Evelyn OToole
Evelyn O'Toole, CEO, CLS
A native of Clifden, Co. Galway, Evelyn leads CLS with a clear focus on business strategy, company values, and long-term vision, positioning CLS as a trusted partner to the life sciences sector. Under her leadership, CLS has evolved into a multidisciplinary organisation, delivering high-impact solutions in Quality Control, Quality Assurance, Training, Strategic Consulting and Managed Resourcing.
Together with her senior management team, she has developed and expanded the company in addition to creating vital partnerships. Evelyn and the senior team work together with a common goal and have charted a clear course for the company’s future, its culture and values, built on the importance of trust, honesty and openness at its core.
Evelyn holds qualifications from Athlone Institute of Technology, Sligo Institute of Technology, the National University of Ireland Maynooth, and the Irish Management Institute. She was appointed Chairperson of the West Regional Enterprise Plan in 2021 and has served as a judge for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year programme since 2018. Evelyn is also a board member of the Irish Medtech Association and an active committee member at Cancer Care West’s support centre.
She has received numerous accolades recognising her contribution to business and industry, including a Fellowship from GMIT in 2019 and an Honorary Degree from NUI Galway in 2020. Among her many honours, she was named EY Industry Entrepreneur of the Year and Irish Tatler Business Woman of the Year in 2017, and Outstanding Business Woman of the Year by Network Galway in 2016.