Professor Deirdre Ahern
Professor in, Law
Biography
Professor Deirdre Ahern LLB (Hons) (Dub), MA (Jure Officii) (Dub), LLM (Commercial Law) (Cantab), PhD (Dub), FTCD, FRSA, Solicitor (Law Society of Ireland), Dip (E-Commerce Regulation) (Law Society of Ireland).
Deirdre is Director of the Technologies, Law and Society Research Group at Trinity College Dublin. She is a Fellow of the Information Society Law Centre at the University of Milan and a member of the global Quantum Humanities Network hosted by Innsbruck Quantum Ethics Lab. Her research agenda engages with the societal and legal expectations of companies and their directors including the ethical and regulatory challenges presented by globalisation and new technologies including quantum technologies. She is an expert on corporate governance and global regulatory approaches to new technologies including AI.
As an appointed member of Ireland's AI Advisory Council Deirdre is providing advice to the Government on AI issues. A member of Ireland's Company Law Review Group 2022-2026 and an appointed member of the European Commission's Informal Company Law and Corporate Governance Expert Group for 2020-2024, Deirdre works nationally and internationally on policy development and provides consultancy on policy and legal reform.
She has published widely including in the Law Quarterly Review, the Modern Law Review, the Journal of Business Law, the European Company and Financial Law Review and the European Business and Organization Law Review. Her current research projects are (1) Determining The Future of Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI and Regulation: A Comparative Transnational Context and (2) Constructing Regulatory Approaches for New Technologies and The Changing Face of Directors' Duties in the EU: Making Companies Responsible for Sustainability and Human Rights across Global Supply Chains.
Deirdre has a track record of publishing cutting-edge transformative work which is well cited in academic, policy, judicial and legal practice contexts. Professor Ahern was elected to Fellowship of Trinity College in 2012 on the basis of her contribution to scholarship. In 2022 Professor Ahern was appointed to membership of the Royal Irish Academy's Ethics, Politics, Law and Philosophy Committee. She sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Business Law and the Law and Financial Markets Review and is a contributing editor to Gore-Browne on Companies.
Professor Ahern welcomes expressions of interest in PhD supervision and post-doctoral research from excellent applicants in the following areas: legal and ethical aspects of Quantum Technologies; regulating AI including Generative AI; regulatory sandboxes; the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive.
Access to publications: via Google Scholar and Researchgate.
Publications and Further Research Outputs
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Deirdre Ahern, 'Op-Ed, 'Fanning Case Heralds a 'New Frontier of AI-related Libel Law'', The Irish Times, 25 January 2024, The Irish Times, 2024, -
Corporate Law, Corporate Governance and AI: Are we Ready for Robots in the Boardroom? in, editor(s)Ernest Lim and Phillip Morgan , The Cambridge Handbook of Private Law and Artificial Intelligence, Cambridge, 2024, pp409-430 , [Deirdre Ahern]
Deirdre Ahern, The Future is Green: Reflections on the Impact of EU Obligations on Sustainability Reporting and Due Diligence on Companies, The Future is Green: Reflections on the Impact of EU Obligations in Sustainability Reporting and Due Diligence on Companies, University of Florence, 10 April 2024, 2024, University of Florence
Deirdre Ahern, Eoin O'Dell, Mina Hosseini, Maria Fitzpatrick, Daryl Lim, Regulating in an Uncertain Future - AI and Beyond, Competition Law: Regulating Tech Platforms & Data, Trinity Long Room Hub, 18 April 2024, 2024, Boston College Law School
Deirdre Ahern, The New Anticipatory Governance Culture for Innovation: Regulatory Foresight, Regulatory Experimentation and Regulatory Learning, European Business Organization Law Review, 2024
Deirdre Ahern, Current Legal Issues Presented by Artificial Intelligence: The Fundamental Rights Interface, Current Legal Issues Presented by Artificial Intelligence: The Fundamental Rights Interface, Department of Law, University of Florence, 10 April 2024, 2024, Professor Elena Urso
The Informal Company Law and Corporate Governance Expert Group, Report on Cross-border Use of Company Information, Brussels, European Commission, 2023, 1-26
Deirdre Ahern, The EU Sustainability Reporting Ripple and What it Means for SMEs, Corporations and Sustainability: Fresh Perspectives, European University Institute, 21 November 2023, 2023, The Finance, Innovation and Regulation Working Group, EUI, 1-13pp
Company Law Review Group, Report on the Director's Compliance Statement, 2023, Company Law Review Group, December, 2023, 219
Deirdre Ahern, How should the EU Regulate Generative AI?, The Challenges and Opportunities of Generative AI and the AI Act, Speinshart Abbey, Germany, 26-28 June, 2023, Professor Udo Faisal
Corporate Law and Statutory Liability in, editor(s)Martin Petrin and Christian Witting , Research Handbook on Corporate Liability, United KIngdom, Edward Elgar, 2023, pp62 - 82, [Deirdre Ahern]
D. Ahern, I. Bratko, S. Das et al, The Speinshart Recommendations on Generative AI and the EU AI Act, Speinshart Reports, 2023
The Sustainability Reporting Ripple: Direct and Indirect Implications of the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive for SME Actors in, editor(s)Alessio Bartolacelli , The Prism of Sustainability, Macerata, Italy, University of Macerata, 2023, pp1 - 21, [Deirdre Ahern]
Informal Company Law and Corporate Governance Expert Group, Report on Transparency of Company Data, Brussels, European Commission, 2023, 1-25
'The Role of Sectoral Regulators and other State Actors in Formulating Novel and Alternative Pro-Competition Mechanisms In Fintech' in, Konstantinos Stylianou, Marios Iacovides, and Bjorn Lundqvist , Fintech Competition: Law, Policy, and Market Organisation, United KIngdom, Hart-Bloomsbury, 2023, pp307-330 , [Deirdre Ahern]
Deirdre Ahern, I fought the law and AI won: Regulation, Law, Copyright and Human Rights in the Face of Generative AI, Surfing the Fringe of AI, Imperial College London, 31 October 2023, 2023, Professor Udo Faisal
Deirdre Ahern, What is the Board's Role in Governing the Business Use of AI?, What is the Board's Role in Governing the Business Use of AI?, Webinar, 11 May 2023, 2023, The Sustainability Board Report
Deirdre Ahern, Governing Artificial Intelligence: Designing Legal and Regulatory Responses, 3 June 2022, In:Governing Artificial Intelligence: Designing Legal and Regulatory Responses, 2022, Trinity Long Room Hub
The Informal Company Law Expert Group, Report on Virtual Shareholder Meetings and Efficient Shareholder Communication, Brussels, European Commission, 2022, p1 - 29
Directors - Appointment, Removal and Vacation in, editor(s)Alistair Alcock , Gore-Browne on Companies, Bristol, United Kingdom, Lexis Nexis UK, 2022, [Deirdre Ahern]
"The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Corporate Law and Corporate Governance" in, editor(s)Philip Morgan and Ernest Lim , The Cambridge Handbook of Private Law and Artificial Intelligence, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2022, [Ahern, Deirdre]
International and Comparative Corporate Law Journal, 15, 2, (2022), 9 - 112p, Tineke Lambooy, Deirdre Ahern and Diletta Lenzi, [eds.]
