Directors
CEO, Cliste Hospitality
Paul Fitzgerald
CEO, Cliste Hospitality
Sharp thinking, adaptability to change, and future planning are key strengths of Paul Fitzgerald, CEO of Cliste Hospitality. A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Accountants in Ireland, Paul’s career began in the motor industry as a financial accountant. He then transitioned into retail, where he held several senior executive roles across finance, IT, trading, and operations.
Before joining iNUA Hospitality as CFO, Paul served as the Director of Finance, IT, Operations, and Buying for the Barry Group, a leading wholesale and distribution company in Ireland. His move into hospitality brought new competencies in strategy formulation, commercial acumen, and transaction analysis to iNUA.
Since taking the helm at Cliste Hospitality, Paul has overseen remarkable growth, transforming the company from a five-person team managing a small portfolio of hotels to a robust team of over 50 professionals managing 16 properties. Under his leadership, Cliste Hospitality has built a dynamic team well-positioned for future growth.
The dedication of his senior team underscores Paul’s leadership qualities and their confidence in Cliste Hospitality’s continued success.
Executive Director Corporate Development
Mairea Doyle Balfe
Executive Director Corporate Development
Mairea heads up Corporate Development for Cliste and has over 25 years' experience in operations and professional services. Mairea has worked in the US and Ireland on projects from concept development through feasibility, analysis, corporate finance and contract negotiations. Mairea has an MBA from TU Dublin, where she was awarded the Gold Medal for the MBA program.
Cliste
CEO, Cliste Hospitality
Paul Fitzgerald
CEO, Cliste Hospitality
Sharp thinking, adaptability to change, and future planning are key strengths of Paul Fitzgerald, CEO of Cliste Hospitality. A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Accountants in Ireland, Paul’s career began in the motor industry as a financial accountant. He then transitioned into retail, where he held several senior executive roles across finance, IT, trading, and operations.
Before joining iNUA Hospitality as CFO, Paul served as the Director of Finance, IT, Operations, and Buying for the Barry Group, a leading wholesale and distribution company in Ireland. His move into hospitality brought new competencies in strategy formulation, commercial acumen, and transaction analysis to iNUA.
Since taking the helm at Cliste Hospitality, Paul has overseen remarkable growth, transforming the company from a five-person team managing a small portfolio of hotels to a robust team of over 50 professionals managing 16 properties. Under his leadership, Cliste Hospitality has built a dynamic team well-positioned for future growth.
The dedication of his senior team underscores Paul’s leadership qualities and their confidence in Cliste Hospitality’s continued success.
Director of Revenue, Marketing & PR
Brenda Murphy
Director of Revenue, Marketing & PR
Brenda leads the Marketing & Revenue department which includes strategic pricing and all marketing campaigns. Brenda’s experience includes branded and non-branded properties such as the 5-star Castlemartyr Resort, Radisson St. Helens and Radisson Galway. Brenda has worked across Ireland and the UK.
Group Financial Controller
Michael Cullen
Group Financial Controller
Michael is a KPMG trained Chartered Accountant. As Group FC Michael heads up the finance function across the group hotels. His experience includes being Finance Director of Sprout & Co, Head of Finance in Metropolis Studios and Head of Finance for Bewley’s UK.
Finance
Head of Reporting
Ruth Savage
Head of Reporting
Ruth Savage was appointed Group Head of Financial Reporting in 2022, following a series of promotions within Cliste Hospitality. Ruth initially joined our group as Financial Controller for the Hillgrove Hotel & Spa, and most recently held the role of Regional Financial Controller for the North-West of Ireland, with responsibility for properties including the Hillgrove Hotel in addition to the Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa Sligo and the Tullamore Court Hotel.
Director of People & Culture
Deirdre Buckley
Director of People & Culture
Deirdre has over 20 years of HRM leadership in hospitality, retail, and wholesale industries, leading impactful programs and delivering high-value People & Culture initiatives. Deirdre has established iNUA as a strong employer brand that attracts top talent and has led the transformation to a P&C division delivering high value performance.
Human Resources
International Talent Acquisition Manager
André Claro
International Talent Acquisition Manager
With two decades of experience in the hospitality industry, André Claro joined Cliste Hospitality as International Talent Acquisition Manager in February 2022. He is devoted to showcasing career prospects within the organisation and cultivating a sense of unity among team members. Prior to his tenure at Cliste, André held significant roles at renowned companies such as Assistant HR Manager at The Marker Hotel in Dublin and HR Manager at The Montenotte in Cork.
Group Learning & Development Manager
Trevor McCarthy
Group Learning & Development Manager
As Group Learning & Development Manager, Trevor creates, designs, and implements effective L&D programmes across our portfolio to ensure capability in our businesses through the means of our Learn, Evolve, Thrive ethos. Trevor has a wealth of experience in both the academic and hospitality sectors having joined Cliste in 2022 from the O’ Donoghue Ring Collection, and was previously Programme Leader and Lecturer at both Shannon College of Hotel Management and Limerick Institute of Technology.
International Talent Acquisition Specialist
Roberta Meloni
International Talent Acquisition Specialist
Group People & Culture Business Partner
Grace Moore
Group People & Culture Business Partner
Grace’s role will guide the People & Culture strategy alongside the hotel leadership teams in the key areas of talent attraction, development, and retention in our properties located in the Midlands, Dublin & northeast region.
Director of Revenue, Marketing & PR
Brenda Murphy
Director of Revenue, Marketing & PR
Brenda leads the Marketing & Revenue department which includes strategic pricing and all marketing campaigns. Brenda’s experience includes branded and non-branded properties such as the 5-star Castlemartyr Resort, Radisson St. Helens and Radisson Galway. Brenda has worked across Ireland and the UK.
Sales, Marketing & Yield
Group Director of Digital Marketing
Emer Hallahan
Group Director of Digital Marketing
Emer joined Cliste Hospitality in June 2019 from the global e-commerce group, Yoox Net-A-Porter, where as Group Digital Manager she led web, digital, and social media strategies, and managed teams across London and Milan. Prior to that, Emer spent over 6 years as Communications Project Manager at Kering, whose portfolio of global brands includes Gucci, YSL, Stella McCartney, and PUMA. Emer previously commenced her marketing career as an intern at Vivienne Westwood.
Group Director of Sales
Christian Schmelter
Group Director of Sales
Christian joined Cliste in October 2020, after 6 years as Group Director of Sales at TIFCO Hotel. Christian's primary role is in diversifying the corporate, meeting, and events business, leading a team of 8 sales directors and 2 business development managers in actively prospecting and qualifying new business throughout the group. Christian also leads The iNUA Collection cross-selling programme, and the group’s sales strategy covering corporate and MICE.
Group Revenue Manager
Jane Jordan
Group Revenue Manager
Managing the Revenue for the group, Jane joined Cliste Hospitality in October 2022 having previously worked for 8 years with Staycity Group where she most recently led Revenue Distribution and New opening for the European Aparthotel operator. During her time Jane worked in many revenues roles and was responsible for the revenue pre-opening of a dynamic portfolio of hotels across a variety of cities. Prior to this, Jane held roles in Revenue the Fitzgerald Group. Jane holds a BA in Hotel Management from Galway -Mayo Institute of Technology and an MBA from Dublin Business School.
Join Our Team
At Cliste we are committed to a workplace environment that promotes diversity and inclusion. Our culture allows all employees to feel valued and appreciated. Our aim is to create an environment with a wide range of perspectives, and skillsets, that promote innovation.