Deirdre Smith

Deirdre is a Chartered Director of the IoD and a Business Consultant, Mentor, Advisor and NED. An Engineering graduate of Trinity College Dublin, Deirdre began her career in Digital Equipment Corp (DEC) before starting her own entrepreneurial journey. She was co-founder and CEO of Zandar Technologies plc from 1999, which developed award winning broadcast video solutions for customers worldwide, including the BBC, Sky TV and CNN. With a strong technical, operations and commercial background, she successfully built Zandar via strategic marketing and technology partnerships with Leitch Technology Corp., Sony Broadcast and Harmonic Inc. among others, while developing a strong brand position in the Outside Broadcast space. Deirdre led Zandar through their acquisition in 2007 by Harris Corporation, a $5bn, 15,000 strong US headquartered company. She held various management positions within Harris, an ICT company serving commercial and government markets in more than 150 countries, until 2010. Deirdre also serves on the boards of BRE Global Ireland (a building science centre), Globalization Partners International Ireland (a multi-national global expansion/employment platform), Furthr (formerly the Dublin Business Innovation Centre), and the Governance Board of the Clinical Research Facility (CRF) at St. James’s Hospital in Dublin. She was previously on the board of the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI). Deirdre is a supporter of female entrepreneurship and an advocate for sustainable business models and practices.

EXPERTISE
✓ Qualifications in Engineering (BA BAI, TCD), Marketing (MII), Company Direction & Governance (CDir, IoD).
✓ Professional Training in Lean Operations (LSS Green Belt), Innovation Management and Digital Transformation for Leaders.

BUSINESS EXPERIENCE
✓ Over 30 years of experience in product & market development working in and with SMEs and Multi-National Organizations competing internationally.
✓ A tech company co-founder and CEO with 20 years executive experience at Senior Management and Director level, including roles in Operations, International Sales & Marketing, and Product Management.
✓ Experience of growing and scaling companies in the UK, US and ROW via direct and channel sales, international marketing, brand development, strategic partnerships & license agreements.
✓ 10 years in advisory, mentoring and coaching roles, including Non-Executive Directorships. Advisor on EI’s GoGlobal4Growth & International Selling Programmes and on the Digital Panel.
✓ Proven track record of strategic development, leadership, innovation & change management.
✓ Works best with companies on a growth path, seeking to disrupt, innovate and make an impact in their sector and on society.


SECTORAL EXPERIENCE
✓ Technology / ICT / Enterprise software / SaaS
✓ Engineering / Electronics / Manufacturing
✓ Professional Services / B2B
✓ Also CleanTech, GreenTech, Life Sciences, E-learning, Consumer products

SPECIALISMS
• Sustainable Growth
• Int’l Business
• Lean Operations
• Business remodelling
• Leadership Coaching
• Digital Adoption / Digital Transformation
• Product Management
• ESG & Risk
• Innovation & Culture