Business & Finance, in association with KPMG, have announced that Irish-American philanthropist Loretta Brennan Glucksman will receive the 2025 TK Whitaker Award for Outstanding Contribution to Ireland & Public Life.
The prestigious accolade will be presented at the annual Business & Finance Awards, which will take place at the Convention Centre Dublin on Thursday, December 11, welcoming over 1,000 business, political, and cultural leaders from Ireland and abroad.
Loretta Brennan Glucksman has dedicated much of her life to strengthening the relationship between Ireland and the United States through her philanthropic support of Irish culture, education, peacebuilding and the arts. As Chair Emerita of The Ireland Funds America, she helped raise hundreds of millions of dollars for non-profit organisations across the island of Ireland.
Loretta Brennan Glucksman said of winning the award: “Ken Whitaker was a kind and wise mentor to so many — I am sublimely fortunate to be able to count myself among them.”
Her leadership and quiet diplomacy have had a profound and lasting impact, particularly in the areas of cross-community engagement and educational inclusion in Northern Ireland. Through decades of work, she has become one of the most respected and influential figures in Irish-American relations.
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Ian Hyland, President & Publisher of Business & Finance, said: "Loretta Brennan Glucksman’s unwavering commitment to Ireland and her extraordinary legacy across culture, education and reconciliation make her a truly deserving recipient of the TK Whitaker Award.
"Her philanthropy and unyielding support of Ireland has changed lives, and her vision has helped shape modern Ireland for generations to come. In celebrating Loretta, we celebrate the essence of all that is unique about the Irish-American partnership in its truest form."
The TK Whitaker Award was established in 2016 to honour the centenary of Dr. TK Whitaker, one of Ireland’s most revered public servants and the architect of Ireland’s modern economic strategy. Past recipients of the award include President Michael D. Higgins, Mary McAleese, John & Pat Hume, Sir Anthony O’Reilly and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Ryan McCarthy, Managing Partner, KPMG Ireland, said: "KPMG is honoured to continue our association with the TK Whitaker Award, which recognises individuals whose leadership and service have enriched public life. Loretta Brennan Glucksman has exemplified those values with remarkable dedication. Her contributions to Irish society – and in particular to peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland, and her bridge-building between Ireland and the US reflect the very spirit of this award and the legacy of TK Whitaker.”
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