Presenting your Confident SELF

Neil Cody has 20+ years of experience in architecting training, learning & development, and learning technology solutions for large enterprisees, the public sector, SMBs and individual clients. As an experienced people manager and leader, he has worked for global brands, including Twitter, PayPal and Dell, where he led teams and strategic learning and development, training, coaching and technology-enabled solutions in dynamic, complex and commercially focused operational environments.

His BSc in Computer Science (1H) has given him a lifelong interest in technology & innovation and equips me to research, learn and understand new technology, tools, applications, platforms, and systems. He has a creative and entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for business, sales, marketing, design, branding, and communications. He also holds a professional diploma in digital and social selling.

His diverse global project and program management experience extends across various roles and skills in the Learning & Development industry, from consultancy, facilitation, instructional design, learning technology, program management, and leadership.

As a Life & Executive Coach, Certified Global Gallup Strengths, Certified Insights Discovery Licensed Practitioner, Certified Hogan Assessments and EQi 2.0 Emotional Intelligence Coach, he has a natural curiosity, interest, empathy, and care for supporting and enabling people.

As an experienced designer, presenter and facilitator, he is passionate about creating and delivering impactful learning experiences to groups in person or virtually. He uses his coaching skills to facilitate and support others to learn and grow.

He is analytical and execution-focused and loves collaborating with clients, driving solutions end to end, and achieving business goals, metrics, and objectives. He has built a reputation for understanding needs and leading the creative design, development and execution of solutions that exceed expectations. Others seek out and recommend him as a trusted advisor, consultant, mentor, and coach throughout his career.

Saoirse Durkan is a dynamic and results-oriented marketing and PR strategist with over seven years of experience in developing and executing innovative marketing campaigns across diverse industries including NxtGEN Executive Presence, London Stock Exchange Group and Accenture. She is currently based in NYC representing NxtGEN overseas and has a proven track record of driving brand awareness, customer engagement, and revenue growth through strategic planning, market analysis, and creative problem-solving.

She has previous work experience as an Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Specialist for LSEG, executing tailored marketing campaigns to engage high-value clients and prospects in the financial services sector within the dynamic landscape of Wall Street in New York City.

Saoirse thrives in fast-paced environments, leveraging creativity and innovation to stay ahead of market trends and deliver impactful solutions that resonate with target audiences.

Saoirse holds a Master's degree in Public Relations from the Public Relations Institute of Ireland (PRII) where she enhanced her passion for creativity and effective communications following from her BA degree in Music and Communications from University College Dublin.

In her spare time, Saoirse is an advocate for world travelling and staying active.

Amy is NxtGEN's Digital Marketing Assistant who is involved in creating brand content, and articles and performing general administrative tasks.

Amy first came to us as an intern during her degree and is now working part-time in her final year of Information Communications Studies and Sociology at University College Dublin.

She applies her contemporary knowledge, dedication and lust for learning to her role at NxtGEN. Amy hopes to obtain a master’s degree in Communications in 2024 to further expand her wisdom and expertise.

Gabi Widurek contributes as a Freelance Content Creator and Research Consultant, adding to brand content, teaching curriculum, and research.

Gabi holds a Master's degree in TESOL from University College Dublin, where she is currently pursuing a PhD in Linguistics at the School of Languages, Cultures, and Linguistics. She runs a language consultancy, Executive Language Lab, which focuses on exploring the nuances of the Language of Business, particularly in the context of English for Specialised Purposes through the Corpus Linguistics approach.

Deeply passionate about empowering people for whom English is not their first language to express themselves in any professional situation.

In addition to her Master’s degree, Gabi holds a Higher Professional Diploma in Content Writing for Marketing from UCD Professional Academy. She is an ardent yoga practitioner, a lifelong learner, reader, and traveller who enjoys spending free time with her family.

Russ is the co-founder and Managing Director of iSpeak, Inc. - An award-winning professional development training company. He is a professional speaker, award- winning international trainer, and published author on Professional Sales Communication and Business Communication. He has gained experience as a sales professional, business development manager, entrepreneur, and senior executive from his career.

Over the past 20 years, he has delivered workshops, keynotes, and personal communication coaching services to business professionals in the U.S. and around the world. Russ has a heart for developing leaders and business professionals so they can enter their next challenging situation with greater confidence, an engaging message, and the ability to inspire and influence. He sees every workshop he delivers as an opportunity to serve and every success story from a student as the real payday.

In 2013 Russ co-authored “Corporate Ovations: Your Roadmap to More Effective Presentations” In, 2009 he received the Gold Stevie Award - Best Sales Trainer, and in 2003 he published “Cut the C.R.A.P. and Make the Sale”.

Russ and Paul have been collaborating since 2009 on designing, co-facilitating, and delivering multiple Corporate Communications Skills training initiatives globally for multinational clients such as U.C.C. Academy, Dell, Microsoft, Vodafone, Ornua, Virgin Media, to name but a few.

