Irish independent production company BiggerStage has appointed former Paramount Global executive Leda Connaughton-Deeny as its new Chief Financial Officer, creating the role as the company enters a new phase of expansion.
Connaughton-Deeny brings more than 20 years of experience at Paramount Global, where she held senior finance and strategy positions across Sydney, London and New York. Her experience spans broadcasting, content distribution, streaming and consumer products, with a focus on financial performance, business intelligence and international growth.
Reporting to BiggerStage Founder and CEO Pat Kiely, Connaughton-Deeny will oversee finance, strategy and investment as the company expands its production services and co-production activities and develops new partnerships with international studios and networks.
“BiggerStage’s growth reflects both the calibre of its team and the scale of its ambition. I am delighted to join at this pivotal moment,” Connaughton-Deeny said. “I look forward to applying the financial and strategic experience I’ve built across international markets to help the company achieve its next stage of growth.”
Kiely added: “Leda brings exceptional financial leadership to BiggerStage at a critical moment in our growth. Her international experience with global media businesses will be instrumental as we scale the business, evolve our proposition and pursue the significant investment opportunities ahead.”
BiggerStage expands production footprint in Ireland
The appointment follows the June opening of BiggerStage’s Global Production Hub at Troy Studios in Limerick, established through a multimillion-euro, multi-year partnership with Hackman Capital Partners’ Troy Studios and The MBS Group.
Troy Studios is Ireland’s largest studio facility, with four sound stages covering 100,000 square feet across a 26-acre site. The hub also houses Format Factory, BiggerStage’s incubator for developing and piloting original unscripted formats.
The facility has already hosted several major international productions in 2026, including 99 To Beat with Ken Jeong and Erin Andrews, The Floor with Rob Lowe and Name That Tune with Jane Krakowski and Robin Thicke for FOX in the U.S. The UK version of Name That Tune, hosted by Alison Hammond, was produced in partnership with ITV Studios for ITV1.
Since its launch in 2021, BiggerStage has worked with companies including FOX Entertainment, MGM, Studio Ramsay Global, Talpa Studios and ITV Studios, bringing international productions to Ireland and supporting local production, technical and creative employment.
The company’s expansion comes alongside new incentives for unscripted production in Ireland. Section 487A, introduced earlier this year, provides a 20% corporation tax credit on qualifying expenditure of up to €15 million per project, covering formats including reality, quiz, contest and game shows.
Combined with the country’s established Section 481 film incentive, a new VFX credit, studio infrastructure and an English-speaking EU production base, the new unscripted incentive is positioning Ireland to attract further international television productions.