Rachel Widdis (Article One) and Deirdre Ahern (School of Law), Responsible Business Conduct, Innovation, and AI, 12 September 2022, In:Responsible Buiness Conduct, Innovation, and AI, 2022, Trinity College Dublin
Management of a Company in, editor(s)Alistair Alcock , Gore-Browne on Companies, Bristol, United Kingdom, Lexis Nexis UK, 2022, [Deirdre Ahern]
Law and Financial Markets Review, United Kingdom, Taylor and Francis, [eds.], 2021
Management of a Company in, editor(s)Alistair Alcock , Gore-Browne on Companies, Bristol, United Kingdom, Lexis Nexis UK, 2021, [Deirdre Ahern]
Deirdre Ahern, Regulatory Law and Regulatory Friction as FinTech Disenablers: Calibrating an EU Policy Response to the Adaptive Regulatory Sandbox in Member States, European Business Organization Law Review, 22, 2021, p395 - 432
Directors - Appointment, Removal and Vacation in, editor(s)Alistair Alcock , Gore-Browne on Companies, Bristol, United Kingdom, Lexis Nexis UK, 2021, [Deirdre Ahern]
Directors - Appointment, Removal and Vacation in, editor(s)Alistair Alcock , Gore-Browne on Companies, Bristol, LexisNexis UK, 2020, [Ahern, Deirdre]
Ahern, Deirdre, A New Vista to Transform Sustainable Investment Decisions: Mobilising New Technologies to Bridge Global Regulatory Gaps , Regulating Business in Times of Turbulence, Istanbul, 15 October 2020, 2020
Management of a Company in, editor(s)Alistair Alcock , Gore-Browne on Companies, Bristol, LexisNexis UK, 2020, [Ahern, Deirdre]
Rachael Walsh and Sarah Hamill (chapter authors) Deirdre Ahern and Suryapratim Roy (report editors), Policy Responses to Covid-19 In Ireland: Supporting Individuals, Communities, Businesses, and the Economy, COVID-19 Legal Observatory, Trinity College Dublin, December, 2020, p1 - 108
Ahern, Deirdre, Regulators Nurturing FinTech: Global Evolution of the Regulatory Sandbox as Opportunity-based Regulation, 2020
Ahern. Deirdre and Jain, Tanusree, When Tokens Matters: A Critical Perspective on Tokenism and Women on Corporate Boards, Academy of Management Annual Conference, Vancouver, 7 November 2020, 2020
Ahern, Deirdre (in conjunction with European Banking Institute), Addressing the Global Challenge of Responsive FinTech RegulationFinTech, 8 March 2019, 2019, Trinity College Dublin
Jain, T.; Sharma, K. & Ahern, D. , Crossing borders: The impact of western gender diversity laws in non-western corporate boards, International Association for Business and Society, San Diego, USA, 2019
Management of a Company in, editor(s)Alistair Alcock , Gore-Browne on Companies, Bristol, 2019, [Ahern, Deirdre]
Deirdre Ahern, Regulators Nurturing FinTech Innovation: Global Evolution of The Regulatory Sandbox as Opportunity-Based Regulation, Indian Journal of Law and Technology, 15, (2), 2019, p345 - 378
"Majority Rule and Minority Protections: Theoretical Frameworks and National Practice in the Shadow of the EU: The Case of Ireland" in, editor(s)A.J. Viera Gonzalez and C. Teichmann , Conflicts of Interest between Majorities and Minorities in the EU Member States Private Company Law, Spain, Thomson Reuters Aranzadi, 2019, pp117 - 169, [Deirdre Ahern]
Directors - Appointment, Removal and Vacation in, editor(s)Alistair Alcock , Gore-Browne on Companies, Bristol, LexisNexis UK, 2019, [Ahern, Deirdre]
Ahern, Deirdre, Opportunity-based Regulation: The Function of the Regulatory Sandbox for FinTech, Addressing the Global Challenge of Responsive FinTech regulation, Trinity College Dublin, 8 March 2019, 2019
Deirdre Ahern, Regulatory Arbitrage in a FinTech World: Devising an Optimal EU Regulatory Response to Crowdlending, Journal of Business Law, (3), 2018, p193 - 214
Deirdre Ahern, Regulatory Arbitrage in a FinTech World: Devising an Optimal EU Regulatory Response to Crowdlending European Banking Institute Working Paper Series No.24, 2018
Directors - Appointment, Removal and Vacation in, editor(s)Alistair Alcock , Gore-Browne on Companies, Bristol, LexisNexis UK, 2018, [Ahern, Deirdre]
Irish Business Law Review, Dublin, Clarus Press, [eds.], 2018-2018
Deirdre Ahern, The Mythical Value of Voice and Stewardship in the EU Directive On Long-Term Shareholder Engagement: Rights Do Not An Engaged Shareholder Make, Cambridge Yearbook of European Legal Studies, 20, 2018, 88 - 115
Deirdre Ahern, "The Mythical Value of Voice and Stewardship in the EU Directive On Long-Term Shareholder Engagement: Rights Do Not An Engaged Shareholder Make" Working Paper No.32 Stanford-Vienna EU Law Working Paper Series.32 , 2018
Ahern, Deirdre, "The United Nations HeForShe project: Leveraging the modelling power of university champions' shared transformative gender commitments to drive sectoral buy-in, 10th European Conference on Gender Equality in Higher Education, Trinity College Dublin, 20 August 2018, 2018
Management of a Company in, editor(s)Alistair Alcock , Gore-Browne on Companies, Bristol, LexisNexis UK, 2018, [Ahern, Deirdre]
Management of a Company in, editor(s)Alistair Alcock , Gore-Browne on Companies, Bristol, LexisNexis UK, 2017, [Ahern, Deirdre]
Irish Business Law Review, Dublin, Clarus Press, [eds.], 2017-2017
