MARY SEERY KEARNEY

Mary Seery Kearney, is a thought leader and specialist in Employment, Corporate Governance, Privacy and AI Law. Former Senator in the 26th Seanad Eireann. She is a practising barrister, specialising in Employment and Privacy/Data Protection and AI Law, Compliance and Corporate Governance. Graduating from Trinity College Dublin and Kings Inns in law, psychology and philosophy; she is a legal advisor to a number of organisations and professional bodies, employers and special interest groups, as well as representing the interests of individuals.

Mary is a Director of The HR Brief Limited, a company she founded with her husband David, specialising in providing professional management consultancy services to companies in Human Resources, Industrial Relations, Employment and Data Compliance. In response to privacy legislation and its global implications, they both qualified to develop their services to provide GDPR Auditing and Compliance support, and serve as external Data Protection Officers to a number of companies for whom the appointment of a DPO is mandatory or in line with best practice in Corporate Governance.

Mary was elected for Fine Gael in the 2019 Local Elections, serving as a member of South Dublin County Council. Mary was appointed by the Taoiseach to Seanad Eireann in June 2020 and was spokesperson on Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth. She is a change advocate for a legal framework for surrogacy in Ireland and successfully campaigned for the Assistant Human Reproductive Framework. She has championed cyber safety for children and SMEs. Mary served on Joint Oireachtas Committees (1) Children, Disability, Equality, Integration, Youth; (2) Disability Matters; (3) Housing, Heritage and Local Government, (4) International Surrogacy; (5) Assisted Dying and (6)Citizens Assembly Report on Drug Use.

Mary is the former Academic Director of GMB College, and currently lectures at third level in Law, Business, Corporate Governance, Compliance, Health, Safety and Welfare, Industrial Relations and Privacy/Data Protection Law.

Mary, who has formerly owned and overseen childcare provision, provides a twice yearly series of lectures for the Dublin City Child Care Committee in childcare preschool regulation compliance, policy and procedures and childcare services supervision. Mary has worked with Childcare services as a Mentor with the Dublin City Childcare Committee.

Mary has advised and written submissions for the Constitutional Convention as well as working as a Parliamentary Advisor to Government TDs.