Barretstown

Dee Ahearn is the Chief Executive of Barretstown, Ireland’s largest provider of medically endorsed therapeutic camps and programs for children affected by cancer and other serious illnesses. Last year, Barretstown celebrated its 30th anniversary and the milestone of serving over 125,000 campers since opening its gates in 1994.

Barretstown is a member of the Serious Fun Children’s Network, which was founded by legendary Hollywood actor and philanthropist Paul Newman in 1988 and now comprises over 30 camps and programs globally.

Under Dee’s leadership, Barretstown has experienced extraordinary growth, with an increase of almost 1,000% in the number of children and family members served. Dee oversaw the establishment of Barretstown Foundation USA in 2018, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, to help ensure children with cancer from the U.S. could also benefit from Barretstown’s life-changing programs. Each summer, Barretstown welcomes over 20 children from the U.S. to experience its medically endorsed therapeutic programmes, and the ambition is to increase this number to serving 50 children annually. Barretstown Foundation USA has also launched a summer placement program for U.S. college students to allow them to work at Barretstown for the summer season.

Dee, who is from Tipperary, has a background in strategic and creative marketing and has held senior leadership positions at Black & Decker, the Gunne Group, CBRE, and Treasury Holdings.