alana kelly

Alanna wrote her first game, an implementation of Hangman on her father's ZX81 that had been fished out of the attic in 1991. Alanna developed a strong interest in game development, technology and computer programming. In 2005, Alanna started working in Dublin as a programmer for PopCap Games International. In 2012, she moved to Galway and has since worked in diverse fields such as Computer Vision, Academia, 3D/Bio Printing and Telecommunications.

Carlo Azzari

Carlo is a Game Designer who’s been part of the Irish Game Dev community for a long time. Starting his career at Simteractive and then continuing as a Level Designer in Black Shamrock. He’s been in Sweden for a little over two years as a Content Designer in Paradox, but is now back at Black Shamrock as a Senior Game Designer. Through all those years he’s been active as an IMIRT member from the start, and co-host of the Games Co-Op monthly meeting and community since 2019. 

Craig Stephens

Originally from the UK, I’m Founder & Director of video games PR agency Kartridge. We have been delivering highly successful media and influencer communications campaigns since 2015. Our clients have ranged from AAA publishers - such as Hi-Rez Studios and Square Enix - to one-person indie developers.

My professional life began in the QA teams of EA and Jagex, which provided a solid understanding of the mechanics of games development. Nurturing a keen interest in Public Relations I then worked with Jagex’s freshly-minted PR team on early RuneScape promotional campaigns. Jagex lead to NCSOFT and several multi-year MMO campaigns. My time there culminated in heading up EMEA PR operations. Prior to Kartridge I was headhunted by Gamer Network to promote their network of brands, including GamesIndustry.biz, Eurogamer and EGX.

In 2018 my Irish wife and I married in Dublin, where we now live and work.

Justin o’Connor

As Head of Finance at StoryToys, Justin works very closely at group level with their parent company Team17, this gives him access to extensive games industry knowledge, not just in Ireland, but further afield too.

Through his role in StoryToys, Justin has gained valuable experience in strategic financial management. Notably, he played a pivotal role in securing and successfully implementing the Digital Games Tax Credit (DGCT) for StoryToys, marking it as the first company in Ireland to adopt this credit. This experience showcases his ability to navigate and leverage government incentives to support and elevate the Irish game development industry. Justin continues to highlight the critical importance of the DGTC to the games industry, engaging with stakeholders in IDA, government departments to improve and expand the depth and scope of the credit. Justin has a BA in Accounting and is a Fellow with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).

Utilising the platform provided by Team 17, Justin and his colleagues in StoryToys use every opportunity to promote the Irish gaming industry in the UK and further afield.  

Imirt's emphasis on inclusivity, diverse representation, and collaboration resonates with his values. Justin is excited to contribute to the organization's success by bringing a strategic financial perspective, particularly with insights gained from navigating government incentives like the Irish gaming tax credit.

maria o’brien

I am an academic and researcher working in the area of public policy for cultural and creative industries. I carry out research on tax incentives for cultural production in Ireland/EU and am very interested in seeing how the new digital games tax credit will work out for the Irish games industry. I am currently based in the School of Law & Government in DCU teaching on various courses, reflecting my background as a lawyer. I completed a PhD on tax incentives for film production in Ireland in 2020 in the School of Communications, DCU.

Patrick O’Donnel

I am an experienced equity analyst with a deep focus on the video gaming segment. I have covered the U.K. listed ecosystem since 2018.

The companies include Keywords Studios; Codemasters: Team17; tinyBuild; Devolver Group; Frontier Developments; My experience includes the organisation of specialist events in the space covering key themes dominating the industry; quarterly reports on the global games industry; and stock recommendations and investor interaction on U.K. listed and global games companies. I am also a qualified chartered accountant having trained at Deloitte 2010-2014.