Dearbhla Kinsella
Dearbhla Kinsella is the Financial and Managing Director for Chieftain Fabrics, a role she has held since 2006. She has over 15 years of experience in business and finance. She is a skilled leader and strategic planner, as well as an effective project manager.
Dearbhla Kinsella attended the University College Dublin where she studied economics and politics. She then went on to earn a Masters in Business Studies, specialising in finance from the Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School. In addition, she spent three years working on a master’s degree in finance specialising on corporate governance and the role of independent board members.
Upon completion of her education, Dearbhla Kinsella worked at the Bank of Ireland Group Treasury as part of the Reconciliations Team and then at the Allied Irish Bank (GB) as a Relationship Manager. At Allied Irish Bank, Dearbhla’s role focused on the Syndicated Loans division. She progressed through a team of researching multinational required loans and reviewing loans and presented findings to the UK management team and Head Office teams.
From 2001 to 2006, Dearbhla Kinsella worked as a lecturer at the Dublin Institute of Technology. She worked in both the School of Accounting and Finance and the School of Marketing. Dearbhla taught first-year through fourth-year students, as well as some MBA students. The primary subjects she lectured on were Financial Strategy, Corporate Finance, Quantitative Analysis and Financial Services. She was also a supervisor for final year dissertation students and a coordinator for final-year dissertation programmes.
In 2006, Dearbhla Kinsella began her current role as the Financial and Managing Director for Chieftain Fabrics. As a leader in the company, she works across various departments, including sales, marketing, human resources, and customer service. Dearbhla also analyses costs and plans and budgets supplies. She is also responsible for looking at the company’s loss-making stock and reducing lines of poor sellers, as well as investing in new markets through research bodies, trade shows, and selling partners.
Throughout her career at Chieftain Fabrics, Dearbhla Kinsella has led the team through numerous difficulties including Brexit, an economic crash, currency crisis, and complicated supplier relationships. The company has had to uproot their entire operation twice and move to new plants, which meant relocating cumbersome machinery and training new suppliers on the company’s manufacturing processes. In both instances, the organisation managed to achieve cost savings and maintain their supply without interruption.
Dearbhla Kinsella has also assisted Chieftain Fabrics through the rebranding process, leading the way for the company to become a leader in sustainable fabrics. She also works on new product development. The company has launched many new lines and innovative products over the years, working to source new sustainable ingredients, cutting edge healthcare additives, and new ecological processes. Their products are used throughout the NHS in the UK, Premier League sports clubs, major hotel chains, national airports, and major airlines.
Outside of work, Dearbhla Kinsella is a wife and mother of three girls. Some of her favourite activities include baking, cooking, and exercising. She also enjoys skiing, running, horse riding, open sea diving, and running her blog, WrinklesandAll.com.
