Jump Back
Barden’s Recently Qualified Accountants Team (most of who are qualified accountants, just like you) are here to help you make your very best first step as a qualified accountant.
Below you’ll find out more about each of the team. Drop a quick email to one of our team and they’ll take it from there…
Brian O’Connor ACA | Team Lead | Recently Qualified Accounting Careers | Barden Leinster
Brian O’Connor ACA is the Team Lead of the Recently Qualified Accountants division of Barden’s talent advisory and recruitment firm in Leinster.
After his BComm and MAcc at UCD, Brian completed his training contract with Deloitte’s FS Audit team where he worked on fund and reinsurance audits and achieved his ACA qualification. Post-contract, Brian moved to Melbourne where he diversified his experience through various industry roles including financial reporting, project accounting and fixed assets.
After returning from Australia in January 2020, Brian decided to leverage his ACA qualification in an advisory capacity by joining Barden. Brian assumes a leadership role, guiding the Recently Qualified Accountants division with a blend of expertise, insight, and a commitment to delivering excellence. This ambition extends not only to serving clients and newly qualified accountants but also to fostering a culture of growth and collaboration within the Barden team.
Contact Brian at brian.oconnor@barden.ie or via LinkedIn.
Aoibhín Byrne | Associate Director | Tax, Treasury & Practice | Barden Leinster
Aoibhín Byrne is Associate Director of the Tax, Treasury & Practice division within Barden’s talent advisory and recruitment firm in Leinster. In this capacity, she supports professionals through career transitions while complimenting business recruitment strategies across tax, treasury, audit and consulting.
After graduating from UCC with a BComm with French, Aoibhín started her professional journey with KPMG’s tax department. During her time at KPMG, she supported multinational businesses across a variety of industries in the provision of corporate tax compliance and advisory services.
Aoibhín joined Barden Leinster in October 2019 as an Associate, progressing into the role of Associate Director in January 2025. She is passionate about helping Barden’s clients build the best teams, actively engaging with them to discern their requirements, preferences, and aspirations, while also sharing key market insights.
Contact Aoibhín at aoibhin.byrne@barden.ie or via LinkedIn.
Bernie Duffy ACA | Senior Associate | Recently Qualified Accountants | Barden Leinster
Bernie Duffy ACA is a Senior Associate in the Recently Qualified Accountants division of Barden’s talent advisory and recruitment firm in Leinster.
Armed with a BA in Accounting & Finance and a MAcc from DCU, Bernie joined EY’s ICT Audit department to undertake her training contract and attain her ACA qualification. After achieving both professional milestones, Bernie joined Barden in November 2021.
At Barden, Bernie focuses on providing key career advice to newly qualified accountants and helping them to navigate the crucial initial steps of their accounting careers. Her expertise lies in providing tailored advice and support, ensuring that each newly qualified accountant takes confident, well-informed strides in their career journey.
Contact Bernie at bernie.duffy@barden.ie or via LinkedIn.
Niall O’Keeffe ACA | Senior Associate | Recently Qualified Accountants | Barden Leinster
Niall O’Keeffe is a Senior Associate at Barden, and an expert in recently qualified accounting careers.
Niall works directly with the team to continue to support recently qualified accounting professionals. He successfully qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2021 having completed his training contract with the Audit team in Deloitte Ireland. Prior to this Niall completed an accounting degree and masters in University College Cork.
Niall works directly with the recently qualified team in Dublin to support recently qualified accounting professionals in Leinster.
Contact Niall at niall.okeeffe@barden.ie or via LinkedIn.
Ed Heffernan | Managing Partner | Barden Ireland
Ed Heffernan is the Managing Partner of Barden Ireland. In 2014 he founded Barden with Elaine Brady & Jonathan Olden. He has worked for over 20 years in talent advisory and recruitment both locally and internationally in accounting, finance, and technology.
Ed has worked with 100s of companies nationally in a talent advisory capacity and is a regular contributor to industry publications and thought leadership in recruitment. A UCC grad in Neuroscience, Ed is also CIPD qualified and holds an MBA from Trinity College Dublin. Ed is passionate about the recruitment profession and how data-driven talent decisions lead to more positive outcomes for all stakeholders.
Contact Ed at ed.heffernan@barden.ie or via LinkedIn.
Elaine Brady | Managing Partner | Barden Leinster
Elaine Brady is the Managing Partner of Barden Leinster. She holds a Bachelor of Business Studies from Trinity College Dublin, and since graduation has worked nationally and internationally with some of the world’s leading recruitment firms. Throughout her career, Elaine has specialised in accounting and tax talent advisory and recruitment and is an expert in senior-qualified accounting careers and the executive search market.
In 2014 Elaine co-founded Barden with Ed Heffernan and since then, it has grown organically into a thriving team of talent advisory & recruitment experts nationwide. She is an active contributor and regular panelist on topics such as talent advisory, recruitment, retention, and diversity and inclusion. She also advises Boards on how to build world-class leadership teams.
Elaine has successfully completed both the KPMG/Enterprise Ireland Going for Growth and the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women EMEIA programs. She is also a Dublin Chamber Ambassador and was first runner-up in the 2024 PwC Image Business Woman of the Year Award in the Entrepreneurship category.
Contact Elaine at elaine.brady@barden.ie or via LinkedIn.
Get in Touch With Us
Barden is where recently qualified accountants go before they start looking for a job.
When you meet Barden you will be meeting Ireland’s most experienced financial recruitment and talent advisory team, many of whom are themselves accounting and tax qualified.
Your future is too important to leave to chance. Take control, get informed and plan your professional future with Barden. Drop us an email at hello@barden.ie and we’ll get in touch to arrange a time and date that suits you to start planning your professional future.