About the Team & Board
New Music Dublin Team
John Harris
Festival Director
Jon Pearson
Festival Producer
Karen Dervan
General Manager
Kerry Fitzgerald
Marketing Manager
Phoebe Nevins
Social Media Management
Jo Taaffe
Website Design & Management
New Music Dublin Board of Directors
Karlin Lillington is an award-winning journalist and columnist with the Irish Times, focusing on technology, with a special interest in its political, social, business, arts and cultural aspects. She also has written for publications including The Guardian, New Scientist, Wired.com, Salon.com and the Sunday Times. She has particular expertise in digital rights.
Karlin served on the board of Irish national broadcaster RTÉ from 2009-2014 and was a board member for the Dublin International Piano Competition. She is an advisory board member for FuJo, The Institute for Future Media Democracy and Society at Dublin City University, and for the Schuler Democracy Forum at the Trinity Long Room Hub Arts & Humanities Research Institute at Trinity College Dublin. She was an advisory board member of the Science Gallery. Karlin is an active supporter of classical and new music and opera. She holds a PhD in Anglo-Irish Literature from Trinity College Dublin.
Appointed to NMD board: 2019
Kieran Tobin was born and educated in Dublin, where he graduated from UCD in 1974 as a Chemical Engineer. After a number of senior engineering roles in the pharma and healthcare sectors, he joined Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard in the mid-80s, and spent the balance of his working life in this company, at Director level, with commercial, marketing and corporate communications the key areas of responsibility. Kieran was Managing Director of Fitzgerald and Co. the wine subsidiary of Irish Distillers. He also chaired a number of industry wide groups including the Wine and Spirit Association and Drinks Industry Ireland.
Music has always been a passion of Kieran's, and this led to a 30-year involvement with the National Concert Hall initially as a patron and through commercial sponsorship. Kieran was Chairman of NCH for a number of years and a director from 2011 to 2016. He chaired the Board of Great Music in Irish Houses for four years, until 2011, having been on the board since 2003. He is also currently a director of Camerata Ireland. Kieran was also a board member of Tennis Ireland, the 32 county controlling body of the sport, from 2010 to 2018. A regular concert and opera goer, he greatly enjoys cinema and live theatre also.
Appointed to NMD board: 2019
Ian Smith studied horn and piano at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He was appointed as Co-Principal Horn with the RSNO/Royal Scottish National Orchestra in 1971 and also worked with the London Symphony Orchestra. Ian was a founding member and director of Scottish Brass.
In 1993 Ian joined the UK Musicians’ Union as Scottish & Northern Ireland organiser and founded the UK Folk & Roots department. Ian was a member of the board of governors at the RSAMD (now RCS), vice-chair of the Scottish Musicians’ Benevolent Fund and executive board member of the Musicians’ Benevolent Fund (Help Musicians UK).
As head of music at the Scottish Arts Council/Creative Scotland, he co-founded the Youth Music Initiative, which has seen more than £180M in additional government investment targeted at instrumental and singing teaching. Ian established an international touring programme through Showcase Scotland and a recording fund.
In 2013, Ian joined the European Music Council executive board and in 2015 was elected president. Ian also served on the International Music Council executive board, based at Unesco in Paris. In 2016 Ian joined the International Society for the Performing Arts board in New York and in 2017 became treasurer and executive board member. In 2017, Ian joined the board of Glasgow multi-media arts organisation Cryptic, which programmes and directs Sonica, now part of the Scottish Government’s EXPO Fund. In 2018, Ian joined the Red Note Ensemble (Edinburgh) board, thus serving two of Scotland’s most significant arts organisations. Ian was elected vice-chair of the Red Note Ensemble in 2022. In September 2020, Ian and his wife relocated to Ireland to be closer to their daughter and family in Co Laois. In 2022, Ian joined the board of Chamber Choir Ireland. More recently Ian has also joined the Durrow Development Forum board.
Appointed to NMD board: 2022
Harry Martin has worked at the forefront of the independent and alternative music sector for over thirty years. Most of this time was spent at the helm of esteemed independent record label Domino Recording Company, growing the business from a small south west London based label, to become a globally acclaimed music company renowned for innovative and quality music across many genres.
Harry has previously served on the board of the Association of Independent Music (AIM) UK, from 2006 to 2010 and then again from 2015 to 2020. He was instrumental in the establishment of AIM Ireland in 2021. He is also currently on the board of the Oh Yeah Music Centre in Belfast.
He is an avid music fan with a passion for all genres.
Appointed to NMD board: 2023
Declan Smyth is an independent Business Arts Consultant offering advisory/ consultancy services to Arts and Cultural professionals. A business professional with over 40 years business experience who provides support, guidance and business advice to artists across all Art and Culture platforms to enable them achieve sustainability as they develop new projects within their respective communities.
Prior to setting up on his own he held various management positions in the Public, Private and Financial Services sectors. His involvement in the community over the years extended to both business and community where he was involved with the local Chamber of Commerce and served as President. His subsequent involvement in community organisations was to always to nurture and enhance the wellbeing of communities.
Throughout his career he always had a keen interest in theatre, film and music and in 2018 he was awarded his BA in Arts Management from IADT Dublin. He is currently on the board of Irish National Youth Ballet.
Trisha Doyle is a technology and strategy executive with extensive experience in digital innovation, public policy and organisational transformation. She is currently leading large-scale AI and platform initiatives that shape global digital products and experiences at Meta. Trisha has worked across sectors with national governments, the United Nations and the World Bank, advising on the design and implementation of technology-enabled systems and strategic frameworks that drive measurable impact.
Her work spans AI strategy, product, design and multidisciplinary programme leadership. Trisha brings to the New Music Dublin Board a strategic focus on sustainable growth, partnership development and the role of emerging technologies in broadening audience engagement and supporting artistic ambition in the contemporary music landscape.
Appointed to the NMD board: 2025
Lauren Tennyson is a practising barrister since 2007 specialising in employment and equality law. She appears regularly before the Workplace Relations Commission, the Labour Court, Circuit Court and High Court in employment law disputes, as well as in employment mediations. She is frequently engaged to act as an independent investigator in workplace investigations. Lauren is also a qualified Speech and Drama teacher having gained her ALCM qualification from the London College of Music and Media in 1999.
Lauren has enjoyed volunteer roles over the last 20 years in various charities and not-for-profit organisations. She is passionate about the arts sector and the importance it plays in our culture and its positive impact on society. Lauren's interests include travelling, attending music concerts, festivals and the cinema, and reading fiction and poetry. She also loves to play tennis - for fun and competitively - in her spare time.
Appointed to the NMD board: 2026
Appointed to the NMD board: 2026
Appointed to the NMD board: 2026
Appointed to the NMD board: 2026