Directors - Appointment, Removal and Vacation in, editor(s)Alistair Alcock , Gore-Browne on Companies, Bristol, LexisNexis UK, 2017, [Ahern, Deirdre]
Directors - Appointment, Removal and Vacation in, editor(s)Alistair Alcock , Gore-Browne on Companies, Bristol, LexisNexis UK, 2016, [Ahern, Deirdre]
Deirdre Ahern, Turning Up the Heat? EU Sustainability Goals and the Role of Reporting under the Non-Financial Reporting Directive, European Company and Financial Law Review, 13, (4), 2016, p599 - 630
Management of a Company in, editor(s)Alisatair Alcock , Gore-Browne on Companies, Bristol, LexisNexis UK, 2016, [Ahern, Deirdre]
Ahern, Deirdre, What to Do? Public Interest Director Appointments in Nationalised Banks: A Post-Financial Crisis Review of Role Delineation and Fiduciary Duties, Society of Legal Scholars Annual Conference, Oxford University, 6 September 2016, 2016
Irish Business Law Review, Dublin, Clarus Press, [eds.], 2016-2016
Ahern, Deirdre, The EU, Close Corporations and Member State Sovereignty: Too Close for Comfort? Reflections on the Evolving Societas Unius Personae Proposal, Irish Business Law Review, 3, (1), 2016, p21 - 35
The Societas Unius Personae: Using the Single-Member Company as a Vehicle for EU Private Company Law Reform, Some Critical Reflections on Regulatory Approach in, editor(s)A.J. Viera Gonzalez and C. Teichmann , Private Companies in Europe: the Societas Personae (SUP) and the Recent Developments in the EU Member States, Navarra, Spain, Thomson Reuters Aranzadi, 2016, pp55 - 87, [Ahern, Deirdre]
Irish Business Law Review, Ireland, Clarus Press, [eds.], 2015-2015
Ahern, Deirdre, Rethinking the Foundations of Directors' Duties to Incorporate Public Interest Considerations", , Irish Association of Law Teachers Annual Conference, NUIG, Galway, 27-29 November 2015, 2015
Close Corporations: A Common Law World Perspective: the Case of Ireland in, editor(s)Jorge Viera Gonzales and Christoph Teichmann , Private Company Law Reform: The Race of Flexibility, Thomson Reuters Aranzadi, 2015, pp243 - 283, [Deirdre Ahern]
Directors - Appointment, Removal and Vacation in, editor(s)Alistair Alcock , Gore-Browne on Companies, Bristol, LexisNexis UK, 2015, [Ahern, Deirdre]
Ahern, Deirdre (as Director of the Irish Corporate Law Forum), Preparing Private Companies for the Companies Bill: New Company Forms and Company Constitutions, 7 February 2014, 2014, Dublin Castle
Deirdre Ahern, "Codification of Company Law: Taking Stock of the Companies Act 2006", Statute Law Review, 35, (1), 2014, p1 - 14
Directors - Appointment, Removal and Vacation in, editor(s)Alistair Alcock , Gore-Browne on Companies, Bristol, Jordans, 2014, [Ahern, Deirdre]
Ahern, Deirdre (as Director of the Irish Corporate Law Forum), Duties of Directors and Secretaries under the Companies Bill, 13 October 2014, 2014, Farmleigh, Phoenix Park, Dublin
Management of a Company in, editor(s)Alistair Alcock , Gore-Browne on Companies, Bristol, Jordans, 2014, [Ahern, Deirdre]
C. Gerner-Beurele, P. Paech and E. Schuster, Study on Directors' Duties and Liability, 2013
Deirdre Ahern and Blanaid Clarke, Listed Companies' Engagement with Diversity: A Multi-Jurisdictional Study of Annual Report Disclosures, Ireland, Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, June 2013, 2013, p1 - 107
Directors - Appointment, Removal and Vacation of Office in, editor(s)Alistair Alcock , Gore-Browne on Companies, Bristol, Jordans, 2013, [Deirdre Ahern]
Ahern, Deirdre, Diversity Reporting: The Value of a Structured Reporting Protocol to Manage Annual Report Disclosures, Irish Association of Law Teachers Annual Conference, Belfast, 23 November 2013, 2013
Management of a Company in, editor(s)Alistair Alcock , Gore-Browne on Companies, Bristol, Jordans, 2013, [Deirdre Ahern]
Company and Insolvency Law in, editor(s)Raymond Byrne and William Binchy , Annual Review of Irish Law 2012, Dublin, Round Hall, 2013, pp81 - 89, [Deirdre Ahern and Noel McGrath]
Deirdre Ahern and Blanaid Clarke, Listed Companies' Engagement with Diversity: A Multi-Jurisdictional Study of Annual Report Disclosures, 2013
Deirdre Ahern (As Council member of the Irish Association of Law Teachers), Changing Times for the Legal Professions - Re-evaluating the Role of the Law Teacher, 22-24 November 2013, 2013, Stormont Hotel, Belfast
Deirdre Ahern, "New Irish Offence of Withholding Information in relation to the Commission of a Criminal Offence", The Company Lawyer, 33, (4), 2012, p109 - 110
Deirdre Ahern, Directors' Duties, Dry Ink and the Accessibility Agenda , Law Quarterly Review, 128, 2012, p114 - 139
Company and Insolvency Law in, editor(s)Raymond Byrne and William Binchy , Annual Review of Irish Law 2011, Dublin, Round Hall, 2012, pp128 - 152, [Deirdre Ahern and Noel McGrath]
Ahern, Deirdre (as President of the Irish Association of Law Teachers), Legal Scholarship and Judicial Reasoning; A Mutual Interaction, 16-18 November 2012, 2012, Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel, Dublin
