Meet the Team
Get to know our teams and tutors
Senior Programme Management Team
Ian Jones | Founder & CEO
Dr Ian Jones is the Founder and CEO of the Innopharma Group. He has worked for the past 25 years supporting high-tech manufacturing (particularly (Bio)pharma and Agri/FoodTech) where he has become a global thought leader on Industry 5.0 and the associated technologies and skills strategies to drive the digital transformation of these key industries. Ian holds a PhD in Process Analytical Technologies from Technological University Dublin and has studied Strategy, Leadership and Innovation at the Harvard Business School, Boston and Accelerated Growth Strategies at Judge Business School, Cambridge, UK. Ian also sits as adjunct Professor within the Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering at University of Limerick, Ireland. Ian is driven by the mission to lead a team of educators and scientists who help people and businesses succeed in hi-tech manufacturing.
Orla Callan | Managing Director
Orla is the Managing Director and is responsible for overseeing major aspects of learner lifecycle, quality assurance and academic administration. With over 30 years’ experience in both public and private further and higher education, Orla has worked within in variety of academic and professional regulatory frameworks. Having worked with Innopharma since 2010, she was initially responsible for the development and management of our collaborative programmes with TUD and Griffith College from Level 6 to Masters Level and lecturing. She has worked extensively in supporting/coaching students in their career development and progression. Prior to joining Innopharma, Orla had lectured in the field of psychology & behavioural science in colleges in Ireland and in the UK for 10 years. She subsequently provided consultancy to schools and colleges in supporting teaching and learning, with particular focus on supporting students with specific learning difficulties.
Sandra Mooney | Head of Quality Assurance & Enhancement
Sandra holds an Honours Bachelor’s Degree in Business Studies and a Master’s in Human Resources and has worked in HR and learning and development for over 25 years in Med Tech and Pharmaceutical multinationals. After transitioning to the education sector almost seven years ago, Sandra has been responsible for establishing regional locations for the delivery of Innopharma Education programmes, liaising with industry in the West and North- West regions and supporting learners to return to employment. Sandra is currently Head of QA and Enhancement with Innopharma Education with responsibility for academic policies and procedures, ensuring compliance with QA standards of QQI and collaborative partners of Innopharma Education.
Finbarr Sheehy | Director of Academic Programmes
Finbarr has over 25 years of experience at senior levels within the Semiconductor and Pharmaceutical industries. He was director of continuous improvement & training with Wyeth, Newbridge, Co. Kildare, Ireland. Prior to Wyeth, he was skills training manager, with Intel Ireland, Co. Kildare. He also held the position of test development engineer with Analog Devices Incorporated, Limerick. In 2008, he established Business Excellence.ie and currently works with businesses across several sectors (including Pharma) in Ireland to drive business improvements. Finbarr’s expertise is in the following areas: strategy development, process improvement, creativity & innovation, lean thinking, six sigma, process measurement, training design & delivery, competency assessment, change management and neuro linguistic programming.
Ann Ryan | Head of Business Development
Ann has over 20 years’ experience working in the pharmaceutical industry across various commercial roles and disciplines including microbiology, immunology and veterinary medicines. Over the past 10 years Ann has specialised in the area of training and education, working closely with pharmaceutical and MedTech organisations in relation to training needs analysis, training design and delivery. This role involves assisting organisations to plan, develop and coordinate customised training programmes specifically tailored to their needs. In addition, as a programme manager and lecturer, Ann works closely with Innopharma Education students managing all aspects of programme management from induction to graduation. This involves assisting students transition into industry roles, and developing learner’s key transversal skills in critical thinking, problem-solving ability and team leadership. Ann holds a BSc in Pharmaceutical Technology, a BBs in Management, a MA in Education and Training and is currently completing a PhD, specialising in training effectiveness in regulated environments. One piece of advice Ann would give a student looking to kick start or progress their career in the STEM Sector is to recognise the importance of passion and enthusiasm. Many employers will hire for the attitude and will train for skills. If you have the right attitude, it will always take you further than qualifications alone.
Luke Kiernan | Director of Technical Services
Luke has over 25 years experience within the pharmaceutical industry, having worked with Pfizer, Wyeth, Elan and Gerard Laboratories prior to joining Innopharma in 2012. Luke has held various management roles, in Technical Services, Validation, Process Development, Regulatory Affairs, Analytical Development, QC and QA. He now leads the Technical Services division at Innopharma supporting the (bio)pharmaceutical and Med Tech industries with technical resources under a contract basis. Luke also lectures on modules such as QA, GMP, Validation, PAT and Technology Transfer.
Admissions Support Team
Peter Jones | IT Manager
Peter Jones has over 17 years’ experience working in the IT industry with over 13 years’ experience in IT management working in companies such as Esat, British Telecom and Vodafone. He has been with Innopharma for over 6 years managing all of the IT systems, access and networks as well as supporting students through any IT support they need. One piece of advice Peter would give a student looking to kick start or progress their career in the STEM sectors would be to utilise all the IT systems to upskill your knowledge. Network with all the people you come into contact with during your time as a student and upskill on time management it will assist you when trying to reach your goal.
