CPDStore Ireland

Having worked for a number of years in practice, and with one of the profession’s regulatory and support institutes, Des co-founded OmniPro to develop tools, techniques, products and services that make accountancy more profitable and rewarding.

Des is passionate about bringing innovation to the accountancy profession and enabling accountants to achieve what they want from their careers and business. His core belief is that when empowered to achieve their best, accountants can deliver transformative results for clients.

He holds qualifications from the ACCA Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, CPA Institute of Certified Public Accountants and ACIS Association of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators.

Alan Sellers has been an accredited Executive Coach for 26 years, helping practices in the financial and legal sectors succeed. He is an established blockchain and digital asset influencer. Alan is the official blockchain and crypto specialist for the London Chamber of Commerce, and the only cryptocurrency and blockchain expert on the Institute of Directors Fintech and Finance Group. His TikTok account provides educational content about cryptocurrency and has over 3.7m views. As Founder of Your Crypto Coach Limited Alan’s vision is to educate as many people as possible about the exciting world of blockchain and crypto in a ‘sound, practical and safe’ way. “Blockchain is how the internet was 30 years ago. I’m not sure people realise what an enormous impact this amazing technology will have on all aspects of their lives. I’ve made it my mission to educate them in a safe and secure way”

XpertDPO was formed by Stuart Anderson, a GDPR consultant, to provide market leading Information Security & Governance advisory and consultancy supports to its clients. XppertDPO’s proven methodology and approach is based on research, practical experience and a pragmatic ethos which delivers consistent added value to our clients.

Stuart has gained a unique blend of business and technical acumen in the areas of Information Security, Governance Risk & Compliance (GRC), Data Protection, Data Quality and implementing Regulatory Compliance processes. Stuart has been certified by ISACA and holds the Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) and Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) certifications.

In addition, Stuart has been awarded the Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) certification by ISC2. Stuart is also a Certified Data Protection Officer (CDPO) and has also achieved a Postgraduate Diploma in data protection from University College Dublin and an Advanced Diploma in data Protection Law from The Honorable Society of King’s Inns Dublin. Stuart is a member of the Association of Compliance Officers Ireland (ACOI) and a member of the Institute of Banking.

More recently, Stuart, as GDPR consultant, has had articles published in the International Journal for Data Protection Officers, Privacy Officers and Privacy Counsel with the latest article giving insight into the effect of Brexit on Data Protection.

Before founding XpertDPO Ltd. Stuart performed various roles within leading software providers, culminating as Director, Global Services for an Irish based multinational software development house. Previously to this, Stuart worked in Ireland and the UK as an implementation engineer specialising in CRM, ERP and Payroll software. Stuart embarked on his software career working for Sage UK as a Software Support Executive in the Accountants Division based in Manchester.

Edel Walsh is the owner of Edel Walsh Coaching and Consulting.

She specialises in mental health and well-being coaching and workplace well-being coaching.
Edel is also a student mentor and coach supporting professional accountancy students through their exams. Edel supports her student clients get their exams as quickly as possible while maintaining balance and prioritizing their well-being.

Her corporate career started in KPMG where qualified as a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Adviser. From there, Edel moved into professional education where she held senior lecturer and examinership roles within the professional accountancy bodies.

James is a Director in PwC’s Data and AI practice and leads PwC’s Trust in AI offering. He is a recognised expert in designing and embedding Responsible AI governance frameworks that help organisations manage the complex risks associated with AI adoption. James also provides deep insights into the practical implications of regulatory developments, including the EU AI Act.

Together with his team, James is developing innovative services that enable clients to embed trust at the core of their AI strategy—from design and development through to deployment and oversight.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to establish trusted AI systems in your organisation, feel free to reach out to James—he’d be delighted to explore this further with you.

For over 20 years, Brenda ran her own accountancy firm with a difference. While most firms focused on compliance—payroll, bookkeeping, and year-end reporting—she went further, helping businesses unlock key performance insights that drove real profitability. Her results spoke for themselves: when the 2008 recession hit, 98% of her clients survived and many thrived—because they had the right financial intelligence to adapt in real time.

Brenda knew that technology—especially ML, AI and automation—could change everything.

Today, SOBI empowers accountants to become strategic business advisors and gives business owners the real-time financial clarity they need to make smarter decisions. No more static reports. No more missed opportunities. Just proactive, AI-driven insights that help businesses not just survive, but thrive.

With a background in bootstrapping, resilience, and global ambition, Brenda is scaling SOBI across Ireland, the UK, the US, and Australia, helping accountants transform their firms and businesses stay ahead of the curve. And with Generative AI now accelerating SOBI’s capabilities, the company is poised to revolutionize the way financial intelligence is delivered.
Because in business, survival isn’t just about numbers—it’s about having the right insights at the right time. And that’s exactly what SOBI provides.

Kane has more than 25 years of experience developing and implementing strategic services and solutions to help businesses drive operational growth and value. His industry experience includes private equity, banking and financial services, insurance, manufacturing, automotive, and publishing. His wide range of expertise includes strategic visioning and implementation; technology innovation, P&L management, global operations and account management; client accounting advisory services; business process outsourcing, and management consulting. Kane’s experience includes helping businesses restructure and reestablish operational excellence by transforming from a discrete service provider to a value-added integrated solution provider. In addition to working with US companies, he has led business process solutions deployment internationally, including in Australia, China, Europe, India, Israel, Mexico, and the Philippines. Kane was recently named one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting by Accounting Today. His thought leadership has been featured extensively in national publications including Accounting Today, CPA Practice Advisor, and US News & World Report. He has been a featured presenter for key industry organizations including the AICPA, Financial Executives International, Information Technology Alliance, and Digital CPA. Before joining CohnReznick, Kane was the National Client Accounting Advisory Services (CAAS) Practice Leader for a major public accounting firm.