Steven’s passion is helping people achieve their goals and dreams. He has over 20 years of experience in building long-term relationships, particularly at C-Suite level, and has led high performance teams with telecoms/technology industry.

Steven is also an energetic and results driven Sales Leader with an exceptional track record in the Corporate, SMB, and consumer segments. He has worked in various sales and sales leadership roles withing technology and telecoms multinationals.

Clients will appreciate his enjoyment of teaching, clear tone and his passion for technology. He will devotedly discuss the impact of digital transformation with business leaders across the Enterprise and Public sector segments.

His collaboration with NxtGEN began in 2017. He is a qualified Business and Executive Coach and holds a MSc in Leadership from UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School. Steven also volunteers his time on a weekly basis to coach and mentor young people in the areas of sport and career development.

Since 1993, Cynthia Oelkers has been giving keynotes on technical topics (such as telephony and B2B website integration) and communication skills to audiences from CEOs of Fortune 100 companies to college students as an instructor at St. Edward’s and LeTourneau Universities. Fourteen years in the high-tech environment is enough to make anyone long for laughter.

Since 1999, Cynthia has performed improv comedy for The National Comedy Theatre (formerly ComedySportz), In The Moment, and Girls, Girls, Girls! in Austin while working to help Dell, Inc. become an e-business.

She is a professional public speaker and has led management training in the corporate and higher-education sectors for over nineteen years. She combines her work as an improv comedian, researcher, and businesswoman to create keynote experiences that are insightful, relevant, and fun.

Cynthia holds a Master’s degree in Interpersonal Communication from The University of Texas at Austin and teaches Presentational Speaking at St. Edward’s and Business Communication at LeTourneau Universities. Along with her 16 years of professional speaking experience, Cynthia is the co-author of workbooks titled Team Productivity, Leading without Losing It, Business Writing, and Conflict Management.

Based in Dublin, Ireland, Paul A. Slattery is one of only five Certified Master Instructors (iCMI) for iSpeak and the only one in Europe. Paul is an Expert Facilitator in University College Dublin (UCD) Smurfit Graduate Business School, where he delivers a unique team-based presentations skills class to the MBA Students on the Leadership Development Programme. He is also Programme Director with UCD Smurfit Executive Development, where he delivers the Communication and Executive Presence short programme. Today Paul is a Former Fellow of the Sales Institute of Ireland, the Institute of Directors in Ireland and the Irish Institute of Training and Development.

Paul’s career started as a CATV engineer and project manager however he has gained an impeccable sales record over the past twenty-five years of strategic sales, business development and management experience Internationally. Holding positions as Account Executive, Account Director, Global Account Director, Regional Sales Director and Country Manager within the technology sector. He has successfully fronted two international telecom entrants in the Irish market in the past fifteen years.

Paul has been running his own successful business in Ireland since March 2004. Providing executive educational services, executive mentoring and coaching, management training workshops, as well as motivational seminars and keynote speeches internationally. His professional qualifications include: IBAT Dip in Psychology, IBAT College Dublin, Successful Case Teaching Accredited by The Case Centre, Cranfield University, UK, iSpeak Certified Master Instructor Accredited by iSpeak, Austin, Tx, USA, DIT Diploma in Management Accredited by The Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) in Ireland, SII/ICM Diploma in Sales Coaching Accredited by The Sales Institute of Ireland and Institute of Commercial Management (UK) and Certificate in Training and Development Accredited by Irish Institute of Training and Development.

Ilaria lives and works to help people tell their stories. She specialises in Business Communications, Negotiation Techniques, and Professional Development Strategies. She has over 15 years of experience working in multicultural environments. During the past eight years, she’s been teaching training programmes and offering coaching services across a variety of industries in Ireland and abroad.

With a background in Law, she started her career in the corporate Financial Services sector, and since 2015 she has been collaborating with NxtGEN Executive Presence. Ilaria teaches Business Communications courses at the International School of Business (ISB) and Dublin Business School (DBS) and delivers Business Communications, Applied Negotiation Skills, and Professional Development Modules (QQI, Level 8) at ICD Business School, Dublin.

Her approach is structured and action-focused to build the competence and the confidence to influence diverse audiences through consistency and credibility. In addition, Ilaria uses Emotional Intelligence concepts to support improved self- awareness and effective business communications across different channels.

Her professional qualifications include a Master’s Degree in Law (University of Studies of Genoa); Higher Diploma in Business (DBS); Certified Master Coach Practitioner (PSG); Qualified Trainer (IITD); iCPI – iSpeak Certified Professional Instructor (iSpeak Inc). She considers herself a lifelong learner and looks forward to working on new projects. Ilaria has co-facilitated the following projects with NxtGEN: Sales Discovery - Vhi Healthcare, Device Atlas, Vodafone, UCC Academy. In addition, her coaching and content customisation are instrumental in delivering Tools For Influencing, Influence and Negotiation Skills at UCC Academy plus Presenting4Success for UCD Smurfit, UCD CEMS, and Microsoft Ireland, to name a few.