Deirdre Ahern, Guiding Principles for Directorial Conflicts of Interest: Re Allied Business and Financial Consultants Ltd; O'Donnell v Shanahan, Modern Law Review, 74, 2011, p596 - 607
The Company Lawyer, Sweet and Maxwell, [eds.], 2011-2014
Deirdre Ahern, Nominee Directors' Duty to Promote the Success of the Company: Commercial Pragmatism and Legal Orthodoxy , Law Quarterly Review, 127, 2011, p118 - 146
Ahern, Deirdre, At Home, at Risk: Comparative Perspectives on the Regulation of Domiciliary Care Provision for the Ageing Population", Centre for Ageing and Research and Development in Ireland (CARDI) international conference, Ageing Globally - Ageing Locally, Croke Park, 2-3 November 2011, 2011
Ahern, Deirdre (as Council member of the Irish Corporate Law Forum), Added Value(s): The Role of Law in Contemporary Society, 18-20 November 2011, 2011, Athone
Ahern, Deirdre, Directors' Duties in Plain Sight: The Accessibility Agenda Delivered?, Law in Politics, Politics in Law (Society of Legal Scholars), Downing College, Cambridge University, 7 September 2011, 2011
Deirdre Ahern and Karen Maher, The Continuing Evolution of Proxy Representation, Journal of Business Law, 2, 2011, p125 - 143
Journal of Business Law, United Kingdom, Sweet and Maxwell, [eds.], 2011-2020
Deirdre Ahern, Directors' Duties: Broadening the Focus Beyond Content to Examine the Accountability Spectrum, Dublin University Law Journal, 33, 2011, p116 - 152
Deirdre Ahern, Irish Legislative Proposals for Clarification of Nominee Directors' Best Interests Duty , The Company Lawyer, 31, 2010, p291 - 297
Ahern, Deirdre, The Application of Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 to Nominee Directors, Society of Legal Scholars Annual Conference, University of Southampton, 14-16 September 2010, 2010
Deirdre Ahern, Legislating for the Duty on Directors to Avoid Conflicts of Interest and Secret Profits: The Devil in the Detail, Irish Jurist , 46, 2010, p82 - 106
D. Ahern, K. Maher, J. O'Brien, D. O'Neill, Elder financial exploitation and the responsibility of financial providers in Ireland: The contribution of the financial services ombudsman, European Geriatric Medicine, 6th Congress European Union Geriatric Medicine Society, Dublin, 2010, 1, 2010, ppA203 - A203
Deirdre Ahern, Legislating for Directors' Duty to Exercise Care, Skill and Diligence in Ireland: A Comparative Perspective, International Company and Commercial Law Review, 8, 2010, p268 - 273
Deirdre Ahern, Replacing 'Comply or Explain' with Legally Binding Corporate Governance Codes - An Appropriate Regulatory Response?, Regulation in an Age of Crisis, University College Dublin, 18 June 2010, 2010
Deirdre Ahern (As Council member of the Irish Associaton of Law Teachers), Thirty Years of Legal Scholarship: Lessons from the Past, Visions for the Future, 27 November 2010, 2010, Limerick
Deirdre Ahern, The Formation of Insurance Contracts and the Duty of Insurers, Commercial Law Practitioner, 16, (4), 2009, p84 - 87
Deirdre Ahern, Directors' Duties: Law and Practice, Dublin, Round Hall, 2009, 1-700pp
Deirdre Ahern, The Responsible Director in an Economic Downturn: Lessons from the Restriction Regime, Dublin University Law Journal, 31, 2009, p183 - 205
Deirdre Ahern, "Hemat v The Medical Council: the Wouters Legacy Revisited", European Competition Law Review, 6, 2007, p366 - 370
Deirdre Ahern, Martha Doyle and Virpi Timonen, Regulating home care of older people: the inevitable poor relation?, Dublin University Law Journal, 29, 2007, p374 - 396
Ahern, Kenny v Ireland ROC Ltd: Commercial Agents - Not Negotiable?, Dublin University Law Journal, 28, 2006, p296 - 316
Ahern, Directors' Compliance Statements under the Microscope, Commercial Law Practitioner, 13, 2006, p137 - 145
Healthcare Decisions: Recognising the Decision-Making Capacity of Older People to Consent to and to Decline Treatment in, editor(s)O'Dell E , Older People in Modern Ireland: Essays on Law and Policy, Dublin, First Law, 2006, [Ahern D]
Law Reform Commission, Report on Vulnerable Adults and the Law (LRC 83-2006), Ireland, 2006
Ahern, Deirdre, The Rule Against Shareholders' Recovery of Reflective Loss, Commercial Law Practitioner, 12, 2005, p163 - 168
Ahern, Deirdre, Corporate Killing in Ireland - A new Paradigm, Irish Law Times, 22, 2005, p235 - 240
Ahern, The Domain Game - introducing 'dot eu', Commercial Law Practitioner, 11, 2004, p275 - 279
Ahern, Deirdre, Corporate Killing - The Law Reform Commission's Proposals, Law in the Modern World: New Problems, New Solutions, Derry, Northern Ireland, 2-4 April 2004, 2004
Ahern, D, Unlimited Corporate Capacity - Plotting the slow demise of ultra vires, Commercial Law Practitioner, 11, 2004, p27 - 30
Law Reform Commission, Seminar Paper on Law and the Elderly, 2003
Law Reform Commission, Consultation Paper on Corporate Killing, Dublin, 2003
Ahern, Corporate Killing: The Way Forward, Irish Criminal Law Journal, 13, (3), 2003, p10 - 14
Law Reform Commission , Consultation Paper on Vulnerable Adults and the Law: Capacity, Dublin, 2003
Non-Peer-Reviewed Publications
