ADAPT Announces Multidisciplinary Industry Advisory Committee to Guide Its Future Growth Strategy

ADAPT, the world-leading SFI Research Centre for AI-Driven Digital Content Technology announced its new Industry Advisory Committee consisting of leading Irish and international representatives from a broad range of backgrounds with highly diverse experience and expertise. The committee has pledged their involvement in bringing multidisciplinary perspectives to further strengthen the position of ADAPT as a technological pioneer, creating solutions and inventions that institute meaningful change in the world.

The committee members are business leaders spearheading various units of global companies including the RWS Group, Huawei Technologies, PwC, Voxxify, SoapBox Labs and Roche. Through their distinct and diverse perspectives on artificial intelligence strategy, research collaboration, marketing, social entrepreneurship, healthcare innovation and business management, the committee aims to guide and validate ADAPT’s future growth prospects both nationally and globally. The members of the Industry Advisory Committee include:

• Cathriona Hallahan: Cathriona Hallahan is a highly experienced business leader currently serving as a Non-Executive Director on the board of a number of organisations including PwC Ireland, FoodCloud and Dalata Hotel Group. In addition to over 35 years of working with Microsoft Ireland on strategic policy, corporate affairs and communications, she has also driven business growth and strategic direction over the past 20 years on multiple public sector and semi-state boards. Her vast senior leadership experience for a broad range of technology businesses would be highly valuable to help bridge the gaps between what the Centre has to offer and where the industry is heading in the future.
• Maeve McGrath: Maeve McGrath is the Head of Healthcare Innovation at Roche, global healthcare solutions provider with a combined strength in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Maeve has in-depth knowledge and experience in Digital Health, from development through to implementation, with a particular focus on change management during digital transformation. Her extensive expertise in healthcare innovation is critical in guiding ADAPT to shape the future of Irish healthcare through ground-breaking technological inventions.
• Patricia Scanlon: Patricia Scanlon is an Irish entrepreneur and founder of SoapBox Labs, a company that harnesses the power of AI to develop voice and speech recognition applications with the aim of creating efficient and engaging learning experiences for children. Patricia has a strong background in speech engineering with companies like IBM and Nokia’s research arm, Bell Labs. Additionally, her sharp focus on creating social impact through business is vital in steering ADAPT’s future growth as a socially responsible science innovator. 
• Liz McCarthy: Liz is the Head of Marketing at Voxxify, a leading IT user experience measurement platform. She has also founded and led the development of Scale Ireland, the policy voice for high-growth tech start-ups, in addition to holding a variety of roles at the start-up hub Dogpatch Labs. With her strong knowledge of marketing, business development and policy, and entrepreneurial approach to every project, her presence on the committee plays an important role in determining the growth prospects of ADAPT and its start-up projects. 
• Derek Collins: Derek Collins is a senior manager with broad international experience at leading organisations in the ICT/mobile/telecom and multinational communications sectors. He is currently the Director of External Research Collaboration and Innovation at Huawei Technologies where he maintains a strong focus on innovation and conscientious and positive business development. ADAPT is pleased to have a seasoned business leader with broad skill sets such as Derek on its advisory committee.
• Paraic Sheridan: Paraic Sheridan is a technology leader with more than 20 years of experience in bringing advanced language technologies from research and development to market. He is on the board of a number of multinational organisations and was also previously the Associate Director of Operations at the ADAPT Centre. Currently, he’s leading the AI Strategy and Operations of the RWS Group, a British company that develops and supports translation productivity and management software. His technical knowledge, commercial acumen and academic insight will be crucial in evaluating ADAPT’s long-term objectives and strategies.

ADAPT’s research vision is to pioneer new forms of proactive, scalable, and integrated AI-driven Digital Media Technologies that empower society to engage in digital experiences through control, inclusion, and accountability with the long-term goal of a balanced digital society by 2030. ADAPT’s Industry Advisory Committee aims to deliberate, govern and evaluate current roadblocks and future opportunities in meeting this research vision. The committee’s experience-based multidisciplinary advice will ensure the Centre is run in accordance with its values, roles and responsibilities towards academic, social, governance and business partners.