Our Board of Trustees

Eleanor Farrell – Chair

Eleanor is an experienced senior manager with a strong strategy, commercial and digital skill set. She has a track record of customer-focused transformation and operational excellence. Eleanor has a strong private sector background and worked for Google, Vodafone Ireland and McKinsey & Co. Eleanor has a B.Sc. in Computer Science and Statistics, an M.Sc. in Computing and an MBA. She later moved to the public sector and worked with Bus Éireann, Ireland's national bus company, as Chief Commercial Officer.

Eleanor also strong experience as a not-for-profit non-executive director and a real commitment to strengthening mental health outcomes across Ireland. She was Chair of MyMind for five years, an organisation providing accessible, affordable, community-based mental health face-to-face services both in physical locations and online, and was a board member of Suicide or Survive.

In her role as Trustee for Ireland, Eleanor acts as a member of the Samaritans Board of Trustees and also as the Chair of the Board of Samaritans Ireland, a separate legal entity within Samaritans, and a subcommittee of the Samaritans Board of Trustees. Eleanor is also a member of the Samaritans Nominations Committee and has led several strategic projects for the Samaritans Board including an Ireland Governance and Strategic Review.

Since joining Samaritans, Eleanor has focused on developing her qualifications in the not-for-profit sector and has received a Diploma in Corporate Governance and a Certificate in Fundraising.

Graeme Danton

Graeme is Executive Director of Corporate Services with Samaritans Central Charity.

He started his career in the public sector, working on economic policy and risk management at the Bank of England. More recently, he has worked in the charity sector, in executive roles at education charities, including as COO of Teach First and Executive Chair of Now Teach.

Graeme enjoys spending time with his family in the Lake District.

Éimhín Ní Mhuircheartaigh

Éimhín is a volunteer with Dublin Samaritans. In her day job, Éimhín is the Deputy Director – Head of Operations for the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, where she has overall responsibility for directing and overseeing all non- investment activities of the Fund, including Investment Strategy, Technology, Operations, Communications & Finance. Éimhín also sits on a number of Boards as a Non-Executive Director.

Éimhín holds a Ph.D. in Physics & Molecular Electronics from Trinity College Dublin and a Diploma in Company Direction from the Institute of Directors.

Anne McMurray

Anne specialises in strategic leadership, organisation and team development. Her work is based on best practice research, and she provides customised designs for organisations, including national and local government, health and social services, housing, education, private and NGO sectors.

Anne draws on career experience which has included youth and community work, family therapy, health and social service senior management and organisational development consultancy through Ireland, GB, Europe and Canada since 1989. She currently provides strategic support at government departmental, commissioning and service delivery levels across the statutory and NGO sectors, north and south of Ireland.

Anne is a Professional Certified Coach, credentialed by the International Coach Federation. Anne has completed the Master Practitioner Diploma in Systemic Team Coaching (2019) and Certificate in Coaching Constellations (2016). Anne completed the Diploma in Corporate Governance from the Corporate Governance Institute in Dublin (2021).

In a voluntary capacity Anne serves as a director of the East Belfast Regeneration Partnership and is Chair of the Connswater Greenway.

Moira Horgan

Moira has over 25 years' experience in marketing and communications in a variety of sectors including heading up marketing at Screen Ireland and non-profit business network, Business in the Community Ireland.

Moira has acted as spokesperson in numerous media including appearing on Sky News, RTE News, Morning Ireland and many more and has interviewed numerous business leaders at landmark events including sustainability guru and former CEO of Unilever Paul Polman.

Moira is now an Executive Coach and marketing consultant. She also sits on the board of IASIO, a charity helping former offenders find employment.

Audry Deane

Audry has over 20 years’ experience as a policy and advocacy expert in the community and voluntary/NGO sector to work for better and more equitable outcomes.

Her specialties include social research, strategic management and planning, organisational development, capacity building, facilitation, evaluation, community consultation, communications, influencing and advocacy.

Wesley Wilson

Wesley has been a Volunteer in the Bangor and North Down Branch of Samaritans since 2007. He spent 35 years in the public service with the last 15 years in senior management positions. On retirement in 2007, he trained to become a Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist and has practiced in the NHS and privately since then.

Within Samaritans, Wesley has spent four years as Chair of his Branch and four years as the Branch Director, before becoming a Trustee of the Samaritans Ireland Board.

Colin Culliton

Colin, a married father of three who resides in North Wicklow, is a well-known figure in the marketing communications industry. With a career spanning over three decades, Colin has accumulated know how and experience that has helped him to become the CEO of the LWA Group, a five-company collective that provides creative and dynamic solutions to some of the world's leading organisations.

Colin is a firm believer in lifelong learning. He studied Marketing in Collage after School and subsequently graduated from The Marketing Institute in 1988. He completed an IMI Small Business Course in 1993 which helped him scale. He furthered his studies by completing the EI Leadership 4 Growth Course at IMD University in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 2013. In 2022, Colin earned a Financial Times Pearson Non-Executive Director Diploma.

Outside of business, Colin is an active member of the EY EOY Alumni and a former Irish board member of the International Entrepreneur Organisation (EO). Currently, Colin mentors several driven individuals in the commercial and not-for-profit sectors and he also serves as a non-executive director of all five LWA Group companies.

Ciara Feehely

Ciara Feehely joined Vita as Head of Fundraising & Communications in 2015 having served on the board for several years. She has had a long career working in senior communications roles in EirGrid, ICSA and RTÉ. Originally from Cork, she has lived in Dublin for many years and has one son.

Mark Kennedy (Company Secretary)

Mark has held a number senior management roles in Ireland, the US and Eastern Europe and his relevant experience includes finance, governance, mental health and social care. Prior to his current role as Assistant Director with Samaritans Ireland, Mark worked in a number of senior management roles with Merchants Quay Ireland primarily focused on the management and governance of addiction, homeless and mental health services in Ireland.

Mark has a passion for helping those experiencing mental health difficulties and was previously a volunteer with Dublin Samaritans. Mark is a Certified Accountant (ACCA) and holds a HDip in Psychology, a degree in psychotherapy and an MSc. in Drug & Alcohol Policy.