Festival Team & Festival Board
Cork International Film Festival CLG is governed by the Board of Directors who support the Executive, led by Festival Director and CEO, Fiona Clark. A core year-round staff of eight is supplemented by seasonal staff and contractors to support the delivery of the annual Festival in November.
CIFF Core Staff:
- Festival Director and CEO: Fiona Clark
- Director of Programming: Aurélie Godet
- Senior Programmer: Don O’Mahony
- Programme Manager: Si Edwards
- Head of Development: Michelle Reid
- Head of Marketing & Communications: Deirdre O’Reilly
- Marketing & Development Officer: Ronan Burke
- Administrator & Bookkeeper: Claire Joyce
- Financial Controller: Annette Creaton (Contractor)
- Admin/Marketing & Customer Support Assistant: Matilda Malleus (CE Scheme)
2023 Contractors & Seasonal Staff:
- Industry Manager & Programme Advisor: Róisín Geraghty
- Publicity/Publications Manager: Glenn Hogarty (Limelight Communications)
- Marketing Officer: Sarah Jessica Dunne
- Culinary Events Coordinator: Emer Yip
- Production Manager: Alex Howells
- Production Assistant: Jason O’Sullivan
- Guest Services Manager: Michael McCarthy
- Guest Coordinator: Iris Dosen
- Technical Coordinator: Rob O’Halloran
- Designer: Babelfís
- Education & Marketing Intern: Amy Ellen Bogue
- Marketing & Admin Intern: Fionn O’Mahony
- Cork Film Trail Coordinator: Anna Garcea
- Venue Manager – Everyman: Becky Casey
- Venue Manager – Triskel: Kerri Sonnenberg
- Venue Manager: Siomha Callanan
- Box Office Manager: Eoin Gallagher
- Box Office Staff: Adam Byrne
- Box Office Staff: Hazel O’Leary
- Box Office Staff: Bohdana Chornohor
- Box Office Staff: Dimitar Stankov
- Box Office Staff: Elena Binnig
- Box Office Staff: Graham McSweeney
- Volunteer Center: Ciara Murray
- Website Design: Vitamin Creative
- Festival Printers: Waterman Printers
Committees of the Board
Cork Film International Festival CLG Board has sub-committees to monitor Finance, Risk and Governance, and a Development Committee to support fundraising activity.
Audit & Risk Sub Committee
- Cian Blackwell (Director, Chair)
- Annette Creaton (Financial Controller, external sub committee member)
- Emma Jane Joyce (Treasurer)
- Barney Whelan
Development Sub Committee
- Cathy Cullen
- Donal Daly (External Sub Committee member)
- Nancy Hawkes (Chair)
- Susie Horgan (External Sub Committee member)
- David Merriman (External Sub Committee member)
- Derek Sheers (External Sub Committee member)
- Jean Van Sinderen-Law (External Sub Committee member)
- Barney Whelan
CIFF BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Cian Blackwell
Operating Officer and Deputy CEO, Irish Management Institute
Director, Chair
Cian is Chief Operating Officer and Deputy CEO of Irish Management Institute. He is also a non-executive director of the Irish Aviation Authority, and of Limor, a social media startup.
He is a Chartered Accountant with over 25 years’ experience in finance, operations, risk and governance. He has previously worked as a management consultant with Accenture, as a partner with Grant Thornton and as Head of Internal Audit and Group Treasurer with Ryanair.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Law and a Graduate Diploma in Corporate Governance from University College Dublin, and a master’s degree in Risk Management from New York University Stern School of Business.
Appointed: 07/2021
Nancy Hawkes
Head of Marketing, UCC
Deputy Chair
Originally from Nottingham, Nancy began her career in Cork as manager of Collins Bookshop. She quickly found her feet in the city and joined the staff of Cork University Press, Ireland’s oldest academic publishing house. She is currently Editor-in-Chief and Head of Marketing in University College Cork. A lifelong lover of cinema, she remembers the gift of a season ticket to her first Cork Film Festival in 1999 as a passport to a new world of ideas and inspiration.
Appointed: 06/2020
Barney Whelan
Director
Former Director of Communications, Corporate Affairs, Brand Development and Marketing at An Post, former Public Relations Manager at ESB, with responsibility for public relations, public affairs and brand communications. Former Director of Sales and Marketing at The Food Safety Promotion Board. Former board member of the National Concert Hall. Extensive experience in fundraising/PR, marketing, corporate governance and business management.
