Wealth and Estate Planning Conference 2022

Barry Kennelly
STEP Chair and Diploma Sub-Committee Member

Barry is a Director, Tax and Wealth Structuring, Financial Planning at Davy Private Clients.

Ken McCracken
(MFBC Limited)

Ken is a leading family business consultant and teacher, with extensive experience in succession planning and implementation for family businesses and family offices, effective governance for family enterprises, and educating multigenerational family businesses.

Ken is a Fellow of the Family Firm Institute (FFI). He is a past recipient of both the FFI Award for Outstanding Interdisciplinary AcA Ahievement and the STEP Award for Family Business Adviser of the Year. In 2018, Ken authored the special report ‘Creating the Trusted Team of Advisers for a Family Business’, published by Globe Law and Business. Ken has also served on the Research Applied Board for the leading academic journal Family Business Review.

Ken is the author of the STEP Advanced Certificate in Advising the Family Business, and the author and teacher of the Family Business Advising Masterclass for the STEP Professional Postgraduate Diploma in Private Wealth Advising (UK delivery).

Alan Gourley
Tax Partner, Grant Thornton (NI) LLP

Alan is a leading UK Tax adviser with over 30 years’ experience in the profession, industry and in the public sector and advises High Net Worth Individuals and their families on all aspects of wealth succession, business succession and structuring for long-term growth. He is Chairman of the Chartered Accountants Ireland NI Tax Committee, represents the Institute on the HMRC External Stakeholder Forum for Wealthy individuals and is a member of the Advocacy and Representation Board of the Institute

Sheena Grattan
Practising Chancery Barrister in Northern Ireland

Sheena is a practising Chancery Barrister in Northern Ireland, specialising in private client work. Sheena was previously a senior lecturer in the Law School of Queen’s University, having started her career as a solicitor in private practice. Sheena is the author of several legal texts, including Succession Law in Northern Ireland (SLS), and is also the co-author of Drafting Trusts & Will Trusts in Northern Ireland. She is a founding member and Chair of the STEP: Northern Ireland branch. In 2012, she was the recipient of a STEP Founder’s Award for outstanding achievement. Sheena is the tutor for both the Administration of Trusts and Administration of Estates components of the STEP Diploma in Trusts and Estates (Northern Ireland)

Owen Burke
Senior Associate, Hayes Solicitors

Owen is a senior associate solicitor, Trust and Estate Practitioner and Chartered Tax Adviser in the Private Client team at Hayes solicitors. He specialises in Wills, Probate, Succession and Tax Planning and Enduring Powers of Attorney. He qualified as a solicitor in 2011 with a large Dublin law firm and then gained significant probate experience with another mid-sized Dublin firm before joining Hayes Solicitors in 2020. He is a full member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) having come first in Ireland in the Diploma in Trusts and Estates in 2014. He is a member of the STEP Ireland committee and the Dublin Solicitors Bar Association Probate and Taxation Committee. He qualified as a Chartered Tax Adviser in 2018 having completed the Irish Taxation Institute exams. He acts as a consultant to other solicitors’ firms in relation to private client matters.

Lyn Barry
Manager, Tax, Deloitte

Lyn is a Manager/Private Clients, Tax and Legal at Deloitte. She is a practising solicitor, Chartered Tax Advisor (CTA) and a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP). She advises private individuals, families and trustees on a wide range of legal and tax issues, including lifetime and estate planning, administration of estates and trusts, wealth restructuring and charity compliance and establishment.

Jonathan Ginnelly
Director, Tax, Deloitte

Jonathan is a Director in the Tax Department within Deloitte’s Dublin office. Jonathan has considerable experience advising Irish domestic companies and shareholders on direct taxation issues, including issues around corporate reorganisation, M & A transactions, as well as asset hive outs and structuring for exit. He also advises on stamp duty issues for both domestic and international corporate clients with respect to corporate restructuring, liquidations, property and financial services transactions. Jonathan has written and contributed to a number of articles and lectures with respect to capital taxes, direct taxation and succession issues. Jonathan has lectured and given presentations for bodies such as the Irish Taxation Institute, the Law Society of Ireland, the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland and STEP on the areas of company reorganisations, personal taxation and wealth/succession planning. Jonathan’s client portfolio includes a number of Irish family companies, large domestic companies and international corporate groups as well as number of private individuals, trusts and estates.

Eamon Harrington
Solicitor, Comyn Kellher Tobin

Eamon has practised with Comyn Kelleher Tobin since qualification as a solicitor in 1988. His practice focuses on dispute resolution, with particular experience in handling complex high value claims, including professional negligence, clinical negligence and commercial disputes. Eamon acts on behalf of a number of leading indemnifiers. In addition, he regularly acts nationally as a Mediator and Arbitrator, as well as promoting the use of alternative dispute resolution

Sinead Fox-Hamilton
Relationship and Professional Development Manager, Chartered Accountants Ireland)

Sinead is a Law graduate and Fellow Chartered Accountant who has enjoyed a diverse career spanning varied Finance, Recruitment and Consulting positions. In her current role with Chartered Accountants Ireland, she showcases the Chartered Accountancy profession, supports career and professional development journeys along with working with employers to implement relevant training and learning solutions to support talent management. Sinead was noted in Northern Ireland’s ‘Top 40 under 40’ and ‘Top 20 Inspiring Women’ listings and was also recognised for her ‘Services to Accounting and Finance’ in the Northern Ireland Women’s Awards. She is a past winner of Chartered Accountants Ireland ‘Chartered Star’ competition.

Catherine Duggan
Barrister specialising in probate and trust litigation

Catherine is the Co-founder and Vice Chair of the Probate Bar Association of Ireland, a Committee Member of Solicitors for the Elderly, a member and former Chair of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.