Deirdre Ahern, Regulatory Sandboxes under the EU AI Act: Opportunities and Challenges, Milan Information Society Law Center Conference, University of Milan, 11-12 June, 2024, Information Society Law Center, University of Milan
Deirdre Ahern, Sustainability Reporting: the New Directive and Its Impact on SMEs, The Prism of Sustainability: Multidisciplinary profiles; law, economics and ethics, University of Macerata, 30-31 March, 2023, Professor Alessio Bartolacelli
Deirdre Ahern, Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence: A Proposal in Flux, Annual Company Law and Corporate Governance Conference, Trier, 9-10 March 2023, 2023
Deirdre Ahern, Eoin O'Dell, Elspeth Payne, Frances Haugen The Facebook Whistleblower, 21 March 2022, In:Frances Haugen The Facebook Whistleblower, 2022, Trinity Long Room Hub
Deirdre Ahern, Upending Corporate Purpose in the EU: Board Responsibility for Sustainability and Human Rights across Global Supply Chains, New Capitalism? A Transatlantic Perspective, Harvard Law School, 3-5 October, 2022, Harvard & Complutense Law Schools
Deirdre Ahern, Sustainability as Socially Responsible Business Practice: The Role of Company Law and Corporate Governance, ERA Annual Confernce on European Company Law and Corporate Governance 2022, Trier, 2022
Deirdre Ahern, Groups of Companies in EU Company Laws: An Irish Perspective, SYMPOSIUM for the presentation of the book "Company Laws of the European Union" edited by Andrea Vicari and Alexander Schall (Beck, 2020), University of Milan, 29 April , 2022, Professor Andrea Vicari and Professor Alexander Schall
Deirdre Ahern, "The Board and Sustainability Performance: The Changing Face of Directors' Duties in the EU: Is there an Expectations Gap?" , Corporate Sustainability - Supporting Green Policy in Corporate Strategy , The Radisson Blu Hotel, Dublin, 20 October , 2022, Public Affairs Ireland
Deirdre Ahern, Enforcement and Liability Mechanisms for Environmental and Human Rights' Duties and Options for Member States , Sustainability in Corporate Law, Leuphana University, Germany, 18 November, 2022, Professors Alexander Schall and Axel Halfmeier
Ahern, Deirdre, Closing Keynote: The Impact of Blockchain and DLT Technologies on Company Law, International Congress on Digitalization and DLT in Company Law, University of Zaragoza, Spain, 29-30 October 2021, 2021, Faculty of Law, University of Zaragoza
Deirdre Ahern, Regulatory Lag, Regulatory Friction and Regulatory Transition as FinTech Disenablers: The Regulatory Sandbox Phenomenon in Member States and the EU's Experimental Governance Dilemma , Law School Workshop, Trinity College Dublin, 24 March , 2021, School of Law
Deirdre Ahern, Corporate Governance Reconceived: The New Era of Stakeholder Capitalism, Corporate Governance Reconceived: The New Era of Stakeholder Capitalism, Centre for Commercial Law, Edinburgh University, 17 March , 2021, Centre for Commercial Law, Edinburgh University
Ahern, Deirdre, The Future of Annual General Meetings, Virtualisation and Corporate Accountability, The Future of Annual General Meetings, Virtualisation and Corporate Accountability, University College London, 22 September, 2020, University College London
Deirdre Ahern, Pandemic Has Opened a Vast Policy Vacuum, The Irish Times, 10 December, 2020, p12 - 12
Ahern, Deirdre, Directors' Duty of Care and Harnessing the Potential for AI to Enhance Boardroom Dynamics, Artificial Intelligence and Private Law, National University of Singapore, 27 August 2020, 2020, National University of Singapore
Ahern, Deirdre, (Panel Chair) Women in Leadership , Hearing Women's Voices: Irish Federation of University Women Annual Conference, Trinity College Dublin, 19 October 2019, 2019, Trinity Women Graduates / Irish Federation of University Women
Ahern. Deirdre and Jain, Tanusree, Using Mandatory Quotas to Address Gender Imbalances In The Boardroom: Some Evidence From East And West, Hearing Women's Voices: Irish Federation of University Women Annual Conference, Trinity College Dublin, 19 October 2019, 2019, Trinity Women Graduates / Irish Federation of University Women
Ahern, Deirdre, Regulatory Influences and Listed Companies Engagement with Diversity in their Annual Reports, Gender Diversity on Corporate Boards: Listed Companies' Self-Reporting on Diversity in their Annual Reports , The Long Room Hub, Trinity College Dublin, 2019
Ahern, Deirdre, Keynote: Sustainable Governance into the Future and the Impact of Artificial Intelligence, Annual Conference of the Chartered Governance Institute of the UK and Ireland, Dublin Castle, 16 May 2019, 2019, the Chartered Governance Institute of the UK and Ireland
Ahern, Deirdre, The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Governance of Companies, Corporate Law and Finance Summer School, Trinity College Dublin, 23 July 2019, 2019, European Law Students Association
Ahern, Deirdre, (Panellist) Culture, Diversity and Evidence from the Field, Culture, Diversity and the Way Forward for Corporate Governance in Ireland, Trinity College Dublin, 25 October 2018, 2018, Central Bank of Ireland & Trinity College Dublin
