LEGENDARY IRISH WRITER Maeve Binchy has been awarded a posthumous award as one of Ireland’s most powerful women.

The list of winners was announced today by the Women’s Executive Network (WXN) and HSBC Ireland. Binchy, who died last year, is the first person to ever be given a posthumous award by the network.

The awards include international business leaders such as Anne Boden, COO of AIB, Maeve Carton, Board and Finance Director, CRH, Cathriona Hallahan, MD of Microsoft Ireland, Brid Horan, Deputy Chief Executive, ESB, and Christine Ourmières, CEO of CityJet.

Geraldine Byrne Nason, who is the second Secretary General in the Department of An Taoiseach received one of the Public Sector Leader Awards.

In the ‘Trailblazers’ catagory, Olympic gold medalist Katie Taylor was voted as one of the women who “marked a first in their profession and dismantled barriers for women who followed in their paths. Anne Ebbs, founder of the Paralympic Council of Ireland also one in this catagory.

As well as Binchy, actress Fiona Shaw was named as one of the most powerful women in the Arts and Culture catagory for her recognisable impact on the area.

Here’s the full list of catagories and winners:

HSBC Corporate Executives Award

• Anne Boden, COO, AIB
• Sharon Buckley, Group Commercial Director, The Musgrave Group
• Maeve Carton, Finance and Board Director, CRH
• Cathriona Hallahan, Managing Director, Microsoft Ireland (pictured below)

(Image: Niall Carson/PA Wire)

• Brid Horan, Deputy Chief Executive, ESB
• Ann Keenan, Head of Group Human Resources, DCC plc
• Eimear Kenny, Executive Vice President of Human Resources, ICON plc
• Carolan Lennon, Managing Director, eircom Wholesale
• Marian McGuinness, Facilities Services Director, Noonan Services
• Kathryn O’Donoghue, Global Director of Insights and Improvements, Google

Entrepreneurs Award

• Judy Byrne, Founder, Crewlink
• Anne Heraty, Founder, Cpl Resources plc
• Marian O’Gorman, Chief Executive, Kilkenny Group

Public Sector Leaders Award

• Geraldine Byrne Nason, Second Secretary General, Department of the Taoiseach
• Josephine Feehily, Chair of the Office of the Revenue Commissioners (pictured below)

(Image: Julien Behal/PA Wire)

• Dr Susan O’Reilly, National Director, National Cancer Control Programme

The Trailblazers Award

• Anne Ebbs, Founder, the Paralympic Council of Ireland
• Dr Miriam Hederman O’Brien, for her outstanding contribution to public policy in Ireland
• Claire Loftus, Director of Public Prosecutions
• Christine Ourmières, Chief Executive, CityJet (the first and only female CEO of an Irish licensed airline)
• Katie Taylor, Olympic Gold Medalist

(Image: Julien Behal/PA Archive)

Arts and Culture Award

• Barbara Dawson, Director, Hugh Lane Gallery
• Caroline Downey Desmond, co-owner/Director, MCD, Television and stage show producer and tireless fundraise
• Maeve Binchy, Author
• Fiona Shaw, Tony-award nominee and four-time Olivier Award-winning actress

(Image: Matt Sayles/AP)

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