unlock their full potential through cutting-edge solutions. Drawing on her experience as an elite athlete and sales leader, Julie-Ann offers a unique perspective on performance, teamwork, and leadership, making her a valued voice for organisations looking to enhance their culture and drive success.’
Sylvester “Sylvie” Neylon
Sylvester “Sylvie” Neylon is the founder of Neylons Facility Management, one of Ireland’s leading integrated facilities management providers. Starting from a single cleaning contract, Sylvie built a company that now employs over 1,500 people, serving sectors like healthcare, education, pharma, and data centres. His journey from rural Galway to business success is a story of resilience, reinvention, and people-first leadership. Sylvie’s commitment to staff development earned Neylons the European Business Awards’ Workplace and People Development Award. He is also the author of “Stop Digging and Start Climbing,” sharing practical wisdom for overcoming setbacks and achieving growth.
Kara Walsh
Kara Walsh is the Chief People Officer and a board member at Chanelle Pharma. A seasoned C-suite HR leader and former Executive Vice President with a career spanning over 20 years working for SAP, APTIV and PE backed companies UNIT 4 and Infovista basing herself in Germany, Amsterdam, Paris and Dublin she brings a strong track record in transforming HR functions, building organizational capability, and enabling strategic execution through deep business insight and a decisive, action-oriented approach. She holds an MSc in Strategic Human Resources from Sheffield Hallam University.
What is the BiG* Leaders Summit?
Connect with a local network of peers
Our BiG* events are perfect for that catch-up chat with your colleagues and friends. Bring your team, make introductions, share insights, and enjoy the show.
Learn, Unlearn, Relearn
To stay ahead in business, we all need to adapt to change. The BiG* Leaders Summit delivers new thoughts on existing challenges and gives you the chance to reflect on your successes and build for the future.
Share the excitement
This is one of the standout events in the West of Ireland, take pictures, post your thoughts, take your new employees. A free event that pays back in learnings and enjoyment.
BiG* Names
Our Past Speakers
BiG* stands for Based in Galway – We are Galway Executive Skillnet and we believe that while Galway is recognised as ‘the place to live in Ireland’ we need to ensure that it is ‘the place to work in Ireland’. To achieve this aim we need strong successful businesses, with strong successful teams, managers and leaders.
What participants have to say about our events
FAQs
Are you looking for answers to some of the frequently asked questions about the BiG* event?
How do I sign up for the event?
The registration link is available below. For more information, contact info@galwayexecutiveskillnet.com
When will the event take place?
BiG* Leaders Summit 2025 will take place on May 29th in the Clayton Hotel Galway.
Will there be opportunities to ask questions during the show?
We offer Question & Answer segments to our guest speakers when time allows and a roving microphone will go through the audience.
What topics will be discussed during this event?
The theme for our BiG* Events is Learn, Unlearn, Relearn, including more in-depth discussion on resilience and building confidence.
See You There!
BiG* Leaders Summit will take place on May 29th 2025.