O’Leary will be responsible for leading Meta’s international headquarters, in addition to her current role supporting clients in the EMEA region.

Meta has appointed Anne O’Leary to be its new head of operations in Ireland, less than one year after joining the company.

O’Leary will be taking on the new responsibilities from 1 May, in addition to her current role as a VP for the company’s global business group in the EMEA region. She is replacing Rick Kelley, who announced his plans to leave the company after one year in the position.

Before joining Meta, O’Leary worked with Vodafone for more than 14 years, first joining in 2008 as a business and enterprise director. She quickly rose through the ranks to become CEO of the telecoms company’s Irish operation in 2013.

At Vodafone, she led the company’s 2,000 staff in Ireland and oversaw the nationwide roll-out of 4G and 5G. She was also a strong advocate for inclusivity at the workplace while at the helm of Vodafone Ireland.

By the time she joined Meta, O’Leary had roughly 25 years’ experience in the telecoms industry, previously serving as a BT managing director and a regional director for ESAT Telecom.

Since joining the social media giant, O’Leary has led a large and diverse sales team, which is focused on helping medium-sized businesses accelerate their digital transformation efforts, find new customers and get the best return on their advertising campaigns.

In the new position, O’Leary will work alongside the Meta Ireland leadership team on matters relating to the Irish office, which is Meta’s international headquarters. She will also have responsibility around implementing Meta’s future strategies.

“I’m delighted to be appointed head of Meta Ireland and I’m very excited to work with an amazing leadership team to foster the fantastic culture of collaboration, innovation, inclusivity and diversity at Meta in Ireland,” O’Leary said.

“Our apps connect people to their interests and businesses to their customers and empower people to build communities all over the world. I’m looking forward to leading the team in Ireland who contribute important work to our company’s success.”

The previous head of Meta operations in Ireland, Kelley, took over from Irish Meta boss Gareth Lambe in 2022, who held the top job for 10 years.

Reporting: Silicon Republic