Meet our team

Aidan Holland combines his drive, passion and expertise to deliver the highest standard of service for all ACORN Water clients. He leads the team to ensure we create innovative solutions to even the most challenging problems. With 20+ years of experience, Aidan has honed his skills in the water and wastewater industry. His reputation for exemplary client engagement has helped him consistently exceed expectations and achieve outstanding results. Aidan holds a Degree in Business & Marketing and a Diploma in Business & Finance from Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (now ATU). His qualifications also include a Certificate in Business Accounting from the Waterford Institute of Business and Technology. Aidan continues to be a lifelong learner, always seeking new opportunities to grow and develop his skills as the CEO of ACORN Water.

William Holland graduated with a B.Eng (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering at Cork Institute of Technology (now MTU). His additional academic qualifications include; CIWEM (Municipal Wastewater Treatment), CIWEM (Potable Water Treatment) and Delft TU (Nanofiltration & Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment). William has a proven operational and engineering track record and strong multi-sector experience across Utility, Manufacturing and Food sectors. He specialises in process optimisation and troubleshooting at Wastewater Treatment plants, including chemical selection and dosing controls, stormwater management and recovery, and the development of sustainability projects. William works as a Senior Environmental Liaison to the EPA and a Senior Water Utility Liaison on nano coagulants. His goal is to deliver outstanding results through a client-focused framework based on thorough interrogation of lab data.

Frank graduated from Cork Institute of Technology (now MTU) with a BSc in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology. During his studies, Frank took an elective Environmental Science module focussing on wet chemistry techniques to determine water and wastewater quality. He is currently partaking in a course in Municipal Wastewater Treatment. He has completed courses in Internal QMS Auditor based on ISO 9001:2015 training, Safe Pass, Forklift operation, Skidsteer operation and Telehandler operation. Frank is responsible for maintaining the standards and practices for ACORN Water’s Quality Management system. Frank has over ten years of experience testing private and public mains supply water and wastewater samples from the Agriculture, Dairy, Distillery and Pharmaceutical industries. Frank takes great pride in advising customers of results and determining if results comply with drinking water limits, discharge licenses, or waste permits.

Denise Bennett has been working with the ACORN Water team for over twenty years, helping the organisation to grow and expand. With a customer-centric approach, Denise ensures operations in ACORN Water are efficient and effective. She manages operations and order fulfilment, so they are successful in terms of meeting customer requirements.

John Lonergan graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Earth Science at University College Cork. He has also completed a Higher Diploma in Food Science and Technology (Hons) at the Institute of Technology Tallaght, Dublin. John has over ten years of experience in wastewater treatment, including six years covering all aspects of operations across EPA and Irish Water licenced factories and Wastewater Treatment Plants. His expertise is extensive, with roles as an Environmental Process Specialist, Process Technician, Plant Operator, Project Geoscientist and Wastewater Treatment Manager. John brings his scientific knowledge and practical skills to the ACORN Water team to enable us to deliver exemplary service to all our clients.

Cormac Halley graduated with a BSc in Environmental Science from University College Cork and an MSc in Environmental Engineering from the University of Strathclyde. He has over five years of experience in the water and wastewater industry and extensive knowledge of technological applications for optimising water and wastewater treatment process efficiency. Cormac is responsible for the rollout of ACORN's innovative nanotechnologies in Irish & UK industrial and municipal markets. He is highly skilled in managing key client relationships at ACORN Water and always provides exemplary customer service.

Sean supports our accounts department to operate effectively and efficiently. His training and experience as an accountant make him a safe pair of hands in our back office team.

Julie Harris is an Honours Arts graduate of University College Cork, where she studied English Literature and Psychology. Having worked in Film and TV production for over five years, Julie moved on to fundraising, marketing and communications in international, national and local charities. She is a veteran of creating and managing marketing, branding and communication campaigns across a range of Irish industries to build authentic relationships between clients and businesses. Julie aims to showcase ACORN Water's products and services to all our customers to help inform organisations of the technological advances that can transform their wastewater treatment plants.

Róisín Kelly graduated from University College Cork with a First Class Honours Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry. She is an essential member of our laboratory team carrying out bacterial and chemical testing of water samples, logging and compiling H20 Labcheck test kits. Róisín also conducts microscopic analysis of activated sludge samples from wastewater treatment plants and performs daily calibrations of lab equipment. Róisín prides herself on meticulous attention to detail in all aspects of her scientific duties at ACORN Water.