Deirdre, Equal in Name: The Limits of Law, Then and Now, Me Too, Then and Now, Trinity Long Room Hub, 7 March , 2018, Trinity Long Room Hub
Ahern, Deirdre, With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility: Can Existing Duties on Directors as Fiduciary Agents Suitably Moderate the Social Controversies Associated with Commercialisation of Synthetic Biology?, Regulating the Corporation and New Morally Significant Technologies, Newcastle University, 12 June 2018, 2018, Sarah Morley and David Lawrence
Ahern, Deirdre, An Examination of Shareholder Protection, Conflicts of Interests between Majorities and Minorities in Private Companies, Madrid, 15 June 2018, 2018, Close Corporations in Europe Working Group
Ahern, Deirdre, (Panel Chair) Mergers and Acquisition Regulation in the UK and Ireland, Oceans Apart: Corporate and Securities Regulation in Comparative Perspective, McCann FitzGerald, 12 April 2018, 2018, Trinity College Dublin / McCann FitzGerald
Deirdre Ahern, Conceptualising Overreach in the English Corporate Opportunities Doctrine, Travers Smith Lecture, Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge, 7 November , 2017, University of Cambridge
Ahern, Deirdre, Encouraging Socially Responsible Corporations: Will the Non-Financial Reporting Directive Help? , Corporate and Finance Law Summer School, National College of Ireland, 14 August 2017, 2017, European Law Students Association
Ahern, Deirdre, Realising the Leadership Potential of Women in Business: Are Quotas Really the Answer?, Graduate Women International Third Triennial, Cape Town Convention Centre, 24 August 2016, 2016
Nominee Directors, Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 and Divided Loyalties: A Story of Legal Lag, Herbert Smith Freehills, 20 October , 2016, Herbert Smith Freehills
Deirdre Ahern, Mandating Sustainability Reporting: The Non-Financial Reporting Directive as a Regulatory Tool to Enhance Corporate Engagement with the EU Sustainability Agenda, Constructing Regulatory, Reporting and Accreditation Tools for Corporate Social Respnsibility, Trinity Long Room Hub, Trinity College Dublin, 17 September 2015, 2015
Ahern, Deirdre, Mandating Sustainability Reporting: The Non-Financial Reporting Directive as a Regulatory Tool to Enhance Corporate Engagement with the EU Sustainability Agenda, CSRxChange: Constructing Regulatory, Reporting and Accreditation Tools for Corporate Social Responsibility, The Long Room Hub, Trinity College Dublin, 17 October 2015, 2015
Ahern, Deirdre, CSRxChange: Constructing Regulatory, Reporting and Accreditation Tools for Corporate Social Responsibility, 17 October 2015, 2015, The Long Room Hub, Trinity College Dublin
Deirdre Ahern, Promoting Gender Diversity: Some Reflections on Listed Companies' Approach to Diversity in their Annual Reports, Women on Boards, Irish Women Lawyers' Association, Law Society Dublin, 10 December 2014, 2014
Ahern, Deirdre, Subordinating Directeorial Ambition: Social Cohesion and the Absolutist Approach to Corporate Opportunities , Law School Research Workshop, 13 November 2014, 2014
Deirdre Ahern, The Commercial Court, Review of The Commercial Court, by Stephen Dowling , The Irish Jurist, 51, 2014, p211-212
Ahern, Deirdre, Critical Reflections on the SUP Proposal: An Irish and Common Law World Perspctive, Close Corporations in Europe: Towards a Common Frame of Reference, University Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, 20 November 2014, 2014, Professor Jorge Viera Gonzalez
Ahern, Deirdre, Promoting Gender Diversity: Some Reflections on Listed Companies' Approach to Diversity in their Annual Reports, Women on Boards, Law Society of Ireland, 10 December 2014, 2014, Irish Women Lawyers Association
Ahern, Deirdre, Internet Governance and Regulation, Law Society E-Commerce Diploma , Law Society of Ireland, 1 June 2014, 2014, Law Society of Ireland
Ahern, Deirdre, (Panel Chair) Can Academics Make a Difference?, Irish Association of Law Teachers Annual Conference, Kilkenny, 7-9 November 2014, 2014, Irish Association of Law Teachers
Ahern, Deirdre, Codification of Directors' Duties: An Assessment of the New Statutory Framework, Duties of Directors and Secretaries under the Companies Bill, Farmleigh, Phoenix Park, Dublin, 13 October 2014, 2014
Ahern, Deirdre, Reform of the Private Company - A Common Law World Perspective, Meeting of the Cross-Europe Working Group on Reform of the Private Company, University Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, 8 November 2013, 2013, Professor Jorge Viera Gonzalez
Ahern, Deirdre and Clarke, Blanaid, Keynote address: Companies Reporting of Diversity: A Multi-Jurisdictional Study, 12th European Corporate Governance and Company Law Conference, Convention Centre, Dublin, 17 May 2013, 2013, European Commission / Department of Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation
Ahern, Deirdre and Clarke, Blanaid, Gender Diversity on Corporate Boards: Recent Research and Regulatory Initiatives, 6 November 2013, 2013, The Long Room Hub, Trinity College Dublin
