Day 1 – Monday 2 November
Online
12.30–12.45 | Welcome and Opening Remarks
John Devitt, Chief Executive, Transparency International Ireland
Dr Freda Grealy, Programme Manager, Integrity at Work, Transparency International Ireland
12.45–13.45 | Building a Speak-Up Culture: Tools and Resources for Employers
Creating a workplace where people feel able to speak up requires more than a policy or reporting channel. This session will explore practical tools, approaches and resources that organisations can use to strengthen their speak-up arrangements and build a culture of integrity.
John Devitt, Chief Executive of Transparency International Ireland, will open the session with an overview of the Integrity at Work programme and its work supporting organisations to develop effective speak-up arrangements and cultures of integrity. He will introduce the resources available through Integrity at Work, including the Self-Assessment Framework, e-learning, training and coaching, Speak Up Helpline, policy guidance and practical templates, and consider how organisations can assess and strengthen their own approaches.
Marie Terracol will bring an international perspective from Transparency International’s work on whistleblower protection, including recent research on the implementation and effectiveness of whistleblowing frameworks across Europe. Her contribution will consider the continuing gap between having legal protections and reporting mechanisms in place and ensuring that people who speak up are effectively protected and supported in practice.
Andrew Samuels will bring his experience of whistleblowing management systems, including his involvement in the development of ISO 37002, the international standard for whistleblowing management systems.
Susanna Ferro will introduce GlobaLeaks as a practical, encrypted reporting channel that organisations can incorporate into their wider speak-up arrangements, providing an opportunity to consider how secure technology can support accessible and trusted reporting.
Freda Grealy is a solicitor with experience spanning professional legal education, anti-corruption, rule of law, professional ethics and access to justice. She has worked in Ireland at the Law Society of Ireland and as Managing Solicitor at Mercy Law Resource Centre, and internationally, including with the CEELI Institute in Prague. As Programme Manager at Integrity at Work, Freda draws on her experience in law, ethics and education to support organisations in strengthening integrity and building workplace cultures where people feel safe to speak up and raise concerns.
Panellists
- Andrew Samuels, Enable GRC
- John Devitt, Chief Executive, Transparency International Ireland
- Marie Terracol, Whistleblower Protection Lead, Transparency International Secretariat
- Sussana Ferro, GlobaLeaks
- Chair. Dr Freda Grealy, IAW Programme Manager, Transparency International Ireland
Registration: Participants will need to register separately for each event. Zoom access details will be sent to registered participants in advance. Register HERE for day 1.
Day 2 Tuesday 3 November – University of Galway
In-person and online
10:00–10:30 | Welcome Coffee and Registration
10:30–12:00 | Twelve Years of Whistleblower Protection in Ireland: What Does the Case Law Reveal?
Drawing on twelve years of Irish case law, this panel explores the main patterns emerging from whistleblowing claims, how cases have been interpreted and resolved across different legal forums, and what these trends reveal about the operation of the Irish whistleblower protection framework in practice.
12:00–12:30 | Q&A and Audience Discussion
An interactive session inviting participants to reflect on the legal findings presented, share perspectives and experiences, and identify key questions for policy, practice and future research.
12:30–13:30 | Lunch Break
13:30–14:00 | Networking and Afternoon Registration
14:00–14:30 | Whistleblowing as a Family Matter: Report Launch
A short presentation introducing the report and its main findings on the relational and family consequences of whistleblowing, including how disclosure, retaliation and protection processes can affect partners, children and wider family relationships.
14:30–15:20 | Fireside Chat: Maurice McCabe & John Devitt
A moderated conversation exploring survival strategies and the aftermath of whistleblowing, drawing on lived experience and reflecting on what others might learn.
15:20–16:00 | Q&A and Audience Discussion
An interactive session inviting participants to reflect on the report and fireside conversation, share perspectives and experiences, and raise questions for the speakers.
16:00–16:30 | Closing Reflections and Future Directions
A closing discussion bringing together the main insights from the family and legal sessions and identifying key implications for policy, practice and future research.
Registration: Participants will need to register separately for the University of Galway event HERE.
Day 3 Wednesday 4 November
Online
11.00–12.30 | Workshop: Building a Culture Where People Feel Safe to Speak Up
What behaviours help create a workplace where people feel safe to speak up – and what behaviours can undermine that culture?
This interactive workshop will explore how organisational values and ethics are translated into everyday practice, and the relationship between what organisations say about speaking up and what employees actually experience. It will consider the role of psychological safety in creating an environment where people feel able to raise concerns, ask questions, challenge decisions and speak up without fear of negative consequences.
Drawing on practical examples and discussion, participants will consider how leadership, management behaviours and organisational culture can build – or undermine – trust and confidence in speaking up.
The workshop will provide an opportunity to:
- Reflect on the behaviours and practices that encourage people to speak up.
- Explore the relationship between psychological safety and a strong speak-up culture.
- Consider how leadership, management and organisational culture influence trust and confidence.
- Explore the gap between organisational policies and what employees actually experience.
- Share perspectives and practical ideas for building a stronger culture of speaking up.
Facilitators
- Amanda Shantz, Professor of Responsible Leadership, Trinity Business School Dublin
- Gráinne Madden, GMJ Associates
- John Devitt, Chief Executive, Transparency International Ireland
Registration: Participants will need to register HERE for this event Day 3. Zoom access details will be sent to registered participants in advance. Spaces for this workshop are limited to IAW Members and Employers. Please email events@transparency if you have any queries.
Day 4 Thursday 5 November
Online
12.30–13.45 | Whistleblowing in Ireland: Legal Developments and Challenges since 2025
Recent decisions from the Workplace Relations Commission, Labour Court and High Court are providing important guidance for employers on protected disclosures and whistleblowing.
This practical session will look at recent and notable case law that employers should be aware of, including decisions on what constitutes a protected disclosure, the distinction between a protected disclosure and a workplace grievance, penalisation, and the link between a disclosure and subsequent employment decisions.
The panel will consider what these cases mean in practice for employers – including how organisations should respond to concerns, manage decisions affecting a reporting person, and ensure that their processes, evidence and documentation stand up to scrutiny.
Panellists:
- Donal O’Connor, Solicitor, Transparency Legal Advice Centre
- Dr Lauren Kierans BL, Assistant Professor of Law, Maynooth University
- Paul D. Maier BL, specialising in employment, labour and workplace law
Chair: Dr Freda Grealy, Integrity at Work Programme Manager, Transparency International.
Registration: Participants will need to register HERE for this event (Day 4). Zoom access details will be sent to registered participants in advance.