Named as part of ‘100 women changing Ireland in 2021’ – The Irish Examiner

Named as one of “Ireland’s rising stars: the 50 ones to watch in 2023” – The Irish Independent

Áine was Co-Founder and COO of Kinzen; a technology company helping platforms detect and disrupt misinformation and disinformation. Kinzen was acquired by Spotify in October 2022. She is now a director at Spotify, heading up its Content Safety Analysis team.

Previously, Áine led global journalism partnerships at Facebook based out of NYC. She was instrumental in helping to create and execute on the Facebook Journalism Project and led the creation of the News Integrity Initiative (NII).

Before Facebook, she spent five years at Storyful, where she served as head of content and political editor before being appointed managing editor in December 2011 at the time of the company’s acquisition by News Corporation. Áine spent over 7 years working as a political correspondent and news reporter with The Irish Times, The Irish Independent and The Irish Examiner.

Áine is a member of the Gaisce council; the organisation overseeing the President of Ireland’s Award, chair of Rethink Ireland (multimillion social impact fund) and chair of The Shona Project. She is also a member of the Irish Women’s Museum Advocacy Group that worked with Minister Catherine Martin on the creation of a process in 2023 to examine the establishment of a Women’s Museum.

In 2018, she graduated as a Fellow of the Sulzberger Leadership Program in Columbia University in New York City. She has a Bachelor of Education (B’ED) and a Masters of Journalism (MAJ) with Dublin City University [DCU].

She has certificates with Cornell University and Harvard University in financial accounting and project management, an Advanced Diploma in Leadership and Executive Coaching with Kingstown College and two Professional Diplomas in Management and Organisational Transformation with Institute of Management (IMI). She is currently completing a Masters in Business with UCC.

She was awarded Woman of the Year in Media 2018 by Irish Tatler Magazine, the VIP Eir Power of Women award in 2022 for digital and technology and a Woman of Vision award for business and technology in 2023. Her Alma Mater DCU recognised her with an Alumni Award in 2020.

In summer 2020, she brought her consummate skills to the radio waves as host of Reignite on Ireland’s national radio station RTÉ Radio 1, where she interviewed the likes of Gina Miller, Arianna Huffington, Jim Gavin, and Jamie Heaslip.  Áine is also a regular guest host on The Business on RTE Radio 1.

Áine, who is a fully accredited Executive Coach, is a seasoned speaker with a fresh approach and broad appeal. Her career in business, journalism and life’s lessons makes for stimulating, content-rich talks.  Some of the events she has spoken at include Web Summit, Collision and the Women in Tech Summit, as well as Inspirefest, LEO Entreprise, BUILA (British Universities International Liaison Association), CES, and IE Domain Registry CLG.  As a popular and agile MC, she has also played a key role in some of the biggest media industry events in the world.

Empowerment
Reignite:

We all have an inner fire that needs constant refuelling. It burns brightest when we’re playing to our strengths, living our values, having an impact, making meaningful connections. Sometimes, however, it can feel like we’re trying to strike a match to catch a flame and nothing works. So how to light it, and relight the fires within?

Áine draws examples from her life experiences as a child finding her voice, and as a global political journalist, a leader, an entrepreneur and a citizen, to imagine a more equal world. In so doing, she inspires and motivates the audience to advance along their own path towards fulfilment. Whether you want to progress women in leadership, motivate your staff or empower your employees, this talk has something for everyone.
Society and Culture
The Beautiful Truth

We’re living through a global pandemic and infodemic.

The infodemic follows years of mistrust with our newsfeeds, leaving us today with the ‘wicked problem that is ‘fake news’, or what Áine prefers to call misinformation and disinformation.

Áine discusses the social and political implications of this Wicked Problem, of this information war, and explores what everyone from platforms to policymakers needs to do to help fix it.

Diversity and Inclusion
Closing the Gender Gap: Call to Action for men to become true allies

In 2020 a report titled ‘Diversity Wins’ concluded that companies with higher levels of ethnic and gender diversity have greater economic performance. The research of 1,000 large companies across 15 countries showed that the companies in the top quartile for gender diversity were 25 percent more likely to have above-average profitability than companies in the fourth quartile.

In this talk Aine delves into what she has learnt from using a more collective approach to change and shares her insights on the actions and behaviours of men and women that can either help or hinder the progression of equality.  This keynote is insightful, empathetic and useful to organisations who want to be part of the change.