Ahern, Deirdre, Codification of Company Law, Statute Law and Alternative Solutions, Codification, Restatement, Common Law, Houses of Parliament, Westminster, 14 November 2013, 2013
Ahern, Deirdre, Invited keynote: Tokenism or Real Engagement: Listed Companies' Self-Reporting on Diversity in their Annual Reports, Women on Boards, University College Cork, 21 June 2013, 2013, Professor Irene Lynch-Fannon
Ahern, Deirdre, Loyalty (Respondent), Loyalty, Trinity College Dublin, 11 November 2013, 2013, Private Law Discussion Group
Ahern, Deirdre (as Director of the Irish Corporate Law Forum), Current Developments in Corporate Governance Policy and Practice, 29 March 2012, 2012, Royal Irish Academy, Dublin
Ahern, Deirdre, Current Issues in Corporate Governance Policy, Current Developments in Corporate Governance and Policy and Practice, Royal Irish Academy, Dublin, 29 March 2012, 2012
Ahern, Deirdre (as Director of the Irish Corporate Law Forum), Corporate Compliance and Enforcemnt, 5 December 2012, 2012, Shelborne Hotel, Dublin
Ahern, Deirdre, Keynote address: The Impact of the Commercial Agents Directive, Key Issues in Business Law, University of Zaragoza, Spain, 19 April 2012, 2012
Ahern, Deirdre, (Panel Chair) New Directions in Corporate and Commercial Law, Legal Scholarship and Judicial Reasoning: A Mutual Interaction, Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel, Dublin, 16-18 November 2012, 2012
Ahern, Deirdre, The Corporate Objective, Review of The Corporate Objective, by Andrew Keay , International Company and Commercial Law Review, 23, (6), 2012, p221-222
Ahern, Deirdre (as Director of the Irish Corporate Law Forum), Transitioning to the New Form Private Company Limited by Shares: Structure and Governance under the Companies Bill, 21 July 2011, 2011, Dublin Castle
Ahern, Deirdre, Fundamental Principles of Irish Company Law, Fundamental Principles of Irish Company Law, University of Islas Balearas, Palma, Majorca, 11 April 2011, 2011, Faculty of Law, University of Islas Balearas
Ahern, Deirdre, "The Proposed European Private Company and the Market for Company Formation in the European Union", Inaugural lecture of the Centre for Financial Law, University Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, 12 April 2011, 2011
Ahern, Deirdre (as Director of the Irish Corporate Law Forum), Company Charges and Financial Assistance: The Significance of Planned Reforms in Law and Practice, 9 November 2011, 2011, Royal Irish Academy, Dublin
Ahern, Deirdre, Codifying Directors' Duties: Implications for Directors and Shareholders, Transitioning to the New Form Private Company Limited by Shares: Structure and Governance under the Companies Bill, Dublin Castle, 21 July 2011, 2011
Ahern, Deirdre, (Panel Chair) The Challenges of Contemporary Governance, Added Valu(s): The Role of Law in Contemporary Society, Irish Association of Law Teachers, Athlone, 18-20 November 2011, 2011
Ahern, Deirdre, Invited lecture: The Impact of the European Private Company (SPE) on National Company Law, The Impact of the European Private Company (SPE) on National Company Law, University of Zaragoza, Spain, 14 April 2011, 2011
Ahern, Deirdre, (Panel Chair) Research Metrics for Law, Thirty Years of Irish Scholarship: Lessons form the Past, Visions for the Future, Limerick, 27 November 2010, 2010, Irish Association of Law Teachers
Ahern, Deirdre, (Panel Chair) "Participation in and Provision of Home care; Advocacy and Service User Involvement", Becoming Visible: Older People as Active Participants in the Community and in Long-term Care Settings, Dublin Castle, 16-17 October 2010, 2010
Ahern, Deirdre, The Consumer Protection Act 2007: Implications for Legal Practice, 4 December 2007, 2007, Trinity College Dublin
Ahern, Deirdre, Practical Implications of the Consumer Protection Act 2007, The Consumer Protection Act 2007: Implications for Legal Practice, Trinity College Dublin, 4 December 2007, 2007
Ahern, Deirdre, Directors' Compliance Statements - An Update, Recent Developments in Regulation and Compliane, Trinity College Dublin, 6 May 2006, 2006
Deirdre Ahern and Ailbhe O'Neill, Recent Developments in Regulation and Compliance, 6 May 2006, 2006, Trinity College Dublin
Ahern, Beware the Irish Commercial Agent, New Law Journal, 56, 2006, p620 - 620
Ahern, Deirdre, "Legal Capacity and Vulnerable Adults" , Vulnerable Adults and the Law workshop , Ballymun Community Centre, 28 July 2005, 2005
Ahern, Deirdre, (Panellist) Elder Abuse, National Conference on Elder Abuse - Reach Out, Dublin, 25 November 2004, 2004
Research Expertise
Projects
- Title
- Determining The Future of Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI and Regulation: A Comparative Transnational Context
- Summary
- Artificial Intelligence is transforming our society. Important cutting-edge questions need to be probed about rights, safeguards and regulatory approaches and their impact on industry and citizens. This award will provide seed funding for a new research stream on regulatory issues on Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI that are beginning to be debated around the globe.
