MC for this event is award-winning entrepreneur and broadcaster, Áine Kerr.
Áine regularly speaks at major international conferences. She also hosts Reignite on RTÉ Radio One and occasionally presents on The Business. Her broadcasting presence amplifies her influence in business and public discourse. Áine was Co-Founder and COO of Kinzen, a tech startup that tackled misinformation online. Spotify acquired Kinzen in October 2022, and Áine transitioned to a leadership role there as Director. Her work continues to shape how global platforms handle digital safety.
Before Kinzen, Áine led global journalism partnerships at Facebook in New York. She helped launch the Facebook Journalism Project and co-founded the News Integrity Initiative. These programs supported reliable news and empowered journalists worldwide.
Áine spent five years at Storyful, first as political editor, then head of content, and finally managing editor. Before that, she worked over seven years as a political correspondent for The Irish Times, The Irish Independent, and The Irish Examiner. She serves as chair of the Gaisce Council, which oversees the President of Ireland’s Award. Áine also chairs Rethink Ireland and The Shona Project.
The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media appointed her to its advisory committee on women’s stories in national collections.
Áine holds a B.Ed, a Master’s in Journalism from DCU, and a Master’s in Business Science from University College Cork.
She earned leadership certificates from Cornell and Harvard University, and an advanced coaching diploma from Kingstown College.
In 2018, she graduated from the Sulzberger Leadership Program at Columbia University.
Her accolades include the 2018 Irish Tatler Woman of the Year in Media award. In 2022, she received the VIP Eir Power of Women award for digital innovation.
The Woman of Vision award followed in 2023 for her work in tech. DCU honoured her with an Alumni Award in 2020.
She has earned consistent national recognition for her work. The Irish Examiner named her among “100 Women Changing Ireland in 2021”.
In 2023, The Irish Independent featured her in “Ireland’s Rising Stars: 50 Ones to Watch”. Most recently, The Business Post listed her in “Ireland’s Top 100 People in Tech 2024”