Owner and Chief Executive of Corporate Masters. Freeman of the City of London. Thirty years spent raising money, building boards, developing leaders, and connecting business people with those who need them.

Rita's practice spans the UK and Ireland. She works with business leaders, charitable trustees, school principals, and civic figures.

Board Appointments

• Ireland-U.S. Council: Member of the Board
• NAPD: Member of the Corporate Advisory Board

In recognition of her contributions to leadership development, philanthropic endeavour, and the business links between Ireland and the United Kingdom, Rita Kelly received the Freedom of the City of London. This tradition, dating from 1237 and presented at Guildhall, is one of the most prestigious honours the Corporation of London can bestow.

Rita Kelly's practice brings together investors, entrepreneurs, and business leaders across Ireland, the UK, and North America. For thirty years, she has facilitated connections that unlock value: capital, funds and opportunity. Expertise finds emerging leaders, and networks accelerate growth.

This is not transactional. Rita works with investors and business leaders to understand their objectives, the markets they enter, the people they need to meet, and the timing that matters. She then architects introductions and partnerships that create advantage.

• Ireland-UK Market Entry: For businesses expanding from the US into Ireland or the UK, Rita provides strategic introductions to regulatory advisors, financial institutions, and distribution partners. She understands both markets: their regulatory landscapes, their business cultures, and the people who move capital and contracts.
• UK-Ireland-US Networks: Investors seeking exposure to Irish or UK opportunities benefit from Rita's transatlantic relationships. She facilitates partnerships between US investment groups and Irish or UK businesses, managing both the commercial logic and the interpersonal dynamics that make deals succeed.
• Leadership and Governance: Beyond capital, growing companies need talent. Rita connects boards with executives, entrepreneurs with mentors, and emerging leaders with the experience they need to scale. She understands that the right people matter as much as the right capital.

• Strategic clarity: Understanding your objectives (growth, exit, market entry, scale) before introducing capital or partners.
• Relationship intelligence: Knowing the right people in banking, law, investment, and operations across jurisdictions. Knowing who understands your sector, who has capacity, and who moves quickly.
• Institutional knowledge: Understanding the regulatory and business environments in Ireland, the UK, and across the US. What works in one market may not work in another. Rita navigates those differences.
• Government relations and lobbying: Navigating relationships with government departments and matching projects to the departments best placed to support them.

Rita Kelly works with emerging and established leaders to develop strategic capability, executive presence, and decision-making in complex environments. Her coaching spans board development, executive transition, succession planning, and cross-sector leadership challenges.

These programmes pair leaders with experienced executives who have navigated similar challenges, creating mentorship relationships that accelerate development and build networks across industries and geographies.

The approach focuses on three dimensions:

• Strategic thinking and business acumen
• Interpersonal effectiveness and influence
• The ability to lead through uncertainty and change

• Irish Defence Forces: Masterclasses with the Defence Forces
• NAPD: Leadership training days for 1,400 members
• University of Limerick: Masterclass with business leaders