Siobhan Finn

Siobhán Finn is a senior-level professional and recognised leader in Ireland’s enterprise, innovation and social impact landscape, with over three decades of experience across social enterprise, public–private partnerships and commercial business. She is CEO of the Community Enterprise Association Ireland (CEAI), the national independent body for Ireland’s enterprise centres, hubs and wider community enterprise sector, leading efforts to ensure that every community can access the infrastructure, networks and supports needed to start and grow sustainable businesses. Recognised as a community builder and ecosystem architect, she contributes as a delegate, panel expert and speaker to international entrepreneurship audiences, championing inclusive, place based entrepreneurship and the power of local hubs to deliver national impact.

Throughout her career, Siobhán has been known for connecting people, organisations and ideas in ways that unlock long term value for regions and communities. She has led and advised initiatives that strengthen local innovation capacity, build collaborative networks and translate policy into action, from early ecosystem building efforts in Cork and the South West to national and European level programmes. Trusted by both small rural hubs and large urban centres, she is known for navigating complex conversations, understanding diverse stakeholder perspectives and turning collaboration into measurable outcomes. As CEO of CEAI, she champions hundreds of enterprise centres and innovation hubs that support thousands of jobs and entrepreneurs across Ireland, with a network providing workspace, mentoring, clustering, peer learning and community for startups, SMEs and social enterprises.

Under her leadership, CEAI has sharpened its focus on evidencing the economic, social and environmental value of community led infrastructure, articulating how enterprise centres and hubs act as engines of regional resilience by supporting job creation, new business formation and local investment while enabling flexible work and more balanced regional development. Her trajectory at CEAI began when she was appointed National Hub Network Manager with NACEC, working directly with hub managers and communities to understand their needs, broker partnerships and create shared standards and supports.

Beyond organisational leadership, she plays a significant advisory and governance role at national and international levels, leading an industry consortium to create a Level 9 Executive Apprenticeship Masters in Social and Community Economy with the University of Limerick and contributing to a Level 6 apprenticeship programme in non-profit studies with Technological University Dublin. She is a member of the National Hub Strategy Advisory Group and previously served on the Small Business Advisory Group, ensuring that the lived experience of hubs, SMEs and social enterprises informs policy on enterprise, regional development and innovation. Siobhán also sits on the National Standards Authority of Ireland Technical Committee TC45 for the Innovation Management 56000 Standards Series and has served as an NSAI nominee to the International Task Group on Validation 56002.

Internationally, her ecosystem expertise has been recognised by the Global Entrepreneurship Network, which honoured her as a Community Builder in 2016, and by the Public Management Institute in Marseille, which awarded her a global Laureate for collaborative networking in 2017; she has also been cited in the Kauffman Foundation and US SourceLink publication “Beyond Collisions” for her work on collaborative networks,  currently serving on the board of the Startup Europe Regions Network (SERN). Appointed Startup Gathering Coordinator for the South West by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment for the 2015 national initiative, she convened entrepreneurs, investors, education providers, local authorities and support agencies in a programme of events that showcased the region’s potential and forged enduring relationships, subsequently securing the Startup Nations Summit for Cork in 2016 - a first in Europe.

Her commitment to ecosystem development extends across Europe through numerous EU funded projects supporting digital transformation, internationalisation and innovation among SMEs and micro entrepreneurs. She has acted as external advisor and expert on multiple initiatives, represented Ireland at Smart Specialisation Week and is a regular invitee to Committee of the Regions events. Governance and standards recur throughout her contributions: alongside her NSAI roles, she has served on the Advisory Board of Board Excellence Ireland, and has championed the creation of the QHubs Quality and Innovation Management Programme for enterprise centres and innovation hubs.

Driven by purpose, she turns entrepreneurship into a vehicle for community resilience, shared prosperity and inclusive growth, ensuring innovation genuinely widens opportunity for all.