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Meet the Jury
Winners are selected by a curated jury bringing together diplomatic, institutional, academic and professional expertise from across the Brazil-Ireland corridor. Two fixed jurors sit across all six categories, joined by category jurors with deep knowledge of each field.
FIXED JURORS · ALL SIX CATEGORIES
H.E. Martin Gallagher
Ambassador of Ireland to Brazil
H.E. Martin Gallagher is Ireland's Ambassador to Brazil, bringing over ten years of diplomatic experience in multicultural environments in Ireland and abroad. Throughout his career, he has built and managed critical relationships on Ireland's behalf, developing strong networking and interpersonal skills across a range of institutional settings.
He also brings extensive experience in policy analysis and development, particularly in the fields of humanitarian affairs and food and nutrition security, combining diplomatic expertise with a deep commitment to global cooperation.
Peter Vale
Grant Thornton
Peter Vale is a Partner at Grant Thornton, which he joined in 2007 and where he was admitted to the partnership in 2010. He advises large corporate groups based in Ireland and overseas on tax-efficient structuring, significant transactions, and IP-related incentives such as R&D tax credits and the Knowledge Development Box. As Co-Leader of the Global firm's cross-border tax planning practice, he also brings extensive M&A experience.
Peter is a fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland and the Irish Taxation Institute, and holds a degree from University College Dublin.
CATEGORY JURORS
BRAZIL-IRELAND CORRIDOR LEADERSHIP
Alex Figueiredo
ApexBrasil Europe
Alex Figueiredo has led ApexBrasil Europe, based in Brussels, since 2006, playing a central role in commercial diplomacy between Brazil and European Union countries. He previously served as ApexBrasil's Manager in Germany and worked at the German-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce in Frankfurt, bringing extensive business-oriented experience that combines international trade perspectives with a strong understanding of political and institutional dynamics.
Fluent in Portuguese, German and English, Alex holds degrees in Business Administration, International Trade and Economics from Brazilian and German institutions.
Eoghan O'Briain
Enterprise Ireland
Eoghan is Enterprise Ireland’s Director for South America, leading a team based in Sao Paulo to support innovative Irish companies to win business and grow their footprint in South America.
Eoghan is an experienced business development and government affairs professional with key skills including commercial planning, business intelligence, sales & marketing and project management. Eoghan has extensive experience in supporting leading Irish companies with business development, strategy execution and access to funding with the primary goal of driving exports and employment growth.
Prior to joining Enterprise Ireland, Eoghan was part of successful commercial teams in Brazil with Kerry Group and Luxottica, global leaders in the food and optical sectors. He is fluent in Brazilian Portuguese and German and holds an Economics degree from Trinity College Dublin.
COMMUNITY REACH & TRUSTED ADVISOR
André Acetose Nascimento
IBEC
André Acetose Nascimento is an experienced professional dedicated to overseeing and participating in innovative programmes that translate research into concrete action and practical skills. Throughout his career, he has focused on initiatives that support knowledge transfer, capacity building, and the development of talent within organisations and communities.
He is particularly motivated by the significant strategic, financial, and societal impacts that developing skills and talent can achieve, and he brings this perspective to every programme he is involved in, striving to connect research outcomes with real-world results.
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Senator Aubrey McCarthy
Seanad Éireann
Senator Aubrey McCarthy has spent decades turning vision into reality for individuals and communities across Ireland, drawing on his own experience overcoming family adversity linked to addiction and deprivation. He founded Tiglin, a charity providing housing, rehabilitation, and access to education and employment for those affected by poverty, homelessness, and addiction, which delivered Ireland's first carbon-neutral social housing project.
A graduate of Trinity College Dublin, he also runs two businesses employing over 40 people and has received honours including the Irish Red Cross Humanitarian of the Year Award (2024).
BRAZILIAN RING STAR
Juliana Bolger
Vitrine.ie & Vitrine Magazine
Six years ago, Juliana Bolger turned her passion for stories, people and entrepreneurship into a purpose: discovering and giving visibility to those creating something meaningful. Through her Instagram profile Vitrine.ie, she built a community dedicated to showcasing Brazilian entrepreneurial talent in Ireland, celebrating not only their businesses but also the stories, challenges and dreams behind each project.
A year ago, this vision expanded with Vitrine Magazine, where she serves as Editor and Creative Director, blending creativity and storytelling to create a publication that connects and celebrates entrepreneurship. Her work is driven by the belief that every good idea deserves to be seen, every story deserves to be told, and every entrepreneur deserves a showcase for their purpose.
Marcos Aurelio Gonçalves
Sebrae Paraná
Marcos Aurelio Gonçalves has over 30 years of experience at Sebrae Paraná, with expertise in complex project management, strategic planning and innovation ecosystem development.
He holds a Master’s degree in Innovation and has extensive experience supporting entrepreneurship and business development initiatives.
Oisín Geoghegan
Local Enterprise Office
Oisín Geoghegan is Head of Enterprise at the Fingal Local Enterprise Office, a position he has held since the establishment of the LEOs in 2014, where he manages the office and leads the development and implementation of the region's Enterprise Development Plan.
Prior to this role, he served for 14 years as Chief Executive of the Fingal County Enterprise Board. A graduate of University College Dublin with a Master of Business Studies, Oisín previously held managerial positions in Export Sales and Marketing for Irish and Scandinavian industrial equipment manufacturers in the food processing and engineering sectors.