Paul Hession | Client Relationship Manager & HR Business Partner
Paul holds as Master’s in HR Leadership from Sheffield Hallam University and BA in HRM from NCI Dublin. Paul has extensive HR/Manufacturing experience in Ireland with Medical Device companies Medtronic, Creganna Medical and the Rover Group car industry in UK.
Alexandra Furbee | Head of Admissions
Alexandra Furbee manages Innopharma springboard admissions in the pharmaceutical industry, assists in orientation and registration of students. She is programme manager for all certificate students based in Dublin and oversees the international student recruitment. Alexandra graduated from a Masters Irish Studies from University College Dublin and a BA Honours Degree in Political Science from Flagler College. Having previously worked in undergrad admissions at Liberal Arts College in USA and having worked with Innopharma for over seven years, she has several years’ experience.
Colm O’Connor | College Librarian & Research Specialist
Colm graduated from UCD with a Bachelor’s Degree in Geography and History and Master’s degrees in History of International Relations and Library & Information Studies. Colm also holds a Professional Certificate in Digital Information Management. He has previously worked in the Library at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland for 12 years holding several positions including Clinical Librarian at Beaumont Hospital, Research Support Librarian and Information Resources Librarian. In addition, he has held positions at the National Print Museum and The National Library. Colm has published in both Medical and Library journals including Emergency Medicine Australasia, the Irish Medical Journal and An Leabharlann (The Irish Library).
Mary Jane Phelan | Programme Manager
Mary Jane manages the Level 6 Food Science & Technology and Level 6 Operational Excellence, Dublin programmes for Innopharma Education. Having previously worked in Warner Lambert and Pfizer for 10 years Mary Jane gained an in-depth knowledge of the pharmaceutical manufacturing, sales and marketing industry. Mary Jane holds a BA (Hons) in HR and Business Strategy and PR/Marketing qualifications. Mary Jane successfully transitioned to the Education sector joining Innopharma Education in 2016 and currently manages and mentors students as they work to achieve in some cases life-long goals to achieve their degree or make that career change into a new industry.
Programme Support Team
Ann Mitchell | Programme Manager
Over 6 years with Innopharma in the role of Programme Manager – Managing and growing programmes from 1 course in 2015 in Cork to currently 7 programmes running in Cork. Previously in excess of 20 years’ experience in the Financial Services Industry working with Bank of Ireland in roles with Private Banking and Resources. managing deposits for personal and corporate clients and high net worth customers. And with Irish Pensions Trust and Aon managing corporate pension funds for clients.
Michelle McCoy | Head of Examination and Assessment
As Head of Examination & Assessment Michelle has responsibility for the implementation of all examination and assessment policy and procedures. She works with the academic staff to ensure all our learners are assessed fairly, transparently and the method of assessment is credible to fairly assess the learning outcomes. She commenced her career with Innopharma Education in 2015, as a Programme Manager based in the Cork Region, managing the admissions of learners onto programmes and supporting them throughout their studies and career progression. Prior to this she worked in senior roles in Financial Services for 17 years.
Anne Jordan | Programme Manager
Highly adaptable and experienced professional with strong teaching & development, coaching & mentoring skills. Proficient in auditing & mentoring in compliance with various frameworks & Government bodies. Responsible for developing and implementing new training programmes. In addition, the Development of relationships with industry using HR/Business networks and ongoing monitoring of students upon course completion and thereafter to help secure employment and career progression. One tip Anne would give students is that it is important to have a Positive Attitude and to believe you can do it. It is so important to be engaged and to prioritise your time to achieve this qualification as once achieved it remains forever.
Mary Jo Parker | Business Development & Industry Liaison Manager
Mary Jo Parker is a Senior HR professional with over 20 years’ experience in senior HR roles in both Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Sectors and has extensive experience of the HR lifecycle as well as start-up and downsizing on a large scale. In the past number of years, Mary Jo has successfully transitioned into Education sector as Business Development Industry Liaison role with Innopharma Education and works closely with stakeholders including state agencies, students, lecturers and employers ensuring that Innopharma Education’s students are given the right tools and support to realize not just their academic goals but also their career goals.
Jennifer Campbell | Programme Lead
Jennifer is a UCD graduate with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Nutrition, and also an Innopharma graduate of the MSc Food Business Management and Technology Programme. She additionally holds QQI level 6 qualifications in in Advanced HACCP Design and Validation, and Food Standards Auditing. Prior to joining Innopharma, Jennifer spent 5+ years working in the Irish food industry beginning in Aryzta Food Solutions Ireland as a Quality Assurance and Technical Services graduate as part of their European Graduate Programme, and later being promoted to Quality Assurance Officer for their large frozen food storage and distribution facility based in Clondalkin, Dublin. Additionally, she held the position of Assistant Quality/ Technical Manager for one of Ireland’s largest bread bakeries for a number of years. Currently, Jennifer holds the position of Programme Manager at Innopharma Education with responsibility for the growth, continuous improvement and management of the food science and food business management programmes.