You may want to go deeper with your audience. Masterclasses can be tailored and developed to suit your audience needs, be it a 90-minute Masterclass , a half-day or full-day workshop or a full online or face-to-face programme. Please contact one of our expert team to discuss.

Reignite
We all have an inner fire that burns brightest when we’re playing to our strengths, living our values, having an impact and making meaningful connections. Sometimes, however, it can feel like there’s no fuel for the fire, leaving us running on empty or without focus or direction. So how to find that spark, and relight the fires within?

In this masterclass, Áine Kerr draws examples and insights from her life experiences to inspire and motivate leaders to advance along their own path towards fulfilment. Whether you want to progress women in leadership, motivate your staff or empower your employees, this talk has something for everyone.

“Áine is an extremely professional, engaging MC with the ability to lead the conversation and capture the audience’s attention. I would highly recommend her as an MC for any event and would be delighted to work with her in future events.”  Michelle Guthrie, Senior Enterprise Development Officer with LEO Clare

“Áine Kerr was the opening keynote address at our most recent entrepreneurship conference, attended by over 700 delegates at the Helix, DCU.  Her engaging and open manner as well as her clarity and authenticity set the tone perfectly for the entire event, capturing the audience from the moment she stepped on stage.  Both as an internationally recognised thought-leader on the future of news, journalism and content consumer behaviour and as courageous and innovative business leader, Áine was the perfect choice to inspire our audience of both established and aspiring entrepreneurs.”  Centre Director IC4

“We all thoroughly enjoyed having Áine involved in our educational programming – she was a compelling, thoughtful and dynamic interviewee, full of wisdom and unique perspective on a global scale. I think she inspired all of us in studio too!”  Reverist

“I have worked with Áine since Web Summit 2014 and she has never let us down. She’s always super enthusiastic, incredibly willing to be involved in any capacity and brings a unique spin on any session she’s involved in both as a speaker or moderator. Together with her experience across traditional and new media, she’s a wonderful addition to any talk in this area and more insightful than most when it comes to challenges and opportunities facing this industry. I’d recommend Áine for any event and look forward to having her join us again soon at future Web Summit events.” –  Stephen Twomey, Speaker Director, Web Summit

Áine Kerr is a digital entrepreneur, broadcaster and thought leader at the intersection of technology, journalism and leadership. In 2025 she was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy by Dublin City University for her contribution to media and society.

She co-founded Kinzen , a tech company that developed tools to detect and disrupt harmful online content. As COO, she guided the company from startup to global impact, leading to its acquisition by Spotify in 2022. She is a former Director at Spotify , where she shaped global strategy on digital safety. In 2025 Áine was awarded an Honorary Degree from Dublin City University for her contribution to media and society.

Prior to Kinzen, Áine led global journalism partnerships at Facebook in New York. She was central to launching the Facebook Journalism Project and co-founding the News Integrity Initiative , both designed to support trusted journalism and strengthen news ecosystems worldwide.

Earlier in her career, Áine spent five years at Storyful, where she rose to Managing Editor following the company’s acquisition by News Corporation. Before that, she worked for over seven years as a political correspondent and reporter with The Irish Times, The Irish Independent and The Irish Examiner.

Áine’s leadership extends beyond media and technology. She is Chair of the Gaisce Council , which oversees the President of Ireland’s Award, as well as Chair of Rethink Ireland , a €109m social impact fund, and The Shona Project . She also serves on a Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media advisory committee, focusing on women’s stories in national cultural collections.

Her academic background includes a B.Ed., an MA in Journalism from Dublin City University, and an MSc in Business Science from University College Cork. She is a graduate of Columbia University’s Sulzberger Leadership Program and holds further qualifications from Cornell , Harvard and Kingstown College.

Áine has been widely recognised for her contributions. She was named Irish Tatler’s Woman of the Year in Media (2018), received the VIP Eir Power of Women award in 2022, and the Woman of Vision award for business and technology in 2023. DCU also honoured her with an Alumni Award in 2020.

She is regularly invited to speak at international conferences and events, and has served as a judge for initiatives such as The Pitch by Samsung and Image. On air, she is best known as the host of Reignite on RTÉ Radio One (six seasons, 2020–2025) and as an occasional presenter of The Business and other RTÉ programmes.

Áine has consistently been recognised among Ireland’s most influential voices: included in The Irish Examiner’s “ 100 Women Changing Ireland ” (2021), The Irish Independent’s “50 Rising Stars” (2023), and The Business Post’s “Top 100 People in Tech” (2024).

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