Anne O’Leary to receive Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of the Year Awards

With a 30-year career in technology, Anne O’Leary is renowned for her 14-year tenure at Vodafone including nine years as Chief Executive Officer and prior to that, with the BT Group. She joined Meta in September 2022 as the Vice President of Mid-Market Global Business Group in EMEA, and in May 2023, was appointed Head of Meta Ireland. She currently leads a team of 2,000 people at Meta Ireland, all with a pioneering, global perspective.

Anne’s career has also seen her serve as President of Ibec (2024–2025), while she currently serves as a board member of Greencore and the ESRI. She has received numerous awards and accolades, including in 2024, an honorary doctorate from University College Cork. Throughout her career, Anne has advocated for the recruitment and retention of women in STEM, introducing many game-changing initiatives for women in the workplace.

Anne will join a group of outstanding recipients of the IMAGE PwC Lifetime Achievement Award, including Mary Robinson; Breege O’Donoghue, Company Director, Penneys/Primark; Voxpro co-founder Linda Kiely; former Global President of Mars Food, Multisales and Global Customers, Fiona Dawson CBE; Anne Heraty, founder and former CEO of Cpl Resources plc; and last year’s winner, Siobhán Talbot, Executive Director, Glanbia plc.

In 2026, the IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of the Year Awards marks and celebrates IMAGE’s 50th birthday, along with a move to the Main Hall, RDS in order to accommodate the awards’ continued growth, impact and significance.

Clodagh Edwards, CEO, IMAGE Media, says: “Someone like Anne O’Leary only comes around once in a generation, and we are delighted to choose the moment of IMAGE’s 50th birthday to celebrate Anne, and all that she has achieved in her 30-year career. She’s a futurist, a strategist, a technologist and a true leader, who raises her team with energy and vision. The 2026 IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of the Year Awards is going to be our biggest celebration to date, and we are thrilled to launch 2026’s activity with the announcement of Anne’s Lifetime Achievement Award.”

Marie Coady, Markets Partner at PwC Ireland, says: “Anne O’Leary’s career is a powerful example of the impact of strong, forward-thinking leadership in shaping the future of business and technology. Anne has consistently shown an ability to navigate change by combining strategic thinking with a genuine commitment to people and progress – qualities that resonate strongly with the values celebrated at these awards. Recognising leaders like Anne is not just about celebrating individual achievement; it underscores the pivotal role women play in shaping industries and advancing innovation.”

The IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of the Year Awards, sponsored by Samsung, Cpl, Eversheds Sutherland, Cantor Fitzgerald, Telus Digital, Nespresso Professional, Weir & Sons, Cairn Homes, Vodafone Business and Pinergy, celebrates women in business across 14 categories, plus the overall IMAGE PwC Businesswoman of the Year and the IMAGE PwC Lifetime Achievement Award. The awards recognise the contribution Irish women make to every facet of business, philanthropic and modern life.