BRAZILIAN ENTERPRISE EXCELLENCE
Felipe Campos
Avolon
Felipe Campos was appointed Avolon's Chief Operating Officer in October 2022, overseeing the company's operational activity, including transaction management, technical, workplace services, and customer operations teams. He joined Avolon in April 2016, having served as Chief Technical Officer from 2021 to 2022 and previously as Head of Latin America, managing Avolon's relationships with regional airlines. Before Avolon, Felipe held roles across the aviation industry, including at GE Aviation, LATAM and TAM.
He holds a Master of Science in Naval Engineering and Project Management, and a Naval Engineering degree from the University of São Paulo.
Paulo Renato
Sebrae Nacional
Paulo Renato has more than 20 years of experience in innovation and entrepreneurship, including strategic advisory, technology investment and entrepreneurship education.
He is currently Innovation Manager at Sebrae Nacional, where he leads initiatives focused on strengthening Brazil’s innovation ecosystem and supporting entrepreneurial development.
Oisín Geoghegan
Local Enterprise Office
Oisín Geoghegan is Head of Enterprise at the Fingal Local Enterprise Office, a position he has held since the establishment of the LEOs in 2014, where he manages the office and leads the development and implementation of the region's Enterprise Development Plan.
Prior to this role, he served for 14 years as Chief Executive of the Fingal County Enterprise Board. A graduate of University College Dublin with a Master of Business Studies, Oisín previously held managerial positions in Export Sales and Marketing for Irish and Scandinavian industrial equipment manufacturers in the food processing and engineering sectors.
Luiza Helena Trajano
Magazine Luiza; Grupo Mulheres do Brasil
Luiza Helena Trajano is Chair of the Board of Magazine Luiza, one of Brazil’s largest retailers, and President of Grupo Mulheres do Brasil, a network of more than 135,000 members in Brazil and internationally.
Widely recognised for her leadership in entrepreneurship, innovation and people-centred management, she has been named to the TIME 100 and recognised by the Financial Times among the world’s most influential women.
RESEARCH & INNOVATION
Dr. Charles Alves de Castro
Atlantic Technological University (ATU) & Brazilian Academics in Ireland (BAI)
Dr. Charles Alves de Castro is a Lecturer in Marketing Communications at Atlantic Technological University's Sligo Campus, blending academic insight with real-world experience gained across Brazil, Italy, and Ireland. He holds a PhD in Communication Sciences and dual master's degrees in Marketing and Human Resources Management, and his work bridges marketing strategy, digital transformation, and the human side of business.
His research explores how social media influencers, digital technologies and AI are reshaping marketing and human behaviour, with a focus on authenticity, ethics, and engagement online. He is also affiliated with Brazilian Academics in Ireland (BAI) and is passionate about turning theory into practice to inspire innovation and impact.
Dr. Danilo Sarti
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) & Brazilian Academics in Ireland (BAI)
Dr. Danilo Sarti is a PhD-qualified statistician and machine learning scientist with over 15 years of international experience delivering advanced analytics, predictive modelling, and AI solutions across healthcare, biotechnology, agritech, and regulatory science.
He has designed scalable ML pipelines and interpretable AI models for institutions including University Hospital Zurich, InCor (Heart Institute), the University of São Paulo, and Maynooth University, and led data science delivery for multi-million-euro EU-funded projects. He also scaled a biotech startup from concept to market, securing private investment and registering over 50 corn genotypes.
Affiliated with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and Brazilian Academics in Ireland (BAI), Danilo is recognised for bridging complex statistical methods with practical, measurable impact.
Dr. Erivelton Nepomuceno
Maynooth University (MU) & Brazilian Academics in Ireland (BAI)
Dr. Erivelton Nepomuceno holds a BEng and PhD in Electrical Engineering from UFSJ (2001) and UFMG (2005), and is an Associate Professor at the Hamilton Institute and Centre for Ocean Energy Research at Maynooth University. He has held visiting research positions at the Technological Institute of Aeronautics in Brazil, Imperial College London, Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University, and City, University of London. A Senior Member of IEEE, he serves as Associate Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Journal on Emerging and Selected Topics in Circuits and Systems and chairs the IEEE Nonlinear Circuits and Systems Technical Committee.
His research spans computer arithmetic, chaotic cryptography, green computing, ocean energy, and system identification, with over 100 journal papers published. He is also affiliated with Brazilian Academics in Ireland (BAI).
Gerald Gallagher
Technological University Dublin (TU)
Gerald Gallagher is a Lecturer and Programme Chair in Mechanical Engineering at TU Dublin's Bolton Street campus, holding Chartered Engineer and International Professional Engineer titles. He holds a BE in Mechanical Engineering and an MSc in Engineering Computation, with experience in international teaching and process piping coordination at Intel Ireland.
His research spans computational fluid dynamics (CFD), multiphase flows, blood flow and cell dynamics, GPU computing, and sustainable engineering, applied to bioengineering technologies, battery thermal management, wastewater treatment, and renewable fuels. He has secured Enterprise Irelan
d and Ansys funding for his research and co-founded the TU Dublin CFD Research Group, leading a European Simulation and Sustainability Scientific Interest Group.
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