Maria Hegarty

Maria Hegarty is the Founder and Managing Director of Equality Strategies Ltd., a consultancy dedicated to advancing equality, diversity, and inclusion across sectors. She is also the Founder of Diversity Charter Ireland, a key initiative promoting workplace diversity and non-discrimination. Maria has contributed significantly to international inclusion efforts through her work with the EU Platform of Diversity Charters and has collaborated on multiple EU-funded projects with the European Commission, shaping policy and practice at both national and European levels.

With over 25 years of experience, Maria has led major projects across Ireland and Europe addressing equality and human rights in public policy, housing, employment, education, and community development. She currently leads the development of Ireland’s national Gender Mainstreaming Toolkit and Training Module under the EU-funded Gender Flagship Project. Her recent work includes comprehensive equality reviews for local authorities under Irish human rights legislation, and national initiatives such as the Equality and Human Rights Duty Project for the Irish National Housing Agency and the diversity review for Fórsa, Ireland’s second-largest trade union.

Maria’s impact also spans research, training, evaluation, and policy design, working with a wide array of stakeholders—from government departments and public bodies to universities, trade unions, civil society, and private sector leaders like Vodafone, Sodexo, and Hewlett Packard. She has authored practical toolkits for organisations implementing diversity strategies, and her leadership in pan-European projects like the Diversity Barometer and DIVERSEurope has fostered inclusive practices in SMEs and rural communities. Her commitment to advancing social justice is also reflected in her governance and advocacy roles, including with Women’s Aid, where she co-developed the national helpline training programme still in use today.