Ann Riordan (17 July 1947 – 5 March 2021) was a pioneering woman who fought for equal pay and rights. She was an early married woman who returned to work and went on to become the first general manager of

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washin ...

Ireland.

Biography

Born Ann Kelly on 17 July 1947 Riordan was the daughter of a

CIÉ Córas Iompair Éireann (''Irish Transport Company''), or CIÉ, is a statutory corporation of Ireland, answerable to the Irish Government and responsible for most public transport within the republic and jointly with its Northern Ireland counter ...

mechanic, Joe Kelly, and seamstress Lillie Kelly. Lillie taught in

The Grafton Academy The Grafton Academy of Fashion Design is a third level college based in Dublin, Ireland. It offers an undergraduate 3-year full-time Diploma course in Fashion Design as well as short courses in Fashion Design, dressmaking, pattern drafting, garme ...

. Riordan had six siblings. The family grew up in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

Rathfarnham Rathfarnham () is a Southside suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is south of Terenure, east of Templeogue, and is in the postal districts of Dublin 14 and 16. It is within the administrative areas of both Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Counci ...

. Riordan attended the St. Louis High School but left at sixteen before sitting her Leaving Certificate. Riordan left school to get a job with the Gas Company in Dublin. However almost immediately she discovered that the woman in Alliance and Dublin Consumers Gas Company were not being paid the backdated cost-of-living increase which had been agreed with the

Irish Transport and General Workers Union The Irish Transport and General Workers Union (ITGWU), was a trade union representing workers, initially mainly labourers, in Ireland. History The union was founded by James Larkin in January 1909 as a general union. Initially drawing its mem ...

. She discovered first hand the attitude to women as workers. She was a leader in compelling management to give the equal increase to the women employees. Her next move was to apply for a job as a central heating designer. Again she faced obstacles when told the role was a man's job. Aged nineteen she objected to that and was given the position. When she married Frank Riordan, she faced her next challenge. There was a ban on married women in the workplace. Riordan's employer told her they would be happy to see her back but that the unions this time were preventing it. The union granted her a six month compromise and Riordan returned to work. However in 1970 Riordan moved to London. There she got a role with

L'Oréal L'Oréal S.A. () is a French personal care company headquartered in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine with a registered office in Paris. It is the world's largest cosmetics company and has developed activities in the field concentrating on hair color, ...

and began her UK career. She first started in the tech industry with a position in Wordplex in 1976. Since Wordplex was a start up Riordan was exposed to every aspect of business and soon returned to Ireland as the managing director of the company. In 1991 Riordan was selected to be the Microsoft country manager for Ireland. By 1996 she had won the companies 'Chairman's award' for what she had achieved in both Ireland and Europe. Riordan retired in 2000. She got involved in various organizations and was President of the Institute of Directors In Ireland, Chair of the

Science Foundation Ireland Science Foundation Ireland (SFI; ga, Fondúireacht Eolaíochta Éireann) is the statutory body in Republic of Ireland, Ireland with responsibility for funding oriented basic and applied research in the areas of science, technology, engineering ...

, Chair of the

National Standards Authority of Ireland The National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) is the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) member body for the Republic of Ireland. The NSAI is also a member of the European Organisation for Technical Approvals. The NSAI wa ...

and

Tourism Ireland Tourism Ireland (Irish: ''Turasóireacht Éireann''; Ulster-Scots: ''Tourism Airlan'' or ''Reengin Airlann'') is the marketing body responsible for marketing the island of Ireland overseas. Tourism Ireland was established as one of "six areas o ...

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riordan, Ann 1947 births 2021 deaths Businesspeople from Dublin (city) Science Foundation Ireland People educated at St Louis High School, Rathmines