

Brenda Romero is a BAFTA award-winning game designer, artist and Fulbright award recipient who entered the tech industry in 1981.


"Brenda Romero is a hurricane. She has not only left her mark in the GameDev industry and proved herself as an outstanding game designer, but she has also put her voice at the disposal of the community. Rarely, in the tech world there has been such a crystal clear voice, a sharp minded wit, a lucid view on the topic of inclusion and inclusiveness. She is a bright example to follow and one of the most disruptive personalities in the tech world"
As a designer, she has worked on 47 games and contributed to many seminal titles, including the Wizardry and Jagged Alliance series and titles in the Ghost Recon, Dungeons & Dragons and Def Jam franchises. Away from the machine, her analogue series of six games, The Mechanic is the Message, has drawn national and international acclaim, particularly Train and Siochán Leat, a game about her family’s history, which is presently housed in the National Museum of Play.
Most recently, in 2018, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award (the Bizkaia award) at the Fun and Serious Games Festival in Bilbao, Spain, and the inaugural Grace Hopper Award presented by Science Foundation Ireland at the Women in Tech conference in Dublin, Ireland.
In 2017, she received the 2017 Development Legend award at Develop: Brighton. That same year, she won a BAFTA Special Award for her contributions to the industry. In 2015, she won the coveted Ambassador’s Award at the Game Developers Choice Awards. In 2014, she received a Fulbright award to study Ireland’s game industry and academic and government policies. Romero is CEO of Romero Games based in Galway.

Fionn Ferreira’s commitment to science and sustainability earned him international recognition as the Grand Prize winner of the Google Science Fair. He completed his Chemistry degree at the University of Groningen and is now pursuing a Master’s. He continues developing innovative solutions to environmental issues, driven by his early experiences with plastic waste on Ireland’s coast.

Sahar Hashemi is a trailblazing entrepreneur who has built transformative businesses and sparked movements that redefine industries. From founding Coffee Republic to leading the Buy Women Built initiative, Sahar inspires organisations to rediscover their entrepreneurial energy. Book Sahar to ignite innovation, momentum, and bold action at your next corporate event.

Catherine DeVrye is a globally experienced business speaker and bestselling author who brings authentic leadership insight, humour, and substance to every stage. With a dynamic international career and a compelling personal story, she empowers audiences to drive performance, resilience, and service excellence.

Dr Patrick Dixon has been ranked as one of the 20 most influential business thinkers alive today and has worked with or advised over 400 of the world’s largest corporations on strategy, global trends, innovation or risk management. He is Chairman of Global Change Ltd, a growth strategy and forecasting company, and a physician by

Professor Jamie Anderson is a world-renowned business thinker, author, and Professor of Leadership and Strategy. Blending academic insight with humour and energy, he delivers inspiring and practical talks on creativity, innovation, and the future of leadership that empower audiences to think differently and lead with purpose.