The Irish Red Cross welcomes our 2025 Judging Panel
The 2025 Humanitarian Awards judging panel consists of exceptional leaders making positive societal impact across their industries and organisations.
Olivia Mitchell
Olivia is a well-known and regarded national politician. She is qualified with a Bachelor in Arts in Economics and Politics and began her career teaching economics before beoming involved in politics as Councillor and later Chair of the Local Authority. She was elected to the Dáil in 1997 and has served on the Fine Gael front bench as spokesperson on Housing, Health & Children, Arts, Sports & Tourism, Communications, and Transport.
Derry Gray
Orla Feely
She holds a BE degree from University College Dublin and MS and PhD degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, where her PhD thesis won the DJ Sakrison Memorial Prize for outstanding and innovative research. While at UC Berkeley, she also won the Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award. Her research is in the area of nonlinear circuits and systems, and she has been awarded research grants and prizes from a number of national, international and industry sources. She served as Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact at UCD from 2014 to 2023.
Professor Feely is a Member of the Royal Irish Academy and a Fellow of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), Engineers Ireland and the Irish Academy of Engineering.
She is President of CESAER (the Conference of European Schools of Advanced Engineering Education and Research), and has previously served as President of Engineers Ireland, as Chair of the Irish Research Council, the EU Advisory Group on Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions and the IEEE Technical Committee on Nonlinear Circuits and Systems, and as Board Member and Deputy Chair of the Higher Education Authority in Ireland. She is a member of the Board of Ibec and a member of the judging panels for the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition and the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering.
Felix O’Regan
Prior to his retirement in 2020, Felix worked in the consumer and banking sectors: as CEO of the Independents Consumers Association of Ireland and as Director of Communications and Public Affairs with the Banking & Payments Federation of Ireland, the representative body for the banking and payments industry. In that time, he developed considerable experience in the areas of Media and Public Communications, Public Relations as well as in Public Affairs.
Felix has experience of serving on Boards in an independent, non-executive capacity: Social Finance Foundation 2007-2016; Microfinance Ireland 2012-15; The Wheel since October 2021.
Over the years he has collaborated with other not-for-profit bodies on specific projects, both professionally and personally e.g., Dublin Simon Community fundraising activities; his local GAA club, Clanna Gael Fontenoy, in the role of PRO for many years.
He is keen to contribute voluntarily, with passion and commitment, to the not-for-profit sector. Felix is the new Government Representative to the General Assembly.
Pendo O’Donoghue
Pendo is Google’s Director of Sales for the Middle East & Africa. Based in Dublin, she leads a team driving growth for Google Ads advertisers across the region. With over 22 years of experience, Pendo began her career in Zimbabwe supporting a children’s non-profit. At Google, she’s worked with UK sales teams before embracing the challenge of developing nascent markets.
A passionate advocate for Diversity and Inclusion, Pendo founded Google Ireland’s Black Googler Network chapter (an Employee Resource Group) in 2014. She is also Google’s representative on the Dublin Chamber of Commerce’s Policy Council.
Mike Dockery
Mike Dockery has been a resident of Ireland for the past 28 years and has witnessed Ireland’s growth and change over this long duration.
Before moving to Ireland Mike was a Social worker in the UK, working with Children with learning difficulties.
Upon arriving in Ireland he transitioned into IT related sales where he has worked for various multinational organisations in multiple leadership roles since 1996.
Mike set up a Muay Thai Boxing Club in 2002, This club still exists today along with 3 others set up by his former students.
Following his desire to improve perspectives and prospects for his kids and others, he co-founded the Black Leadership Council Ireland. In doing so, Mike focused on his youngest daughter and a desire to ensure positive role models in the work place who look like her. Mike also works to actively support organisations to broaden their understanding of cultural and social diversity in Ireland.
Mike is a proud father of 5 children of ages 30,20,18 and his youngest 2 are foster children aged 12 and 20 months.
Nina Arwitz
Nina is responsible for the overall strategic direction of Volunteer Ireland, and ensuring that we deliver our mission to promote, support and advocate for excellent, accessible and inclusive volunteering in Ireland. She works to secure diverse funding, implement good governance practices and ensure that Volunteer Ireland is an effective and efficient organisation.
Nina also represents Volunteer Ireland externally to raise the profile of volunteering, works with the public sector to emphasise the importance of volunteering in delivering the government’s strategic priorities, develops partnerships and explores new opportunities for growth and innovation in order to maximise our impact.
Fina Eccleston
Fina has been a volunteer with the Irish Red Cross Portlaw Branch in Co. Waterford since 2014, being active in youth leadership and the provision of medical cover at events as well as community support activities.
As a member of ChillOut+ and the Pride of the Déise committee, she advocates equality, acceptance and inclusion of diversity in all shapes and forms. This includes organising events for StandUp week as a member of the student council at her school where she is currently preparing for the Leaving Certificate. Fina plans to study zoology after completing school.
Michael Smyth
Michael Smyth is a dedicated trade union leader and education advocate with extensive experience in public service and governance. He serves as the National Treasurer of Fórsa Union and is the Chairperson of the Fórsa Union Global Solidarity Committee. Fórsa is Ireland’s largest public sector union, representing 90,000 members nationwide.
Beyond his union leadership, Michael is a board member of the City of Dublin ETB and a member of the National University of Ireland Senate. He holds an MA in Education and has worked for over 20 years supporting young people in a school retention programme. His experience also includes serving on various boards in non-executive and independent roles.