Anne-Marie Curran
Chief Executive
Appointed Managing Director of Drury in June 2010, Anne-Marie has over 20 years’ experience in the public relations industry. Anne-Marie combines her management role with strategic client support across a range of corporate, multinational and public sector clients, not-for-profits and publicly quoted companies. She specialises in strategic counsel, reputation management, change management, employer brand, leading campaigns and partnerships’, achieving thought leadership through strategic media relations, targeted digital and social media engagement, and has extensive crisis management experience.
Anne-Marie is a graduate of University College Dublin (U.C.D) with a B.A. International in French and German. She subsequently obtained an MA in Public Relations, has studied law at the Honourable Society of King’s Inns and is a qualified executive and business coach. She recently completed diplomas in Corporate Governance with the Institute of Directors and in Digital Marketing strategy with the Marketing Institute. She is currently studying Cyber Psychology.
Anne-Marie serves on the boards of the Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital, the Gate Theatre, and the advisory council of the RDI Hub. She is a former trustee of the Irish Heritage Trust and board member of the Dublin International Film Festival. Anne-Marie was the Runner-up in the CEO category of the Image Businesswoman of the Year Awards 2016. She is a Fellow of the Public Relations Institute of Ireland.
Billy Murphy
Chair
Billy Murphy co-founded Drury Communications in 1989 and has been Executive Chairman of the business since 2004.
Billy is one of Ireland’s foremost communications consultants specialising in C-Suite counsel, financial situations, business & society, litigation and crisis management.
Over 30 years, he has been a trusted advisor of boards and management of Ireland’s leading companies and organisations across the development, protection and enhancement of corporate reputation, offering solutions to the communications’ challenges they face.
He has worked on an extensive range of capital market activities including IPOs, transactions, restructurings, activism and a variety of corporate litigation projects. He has been pivotally involved in supporting organisations through complex or critical scenarios. Together with his Drury colleagues, he has an exceptional network of working relationships with other Irish and international professional services firms and corporate advisors.
In a fast-evolving world, where digital connectivity is firmly embedded and the premium on timely judgement is greater than ever before, the right mix of experience and expertise is essential.
In recent years, Billy has advised the boards and senior management teams of: CRH plc, Flutter Entertainment plc, Cairn Homes plc, Irish Life Group, Green REIT plc, Mediahuis, Outsourcing Inc. Bain Capital, Doyle Hotels (Holdings) Group, KKR, Openet, PM Group, Greencore olc Activate Capital, MML Capital Ireland, Crownway Investments and Ulster Bank.
Billy is President of Leinster Rugby and a member of the Leinster Management Board. He is also a member of the University College Dublin RFC Management Group. He is a Fellow of the Public Relations Institute of Ireland.
Cathal Barry
Managing Director of Financial Communications
Cathal leads the Financial Communications team at Drury and draws from over a decade of experience working in media and public relations to provide strategic integrated communications counsel to some of Ireland’s biggest and best-known companies.
Cathal specialises in capital markets and transaction communications, helping clients to communicate their company’s strategy, growth ambitions and financial strength. He works closely with clients including CRH plc, Flutter Entertainment plc and HealthBeacon plc, advising on how to optimally communicate around financial calendar reporting, M&A transactions, IPOs, and shareholder activism.
With a background in print and broadcast journalism, Cathal also specialises in media relations and has been involved as an advisor on some of the most high-profile Irish business stories in recent years. He plays a leading role in proactive storytelling as well as crisis and issues management for clients including Musgrave, John Sisk & Son, Kepak, Henkel and Java Republic.
Cathal holds a Diploma in Advertising, Marketing, Sales and PR as well as Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees. He has also completed a Diploma in Capital Markets and Investments.
In 2019, Cathal was named on the Young Communications Professional of the Year shortlist by the PRII and PRCA and was an Early Career Awards finalist in the Marketing and Communications category.
Dawn Burke
MD Corporate and Reputation
Dawn is Managing Director of the Corporate & Reputation team, bringing over two decades of communications experience in the agency landscape to her role. Her expertise is wide-ranging spanning corporate, consumer, environmental, media, automotive, pharmaceutical, and technology sectors.
Dawn is a grafter with a passion for supporting clients to reach their communications goals while protecting and enhancing their brand reputation. She works with a range of clients including RSA, Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and Research Ireland. Dawn specialises in integrated communications strategies blending earned, owned, shared and paid media to deliver maximum impact, targeting audiences and amplifying engagements for clients.
Her experience extends to media relations, strategic counsel, issues management, creative content development along with social media and influencer strategies as well as partnership management and media buying and planning.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Technological University Dublin, a certificate in PR & PR Writing from the Irish Academy of Public Relations and a Diploma in Digital Marketing from the Digital Marketing Institute.
Michelle McCoy
Managing Director, Digital
Michelle spearheads the Digital and Content team, developing integrated communications campaigns across the full client portfolio at Drury, with a focus on digital strategy for brands, organisations, and business leaders.
