The head of Google Ireland, Vanessa Hartley, has been announced as one of the keynote speakers at this year's MacGill Summer School which will take place in Glenties from July 23rd to 25th.
She will join names such as Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence Thomas Byrne TD, Former Executive Director of the World Health Organisation Dr Mike Ryan, White House Columnist for The Hill Niall Stanage, Ciaran Mulloolly MEP and a host of others.
Vanessa Hartley is Head of Google Ireland and Vice President of the EMEA LCS Hub, where she leads the teams responsible for delivering AI-powered online advertising and digital growth strategies for Google’s largest customers across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Over a 12-year career at Google, Vanessa has scaled complex global strategy & operations by championing a leadership style rooted in curiosity and data-driven systems thinking. As Head of Google Ireland, she is deeply committed to ensuring that technological innovation serves the full community, and is a passionate advocate for initiatives that ensure AI works equitably for every person and business across Irish society.
Prior to Google, Vanessa was a founder and Commercial Director in the health and insurance sectors, including co-founding Irish Life Health. A multi-time industry award winner and an active board director, she brings a unique client-side perspective to the tech industry and remains a passionate advocate for the intersection of creative brand building and data-driven commercial performance.
Registration for the popular annual conference is open now at
MacGillSummerSchool.com
The MacGill Summer School, in association with University of Notre Dame, is Ireland's international forum for thought leaders to discuss the critical issues facing the country, Europe, and our world.
The MacGill Summer School was founded by Dr. Joe Mulholland over forty years ago in the small town of Glenties in County Donegal and has grown from very modest beginnings to being one of the most important fora in Ireland for the analysis of topics of national and international interest.
It has consistently been a source of innovative and fresh thinking on a range of social, economic, and political ideas. Every July it brings together government ministers, parliamentarians, heads of industry, trade union leaders, economists, sociologists, church leaders and a broad range of public representatives from the North and South of Ireland, and beyond.
In 2026 the event will take place at The Highlands Hotel on July 23rd-25th and is in association with University of Notre Dame.