Appointed Chairperson: 25/03/2020
Frank Berry
Filmmaker
Director
Frank Berry is an award-winning Irish Director with an expertise in community filmmaking and television. His first feature documentary, the critically acclaimed Ballymun Lullaby (2011) follows music teacher Ron Cooney as he produces music which gives a voice to the children of Ireland's only high-rise housing estate. It won the 'Director’s Finders Series' from the Directors Guild of America. Berry’s next film, I Used to Live Here (2014), a drama which explores suicide clusters among teenagers, won the Best First Feature Audience Award at the Galway Film Fleadh and was released in Irish cinemas to critical acclaim. His latest feature, Michael Inside (2017) is a prison drama which follows 18 year old Michael who becomes caught up in a drug bust and is sentenced to 3 months in prison where he struggles to adapt to the brutality of prison life.
It picked up the award for Best Irish Film at the Galway Film Fleadh where its young star Dafhyd Flynn also claimed the Bingham Ray New Talent Award, and the Audience Award at Cork Film Festival 2017. Michael Inside was awarded the IFTA for ‘Best Film’ in 2018 and has garnered numerous five-star reviews. It is now available on Netflix. Frank is currently working on a new film, a love story about an asylum seeker and the Direct Provision system.
Appointed: 06/2019
Cathy Cullen
Digital Director, Drury
Director
Cathy has over a decade of experience in content, campaign, and digital strategy and is the Digital Director at Drury. She also co-hosts the award-winning and critically acclaimed film podcast The Cinemile. Originally from Cork, she completed a BA in UCC before graduating from DCU with an MA in Film and Television. She's thrilled to combine her love of film and Cork City in joining the CIFF Board.
Emma Jane Joyce
Investment Director with the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF)
Treasurer
Emma Jane is an Investment Director with the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) where she leads on the design and implementation of the Fund’s unique Sustainability and Responsible Investment Strategy across the whole Fund, Global and Irish Portfolios, multiple investment structures and asset types and across the life-cycle of investments. She represents ISIF on a number of sustainability platforms including SIF Ireland and the CDP Ireland Network (past Chair). She has extensive investment experience and has held a variety of investment roles within the National Treasury Management Agency. She has recently completed the Executive Diploma in Corporate Governance at UCD Smurfit Graduate School of Business.
Admhéara Cllr. Dan Boyle
Green Party/Comhaontas Glas Councillor
Member
Dan joined the board of the Cork International Film Festival in August 2024. Dan is a prominent member of the Green Party in Ireland and has had a long-standing career in politics. He currently serves as the Lord Mayor (Admhéara) of Cork City, having been elected as a Green Party Councillor. Dan has been involved in Irish politics for several decades, with experience both at the local and national levels. He was previously a member of Seanad Éireann (the Irish Senate) and also served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for Cork South-Central. Throughout his career, Boyle has been a strong advocate for environmental sustainability, social justice, and transparent governance. As a councillor and now as Lord Mayor, he focuses on promoting green policies, such as improving public transport, enhancing green spaces, and supporting initiatives that address climate change.
Cllr. Joe Lynch
Sinn Féin Councillor
Member
Joe joined the board of the Cork International Film Festival in August 2024. A Sinn Féin Councillor serving in the Youghal area of Cork County, Ireland, Joe has been an active member of the community and is known for his commitment to social and economic issues that affect his constituents. Lynch focuses on advocating for improved local services, housing, and community development. His work often involves engaging with local residents, addressing their concerns, and working within the council to implement changes that benefit the broader community.
Cllr. Laura Harmon
Labour Party Councillor
Member
Laura joined the board of the Cork International Film Festival in August 2024. Elected to the Cork City Council in 2024, Laura has a strong background in activism and advocacy, particularly in the areas of equality, education, and social justice. Prior to her role as a councillor, Harmon was involved in various national campaigns, including serving as the President of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), where she played a significant role in the successful campaign for marriage equality in Ireland. Laura is passionate about creating a more inclusive society and focuses on issues such as affordable housing, public transport, and support for women and marginalised communities. As a councillor, she works to ensure that Cork City develops in a sustainable and equitable manner, advocating for policies that reflect the needs and aspirations of all residents.
John Casey
Nonprofit Lawyer
Director
John is an experienced lawyer currently working for a nonprofit research organisation with a public benefit mission to follow the science to help power global society toward a clean, reliable, affordable and resilient energy future. John previously worked at leading Irish and Australian law firms. He holds a BCL (International) from UCC, accreditation as a mediator and a certificate in negotiation. John loves all forms of storytelling, including novels, plays and, of course, film.
Mark Lynch
CFO of Pembroke Hospitality
Director
Mark Lynch is an experienced CFO, having worked at senior level in hospitality, leisure and tourism finance for more than 30 years, across a range of businesses from family-owned hotel groups to plc’s.
Mark is a co-founder of Pembroke Hospitality which is a leading provider of hotel advisory and asset management services, both in Ireland and internationally.
Mark is a Chartered Accountant and a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland.