- Funding Agency
- Trinity College Dublin
- Date From
- 8 July 2024
- Date To
- 7 July 2025
- Title
- The Changing Face of Directors' Duties in the EU: Making Companies Responsible for Sustainability and Human Rights across Global Supply Chains
- Summary
- The project arises against the backdrop of increasing interest in making companies and/or their officers liable for environmental, social and governance matters, not only in relation to the company, but also in relation to its worldwide operations and supply chain. The project focuses on study of the European Commission's Proposal for an EU Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence published in April 2022 (European Commission, Proposal for a Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence SEC (2022) 95 final). Significantly this will considerably expand the reach of corporate responsibility and directors' duties and liabilities. This EU Directive presents solutions to issues touched upon in jurisdictional tug-of-war cases concerning the potential liability for parent companies for environmental and human rights abuses of their subsidiaries. Furthermore it demands that companies integrate climate and human rights concerns into their strategy, moving away from traditional focus on profit maximisation. The project is aimed at providing a cutting-edge early stage assessment of the proposed Directive's likely impact across the EU single market. Research Objectives The objective is to build an understanding of the likely impact of the ground-breaking Directive on: (1) the development of legal duties, liabilities, and theory applicable to directors in EU Member States; and (2) an understanding how it may impact differentially on companies depending on Member State choices in implementing the Directive based on Member State law on directors' duties and also the discretion provided by the Directive around enforcement and remedies.
- Funding Agency
- Trinity Research in Social Science (TRiSS)
- Date From
- 2022
- Title
- Artificial Intelligence in the Era of the EU AI Act: A New Frontier
- Funding Agency
- School of Law, Trinity College Dublin
- Date From
- 2024
- Date To
- 2025
- Title
- CSRxChange: Constructing Regulatory, Reporting and Accreditation Tools for Corpoate Social Responsibility
- Summary
- The Non-Financial Reporting Directive 2014/95/EU breaks new regulatory ground in requiring Member States to legislate by 6 December 2016 in relation to mandatory sustainability reporting for large companies using a 'comply or explain' model. Previously corporate social responsibility ("CSR") had been viewed as essentially voluntary by the EU for a long time and globally regulation has proved largely elusive. Nonetheless many companies have embraced CSR and have sought voluntary certification to show their engagement with sustainability. Transparent sustainability reporting provides material which enables stakeholders to engage with companies in relation to the adoption of socially responsible business practices in areas such as conditions of employment, environmental impact and human rights. Against this background, this project considers engagement with corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Ireland and reporting and regulatory challenges and pitfalls. Relevant themes to be explored will include sustainability and diversity as sound business practice, the role of voluntary accreditation schemes and appropriate sustainability reporting frameworks. The project will also focus on likely regulatory outcomes of implementation of the Directive in relation to corporate sustainability disclosures will also be examined from the perspectives of both regulator and affected companies.
- Funding Agency
- Irish Research Council
- Date From
- 2015
- Title
- An Examination of the Shareholders' Right Directive
- Summary
- This project involved examining the legal and practical implications for Ireland of implementing the Shareholders' Rights Directive including issues such as proxy voting and the right of shareholders to ask questions.
- Date From
- September 2009
- Date To
- February 2010
- Title
- The Legal Duties of Nominee Directors
- Summary
- This project focused on examining how the conflict of duties of nominee directors, based on the expectation that a nominee director would further their appointer's interests rather than those of the company, can be legally resolved.
- Date From
- October 2009
- Date To
- December 2009
Recognition
Representations
Member of Irelands' Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council
Devising and co-delivering Principles of Fiduciary Corporate Law course for the Duke-Geneva Transnational Law Institute
Co-editor of the Irish Business Law Review
Secretary of the Irish Association of Law Teachers
Director of the Irish Corporate Law Forum http://www.iclf.ie/
President of the Irish Association of Law Teachers
Member of the Steering Committee of the Trinity Consortium on Ageing
Member of the Quality Committeee, TCD
Member of the Law Society Business Law Committee
Member of the Law Reform Commission's Working Group on Vulnerable Adults and the Law
Member of the Research Ethics Committee of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland's Faculty of Public Health Medicine
Awards and Honours
Award for Excellence in Supervision of Research Students
Directors' Duties: Law and Practice shortlisted for Kevin Boyle Prize for Outstanding Legal Scholarship
Fellow, Trinity College Dublin
Visiting Scholar, Duke University
Herbert Smith Visitng Fellow, Faculty of Law, Cambridge University
Highly Commended, Provost's Teaching Awards
Memberships
Appointed to Ireland's Company Law Review Group
Appointed member of the European Commission's Informal Company Law and Corporate Governance Expert Group
Member of the League of European Research Universities' Legal Team on Artificial Intelligence
Member of the Law Society of Ireland
Member of the Society of Legal Scholars
Member of the European Corporate Governance Institute
Member of the Steering Committee of the Daughters of Themis international network for women business scholars