With over fifteen years of international experience, she specialises in guiding business leaders and empowering senior executives to master brand positioning in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Prior to joining Drury, Michelle was Managing Director at Get Broadcasting a video and content agency, and a Partner with 360 FINN Partners for 7 years, managing the Digital and Creative team. She has worked in the start-up community in London, and with the New Zealand Government in Wellington, as a communications advisor.
She has deep expertise in the technology, FMCG, insurance, medical, telecoms and consumer sectors, advising leading organisation such as Flutter, Zendesk, ALDI, ComReg, Irish Hospital Consultants Association, the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland, European Innovation funding body EIT Health and AVIVA.
Michelle is a graduate of University College Dublin (U.C.D) with a B.A. International in French and Economics. She also holds an MA in Public Relations from Technological University Dublin.
Paddy Hughes
Executive Director
With three decades’ experience in corporate and financial public relations, Paddy Hughes has advised and worked with the boards and senior leadership teams of foremost national and multinational companies across a range of sectors. He advises clients in relation to a broad range of corporate reputation related activity specialising in C-Suite Counsel, Financials Situations, Restructuring, Litigation and Crisis Management. He does so, collaboratively with clients, to develop strategies that are executed in a planned and integrated manner across traditional, digital and social channels.
In recent years Paddy has worked with the Boards and leadership teams of clients such as: Applegreen Plc, Aurivo, ESB Group, FBD Insurance, Henkel, Irish Cement, John Paul Construction, Kerry Co-Op, Ornua, McCauley Pharmacy Group, Sisk Group and Tourism Ireland.
Having worked for a number of years as press officer with a major multinational, Paddy joined Drury in 1996 and was appointed to its Board in 2005. In past years, Paddy has led the firm’s corporate communications practice and has led the firm on a number of occasions as Managing Director in an acting capacity. In August 2020, Paddy along with the firm’s Managing Director, Chairperson and Finance Director undertook an MBO of the business, acquiring Drury from Omnicom, the global marketing communications agency. Paddy is a former board director of the Public Relations Consultants Association, a Fellow and former President of the Public Relations Institute of Ireland (PRII).
Sinead Birt
Finance Director
Sinead has over 20 years finance and commercial leadership expertise. Prior to joining Drury in 2007, Sinead held finance positions in the banking and energy sectors in Ireland. Sinead is the Finance Director, and Company secretary along with oversight of the support services of the business including IT and HR.
Sinead’s understanding of the role of communications in business makes her a valued support to our clients as well as guaranteeing the excellent financial performance of Drury.
Sinead holds a BSc in Finance from Queens University Belfast, is ACCA qualified and a fellow member of the ACCA. Sinead holds a Certificate in the Chartered Director Program with the Institute of Directors and is a Non-Executive board member of the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute. Sinead is a member of the management team that completed the MBO of Drury in 2020.
Keith Hoare
Managing Director Public Affairs
Keith Hoare is the Managing Director of Public Affairs at Drury. He brings 15 years of experience across government relations, strategic communications, stakeholder engagement, crisis communication, and regulatory affairs, helping clients navigate complex public policy landscapes and influence outcomes. Keith has built deep expertise in the energy, healthcare and infrastructure sectors, successfully designing and implementing client advocacy campaigns, engaging with legislative bodies, and translating policy developments into practical strategies.
He was previously a Director of Public Affairs with Hanover Communications where he served as lead advisor for some the firm's multinational clients in the healthcare, transport, sustainability and renewable energy sectors. He spent six years with Gerson Lehrman Group, the world's Insight Network, where he established and led the firm's Brexit & M&A practice advisory for financial services clients.
Keith holds a BA (Honours) in Economics, Politics and Law from Dublin City University and an MA (first class honours) in Public Affairs and Political Communication from DIT. His prior experience includes working in the European Parliament in Brussels, with the Leader of the Irish Senate and a host of community and voluntary organisations.
Neasa Kane Fine
Chief Operations Officer and Director
Neasa has over 20 years’ experience in communications consultancy, primarily for the public sector and semi-state bodies. She combines her role as COO at Drury with strategic client support across corporate and public sector clients.
Neasa brings extensive issues and crisis management experience to Drury. She specialises in strategic counsel, reputation management, stakeholder engagement, sustainability and community relations and CSR. She is also an established facilitator for internal and external stakeholder engagement.
Prior to joining Drury, she specialised in project communications in support of major / sensitive infrastructure projects primarily in the transport, renewable energy, water, housing and waste management sectors. Neasa has provided communications advisory and stakeholder engagement support to many of Ireland’s most transformative projects.
She is a regular speaker at seminars and conferences on the role and value of strategic communications. She was previously an associate lecturer on DCU’s prestigious MSc in strategic communications.
Neasa is a graduate of UCD’s Michael Smurfit School of Business with a Masters in Marketing, and holds a Diploma in Public Relations from the PRII. A Fellow of the Public Relations Institute of Ireland (FPRII), she was Chair of the Judging Panel for the PRII / PRCA Public Relations Awards for Excellence from 2016 to 2024. She served two terms on the PRII’s National Council, and is a former board member of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre.