IDA Ireland appoints Rachel Shelly as head of life sciences

IDA Ireland has appointed Rachel Shelly to the role of divisional manager, life sciences & food and talent, transformation and innovation. Shelly will play a key leadership role in IDA as she also joins IDA’s executive leadership team. 

Rachel joined IDA Ireland in 2006 where she spent five years based in IDA’s New York office, managing corporate client relationships and new business development across the Content, Consumer, B2B Services and Engineering sectors. On returning to Ireland in 2011, Rachel was promoted to project manager in the Content, Consumer & Business Services (CCBS) division where she managed the CCBS East Coast territory. In 2018, she was appointed department manager, medical technologies, based in Athlone. 

Shelly is currently a non-executive board member of DMI (Digital Manufacturing Ireland) and holds an MSc in Strategic Management, BBS in Marketing Management & Diploma in Change Management and her skills knowledge and experience will contribute greatly to her new role in IDA.

Michael Lohan, CEO of IDA Ireland said: “I am delighted that Rachel is joining the executive leadership team. Rachel has extensive experience in the life sciences sector, particularly in her role as head of medical technologies where she has been instrumental in evolving Ireland’s reputation as a global medtech cluster, while also furthering our national competency in advanced manufacturing through the establishment of Digital Manufacturing Ireland. In her new role, Rachel will be responsible for leading a strong global team in the Life Sciences & Food and Talent, Transformation and Innovation Division to win investment and identify new areas of opportunities for Ireland. I wish Rachel every success as she takes up her new position.”