Our carefully designed course programmes are given by our professional coaches and industry experts.

Our specialist experts provide the financial and health modules.

We have teams based throughout Ireland to allow us deliver our quality service in locations nationwide.

Paul Keogh Course Specialist – Finance

Paul has more than 38 years’ corporate pensions experience in Dublin and London as a Senior Pensions Consultant, the last 14 years most recently with Aon. Paul is an Associate of the Irish Institute of Pensions Management (AIIPM). He is a Qualified Financial Advisor (QFA) and holds a Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning (Grad. Dip.), a Masters in Financial Services (MSc). He is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and holds a Professional Certificate in DC Pension Scheme Trusteeship (PTP).

Paul advised corporate and personal clients on retirement planning, investment management, risk benefits and provided Secretarial Services to Pension Scheme Trustees.

Kevin O'Neil Course Specialist – Finance

Kevin is a Qualified Financial Advisor (QFA) and holds a Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning (Grad. Dip.), a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation and a Masters in Financial Services (MSc). Kevin advises on retirement planning, investment management and risk benefits for individuals and their families.

Kevin specialises in providing Financial Planning & Guidance for individuals and their families. Operating as a Financial Broker for 16+ years.

Catherine Desmond Course Specialist – Finance

Catherine is a Senior Tax Manager in PwC Cork.

In addition, Catherine:
• is an Associate of the Irish Tax Institute.
• she has contributed to a number of Irish Tax Institute publications.
• has been a lecturer with the Irish Tax Institute in their professional qualification programme.
• She has been on secondment in tax roles and has industry experience.
Catherine has been working with the Retirement Planning Council for a number of years.

Tom Collins Course Specialist – Finance

Tom Collins lectures in International Tax and Advanced Tax in the BA (Hons.) in Applied Taxation and in Wealth management in the M Sc Computational Finance) at the National Centre for Taxation Studies, University of Limerick.

Tom has more than 25 years' experience with Big 4 tax practices in Ireland and New Zealand.

He has worked as a consultant with the Retirement Planning Council since 2008.

Gabriel McCarthy Course Specialist – Finance

Gabriel is a Qualified Financial Advisor with more than 30 years' experience within the financial services industry.

Gabriel specialises in offering bespoke solutions to suit individual circumstances.

Since 2011, he has been working with the Retirement Planning Council delivering the financial module of the course.

Hugh Johnson Course Specialist – Finance

Hugh has worked for more than 30 years in the banking and financial sector. Fifteen of these years were in wealth management. This culminated in his role as Head of Client Relations, South & West, with Bank of Ireland Private Banking.

Hugh also:
• is a qualified Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
• is a Qualified Financial Advisor (QFA)
• is a member of The Institute of Bankers in Ireland
• holds a Diploma in Wealth Management.

Hugh has advised corporate and personal clients, on retirement planning, portfolio management and income protection. He also works with clients on tax and estate planning.

Sarah Keogh Course Specialist – Healthy Lifestyle

Sarah Keogh, MSc, BSc, MINDI, has a degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics from Trinity College.

Sarah also:
• has worked in hospitals both in Ireland and the UK
• is the former Head of Nutrition at the Bon Secours Hospital in Dublin
• specialises in giving advice on nutrition and diet
• has worked with some of Ireland’s leading food companies.

Sarah writes for Easyparenting Magazine and is a regular on TV3’s 'The Morning Show'.

Since 2006, Sarah has worked with the Retirement Planning Council delivering the Healthy Lifestyle course modules.

Aisling Snedker Course Specialist – Healthy Lifestyle

Aisling holds a Bsc hons in Home Economics, PGDip Nutrition and Dietetics, PGCert in Sport and Exercise nutrition and FAETC. She has been qualified as a clinical dietitian for 20 years.

Aisling also has:
• worked in a variety of hospitals in the UK and Ireland
• a special interest and qualification in Adult Education
• an ongoing passion and interest in nutrition and exercise for the 'Third Age'.

Aisling has worked with the Retirement Planning Council since 2008.

Niamh O'Connor Course Specialist – Healthy Lifestyle

Niamh O’Connor RD, BSc (Hons), Dip (Hons), MINDI is an honours graduate of Trinity College and the Technological University Dublin. Having completed her internship at St. James Hospital Dublin and Cork University Hospital, she has practised as a dietitian and nutritionist in Ireland since 1993.

Her early career includes senior dietitian positions in teaching hospitals throughout Ireland and research nutritionist post with the Irish Universities Nutrition Alliance. In 1999, she founded Cork Nutrition Consultancy, incorporating a full-time private dietetic practice as well as an appreciable consultancy portfolio: this was the first such company of its kind in the southern region and remains the longest established. Her specialist interests include gastroenterology, paediatrics and EU food legislation

Niamh is registered with CORU, the regulatory body for health professionals in Ireland. She is an active member of the Irish Nutrition & Dietetic Institute (INDI), the professional body for dietitians/clinical nutritionists in Ireland. She is also the founder of SEDI - The Freelance Dietitians Network of Ireland - and continues to lead this dynamic group of entrepreneurs.

Niamh is a strong advocate for her patients and is a regular contributor to local and national radio, print media and social media on all things nutrition.
Niamh has worked as a health and nutrition specialist with the Retirement Planning Council since 2012

Caoimhe McDonald Course Specialist – Healthy Lifestyle

Caoimhe graduated with a BSc in Nutrition and Dietetics from Trinity College in 2008

She is a CORU registered dietitian and a current member of the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute (MINDI)
She has worked in Personal Health since it opened in 2016 and is currently the dietitian in The Wellness Centre at Google European Headquarters in Dublin where she has worked for the past 3 years.
She has worked previously in St. James Hospital carrying out research in bone health and in the cancer support centre at the Beacon Hospital. Caoimhe has also worked for Nualtra for 2 years carrying out nursing home assessments. She continues to work in St. Mary's Telford nursing home. She has held the resident dietitian position in a number of GP Clinics in Dublin.

Caoimhe has provided interactive workshops in the corporate world for the last 10 years and has worked for The Retirement Planning Council since 2011.

Dr David Boylan Course Specialist – Healthy Lifestyle

David is a GP in Limerick who has been a representative on the Mid-Western GP Unit for the past six years.

He is Chairman of the Primary Care Subcommittee of the Secondary Cardiovascular Prevention Programme in the Mid-West Region. This committee represents a wide variety of stakeholders including:
• Mid-Western Health Board
• Health Promotion Unit
• dietitians
• public health nurses
• ambulance services
• voluntary groups.

John O'Connell Course Specialist - Finance

John is an actuary who has worked in the pension and investment areas for 30 years. He worked for Irish Life and Mercer, as well as overseas, before establishing a Pensions advisory firm in 2006. John is a member of the Irish Association of Pension Funds benefits committee and holds QFA and MBA qualifications.