New Round Of Promotions At Carson McDowell

Belfast law firm Carson McDowell has added to its senior team with the appointment of three new partners in Belfast. Fourteen lawyers have also been promoted to the position of senior associate.

The firm recently announced that it has expanded its senior team to 34 partners with the appointment of Sarah Cochrane as a partner in its employment team, Cathal O’Neill as a partner in its defence insurance division and Francesca Lowry as a healthcare partner.

Francesca Lowry joined Carson McDowell as an apprentice in 2003, becoming part of the healthcare team upon qualification in 2005. She is highly regarded in the healthcare sector, particularly in defending claims on behalf of dentists, pharmacists, doctors and nursing homes, and representing clients at inquests.

Sarah Cochrane joined the employment team in 2012. She has contributed significantly to the team’s growth as well as working closely with other departments within the firm, leading on the employment law aspects of key transactions.

Cathal O’Neill joined the defence insurance team in 2017 and since then has used his existing significant experience handling a range of public and employers’ liability cases, with a particular proficiency in industrial disease claims.

Aflac NI Names Mark McCormack New Managing Director

Fortune 500 company Aflac Northern Ireland (Aflac NI) has announced that its head of technology, Mark McCormack, has been appointed as the new managing director.

Mark, who joined Aflac Northern Ireland when it launched in October 2019, with the support of Invest NI, will lead operations for the insurance company’s Technology and Cybersecurity Innovation Centre based in Belfast. Prior to joining Aflac, Mark was a senior vice president at Citi and a software development leader at BT and BIC Systems.

Mark will succeed Keith Farley, an honorary Belfast Ambassador who is credited for bringing Aflac to Northern Ireland from a choice of global locations and a commitment to “doing things differently”. In his new role as Aflac’s chief customer experience officer, Keith will return to the US while continuing to have executive oversight of Aflac NI.