Republic of Work

Laura Dowling is a qualified pharmacist, wellness advocate, and Founder & Chief Scientific Officer of fabÜ. With over 20 years’ experience in community pharmacy, she is widely known as the @fabulouspharmacist on Instagram and has become one of Ireland’s most trusted voices in women’s health.

Passionate about helping people live balanced, healthy lives without the noise of fads or quick fixes, Laura blends science-led expertise with a warm, relatable style. Through her extensive online platform, national media presence, and live events, she empowers women with evidence-based advice delivered with humour, honesty, and empathy.

Her nationwide Love Your Vulva tour and best-selling book tackled taboo topics head-on, sparking important conversations around women’s health and showcasing her rare ability to connect and inspire at scale. A sought-after speaker across corporate and public platforms, Laura brings credibility, candour, and refreshing energy to every stage — from hormonal health and menopause to workplace wellbeing, stress, sleep, and sustainable healthy habits.

Dermot Mulligan is an award winning senior marketing leader with over 25 years’ experience shaping and transforming some of Ireland’s best-known brands.

As Chief Marketing Officer at Re-turn, he has played a central role in elevating national engagement with the Deposit Return Scheme, launching the new ‘Re-turn It Right’ brand platform, and delivering major behavioural change.

Dermot previously served as Head of Marketing at Bord Gáis Energy, where he transformed the brand into a leading energy and services provider and was responsible for the development of the largest loyalty programme in the Irish energy market. Prior to that he led the brand and marketing strategy for GE Money, Abbey Travel and Irish Ferries. He is known for his insight driven approach, stakeholder leadership, and ability to build culturally resonant brands.

Dónal Comerford leads Oatly’s Irish growth as Country Manager. With deep international FMCG and brand-building experience, Donal champions Oatly’s mission - to make it easy for people to eat better and live healthier lives without recklessly taxing the planet’s resources.

He’s on a mission to convert more lattes, minds and hearts - one oat at a time. 

Jay is an experienced and award-winning marketing and communications strategist. Currently Group Strategy Director in Core, he has been honing his craft as an agency strategist for 15 years. In this time he was worked with dozens of Ireland’s biggest brands across as many different categories. As a 15-time Effie award winner and judge, he is a recognised expert in marketing effectiveness.

In addition to his practical experience, Jay believes that his commitment to continuous education has also been key to his career success to date. With a primary degree in Technology, Design, & Innovation, Jay has also completed numerous professional certifications in the marketing domain and multiple short courses in subjects ranging from philosophy to programming and probability. Recognising the need for marketers to better understand the lingua franca of business and finance, he is currently completing an MBA at Trinity College Dublin.

Simon Geraghty, Research Strategist at Amárach Research, is an award-winning Research & Insights Director with 20+ years at the intersection of insight, design and commerce. He specialises in demystifying the complex and championing customer-centric strategies that resonate with stakeholders to drive measurable growth.

When not decoding consumer behaviour, he can usually be found making his next playlist or out walking his two greyhounds.