2021

Dr Pamela Byrne is the CEO of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) where she is responsible for overall strategic management. Having previously held senior positions in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and Abbott Nutrition, Pam has extensive experience of the food regulatory environment, as well as expertise in risk assessment and food safety management at both national and international levels. Pamela was the Chair of the Management Board of the Joint Programming Initiative A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life for the last 5 years. She is also the Chair of the Strategic Advisory Board of the Institute of Food and Health at University College Dublin, Ireland.

Ginny Hanrahan is the inaugural CEO/Registrar of CORU – the regulator for Health and Social Care Professionals since 2008. CORU currently regulates 23,000 professionals from 12 professions, including social workers, physiotherapists and optometrists and are working with 5 other professions towards regulation including social worker, counsellors, and psychotherapists. Ginny previously worked in health and social care services, acute hospital, community, and mental health with her last role as Head of Clinical Services in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin. She previously worked as an Occupational Therapist in Ireland, UK, and Australia. She is past president of CLEAR – Council for Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation for international professional regulators. She holds Masters in Executive Leadership (UU) and in Community Health (TCD).

John McDaid is the Chief Executive of the Legal Aid Board, the body responsible for the provision of the State’s civil legal aid scheme and its family mediation services. The Board is also responsible for the administration of several criminal legal aid related schemes. John worked as a solicitor in private legal practice in Australia and Dublin before joining the Board. He worked as a managing solicitor in several the Board’s law centres before taking up a senior management position. He was appointed Chief Executive in 2014. He holds a Master of Science in Business Practice from the IMI / UCC.

Hilkka Becker, a lawyer with over 20 years professional experience specialising in asylum, migration, and human rights law, is the Chairperson of the International Protection Appeals Tribunal. She previously served as a part-time Member of the Refugee Appeals Tribunal, was Senior Solicitor at the Immigrant Council of Ireland, Legal Advisor with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), worked in private practice and as Legal Officer with the Irish Refugee Council. Hilkka is a member of the International Association of Refugee and Migration Judges (IARMJ), a member of the Justice and Home Affairs Group and of the Germany Group of the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA) and a Fellow of McLaughlin College at York University, Toronto.

Patricia Carey is CEO of the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI) since 2014. AAI is a quasi-judicial body that is regulator for all adoption services in Ireland. She is responsible for the day-to-day management and direction of the AAI, which is accountable to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. Patricia has considerable previous experience in the non-profit sector, having worked in various support and education settings with the Traveller Community and as the Director of Services for the Society of St Vincent de Paul for 13 years. She is on the Boards of Caranua, the state’s redress scheme for survivors of institutional abuse, and BelongTo, the national organisation supporting LGBTI+ young people in Ireland. She holds a BA and H Dip from NUI Maynooth and postgraduate qualifications from the Irish Management Institute and the Institute of Public Administration.

Rosalind Carroll is the Chief Executive of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB), the state body which assesses personal injury compensation. She took up her role in March 2020, having previously been CEO of the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), the regulatory body for the rental sector. Ms Carroll’s experience as a senior executive has included positions at the Housing Agency as Head of Regulation and Head of Housing Services, as well as roles in the Department of the Environment and Dublin City Council, covering housing, regulation, and programme management.

Brian Doherty is the Chief Executive Officer of the Legal Services Regulatory Authority, the body charged with the regulation of legal professionals in the State and the maintenance and improvement of standards of legal services. A former barrister he was called to the Bar in Northern Ireland in 1996 and initially practiced in Belfast. He joined the Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland when it was set up in 2000 as one of the first civilian investigators, working on allegations of misconduct against the then RUC, later the PSNI. In 2007 he moved to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission as a Senior Investigating Officer, later progressing to Acting Deputy Director of Investigations. He returned to the Police Ombudsman of Northern Ireland in 2014 to run the Current Investigations Directorate. Brian took up post as the CEO of the LSRA in September 2017. Brian holds a Masters in Criminology and Criminal Justice Management from Queens University Belfast and a Doctorate in Criminology from the University of Portsmouth.

John Farrelly is Chief Executive of The Mental Health Commission, Ireland’s mental health service regulator which in 2022 will commence the Decision Support Service pursuant to the Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) Act. John previously occupied the positions of Charities Regulator and Deputy Chief Inspector of Health and Social Services. Educated at the Royal College of Surgeons, Honourable Society of King’s Inns, Harvard, Smurfit Business School, University College Dublin, John is currently completing a Doctorate in Governance at the IPA. John’s professional goal is to develop efficient/effective organisations which deliver optimum public service through skilled, determined, and compassionate people.

Jim O’Toole is Chief Executive Officer of Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), Ireland’s Seafood Development Agency. Jim has a wealth of experience in business development, global food marketing, sustainability development and change leadership. Jim previously was Director of Meat & Livestock and Sustainability Development in Bord Bia. Jim is a Board Member of the Irish National Accreditation Board (INAB). He holds a Master’s Degree in Agricultural Science from University College Dublin and has completed professional development programmes at Harvard Business School, Cranfield University and Ashridge Business School.