Board of Directors

Seamas Donnelly

Seamas Donnelly (left above) is Professor and Head of Medicine at Trinity College Dublin.  He coaches at Meteors Basketball Club and was named underage Women's Coach of the Year at the Basketball Ireland Annual Awards in 2023.  He has coached at national, provincial and club level over recent years. 

He previously played national league basketball with Galway Democrats and with North Mon in the Cork Leagues.  He has served previously on the Board of Basketball Ireland and currently serves as Chairperson of the Hall of Fame Committee and as medical advisor to Basketball Ireland.

Paul McDevitt

Paul McDevitt, FCCA Registered Auditor & Accountant, has been a partner in McDevitt & McGlynn since 1992. Paul has extensive experience in dealing with SME’s and Not For Profit Organisations advising them on taxation, financial, corporate governance and auditing matters.

Treasurer of both the NWAB and the NABC, Paul is also a member of Council, representing the NABC. He is also a member of the joint council and board subcommittee, reviewing the current corporate structure of Basketball Ireland and is actively involved in coaching at both club and Area Board level. 

Bill McCotter

Bill McCotter is an SME owner and director operating in the retail and commercial property sectors. Specialising in the set up of international fashion brands in the UK and Irish retail markets Bill has provided consulting on planning, distribution, marketing and financing for route to market. Bill has held directorships in several companies and voluntary organisations.

Bill is a founding member of Belfast Star in 1964 with 60 years of experience in various roles within the Irish basketball community. Having played, coached and served as an administrator in various committee’s most recently as a member of the MNCC Bill has extensive knowledge of basketball in Ireland at all levels. He is currently president of Belfast Star and director of an independent fashion agency.

Theresa Walsh

Theresa Walsh is a public servant with vast experience in a variety of administration roles.

Theresa has been involved in basketball for over 30 years as an administrator, player, coach, technical officer (at both local and national levels) and as the President of Basketball Ireland, serving in the role for two terms, from 2016 to 2020. 

Michael Ryan 

Michael has been involved in basketball in Ireland since his school days at all levels as a player, coach and in the past as a referee. He was previously a member of the BI FinArc committee. Michael is a Chartered Accountant, Chartered Tax Adviser and a member of the Institute of Directors.

Michael brings a wealth of experience in financial management and corporate governance to the board. He has recently retired as a partner in a leading law firm and currently acts as a director of a number of companies and serves on the governing body of a third-level educational institution.

Dr. Brendan O’Brien 

Commercially focussed founder, CEO, and entrepreneur. He has founded and scaled three Irish startups and led them to international acquisition. Significant experience in global marketing, business development and sales, with deep expertise in digital transformation, data-derived insights, IoT, new business models, as well as creating and scaling new businesses. Current focus areas are in applying AI/Data Analytics/ML to solve problems in multiple sectors, including Healthcare, CleanTech, Mobility and Smarter approaches to education, manufacturing and cities.

Active in multiple sports and previously represented Ireland at World and European level in Orienteering & Mountain Running.

Currently Director & Chair Finance/Risk at ‘The Wheel’. Chairperson of Adventure Racing Ireland. Former High-Performance Director and Chairperson of Irish Orienteering Association. Formerly a board member of multiple organisations in Ireland and the USA.

Dolores Geaney 

Dolores has been involved in basketball since school, as a player, coach and referee and subsequently in club basketball in Galway and Dublin, in a player and management capacity. Geaney is currently chair of Meteors Ladies Basketball Club and part of the Irish senior women’s management team.

Professionally, Geaney has worked in the financial services industry for over 25 years, at company director and C-suite level, focusing on governance, strategy, integration, change management, and regulation.

Her experience ranges from Irish financial services companies to global US entities. Geaney’s education includes a Bachelors of Financial Services from UCD and a Diploma in Company Direction from the Institute of Internal Directors. She is also a Certified Bank Director, as well as a qualified member of the Institute of Internal Auditors.

Susan Johnston 

Susan is a former scientist, now management consultant with Deloitte UK, and has extensive experience working with clients across the pharmaceutical industry and public sector. With a specific focus in R&D innovation, Susan has advised clients on strategy development, operating model design and supported large scale programme implementation.

Susan has been involved with basketball for most of her life, primarily as a player for Phoenix Basketball Club, but also as a coach, table official and former board member of Basketball Northern Ireland.

  Nuala Walsh

Nuala is a global advisor, non-executive director, and behavioural scientist with three decades in global investment management. 

She is CEO at MindEquity Consulting, Advisor at World Athletics, and Deputy Chair at The Football Association’s Inclusion Board. Other appointments include Founding Director, Global Association of Behavioural Scientists; President of Harvard Club of Ireland; Trustee at The Innocence Project; and advisor at JDH executive search.

Recognized among the Top 100 Most Influential Women in Finance, former positions include Vice-Chair, UN Women (UK), and Chief Marketing Officer at Standard Life Aberdeen. She has led many high-profile sports campaigns in tennis, rugby, golf, and motor racing.

A TEDx and Visiting Speaker at the London School of Economics, Harvard Kennedy School, and INSEAD, Nuala regularly publishes on leadership and decision-making in Forbes, Psychology Today, and Inc.