John was appointed Chairman of the Board of Coolmine CLG in June 2024.
John has extensive healthcare governance experience having previously served as Chair of the Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital and as Chair of the Voluntary Healthcare Forum, the representative body for voluntary hospitals.
He is a current Council Member of the Irish Medical Council and Chair of its Preliminary Proceedings Committee and also a Council member of the Dental Council of Ireland.
John holds a Diploma in Company Direction from the Institute of Directors. He is a solicitor by profession specialising in Medical Law and up to his retirement from legal practice in 2018 was a partner in Mason Hayes & Curran Solicitors and Head of its Healthcare Team. .
Maria O’Connell is a seasoned Non-Executive Director, Board advisor and Chartered Accountant with over 30 years of leadership experience in financial services, asset management and investment funds. Maria has held senior executive and regulatory roles in global facing organisations, including State Street Global Advisors, Irish Funds and Bank of Ireland Asset Management.
With deep expertise in governance, risk management, regulatory frameworks, business management and strategic execution, Maria has a proven track record of successfully driving and leading complex, business critical initiatives at board and executive levels. She has served on the boards of investment fund companies and currently chairs the Audit and Governance Committee of the Irish Centre for European Law.
A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland, Maria holds a Bachelor of Commerce from University College Cork and a Diploma in Professional Accounting from University College Dublin. Maria is driven by a lifelong curiosity, a collaborative work ethic and an innate desire to apply her extensive expertise to always make a positive impact.
Sean McCormack is a Chartered Surveyor and Head of the Real Estate Advisory Unit in the Group Risk Division of Bank of Ireland which is an independent team of Chartered surveyors with responsibility for property collateral valuation risk and strategy, market monitoring, valuation policy and standards.
Sean joined Bank of Ireland in 2012 following a 25 year career in the property advisory industry holding various roles including of Head of Professional Services, Head of Commercial Business and Managing Director in DTZ Sherry FitzGerald in addition to running his own advisory firm. Sean previously specialised in valuation and rent review advisory and dispute resolution for commercial investment property and development land.
Sean is a Fellow of the Society of Chartered Surveyors (SCSI) in Ireland and The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors(RICS). Sean is a Past President of the SCSI(2009/10) and a member of the RICS (Ireland) Board. He previously served as Hon. Secretary and Committee member of the Institute of Arbitrators Irish Branch.
Cathie is a Director in Grant Thornton’s Financial Services Consulting practice, having joined in 2018, following 18 years with AIB. Specialising in large-scale customer remediation, stakeholder engagement and complaint management, she is at her best when supporting clients to navigate complex strategic, customer and digital change management challenges. Cathie led the customer appeals process of the largest-ever Central Bank examination for an Irish pillar bank. In the role of Operations Lead, she oversaw the complaints management functions of two deleveraging projects for another Irish pillar bank in addition to the rapid mobilisation of a complaints management function for a wealth management business in response to a regulatory examination.
Cathie is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered and Certified Accountants (FCCA), a Qualified Financial Advisor and Change Management Practitioner. She is currently studying for the Chartered Director qualification with the Institute of Directors in Ireland. She is honoured to be a member of the Board and to use her skills and experience in bringing the CRC’s mission, vision and values to life.
Non-Executive Director
Professor Patricia Barker is a highly accomplished Chartered Accountant, educator, and governance expert with a distinguished career spanning academia, corporate leadership, and social impact. A trailblazer for women in her field, she was among the first female Chartered Accountants in Ireland and has since held leadership roles, including Vice President (Academic) of Dublin City University and Chair of the Irish Accounting Standards Board for 25 years.
Patricia has served on numerous boards, including Dublin Bus, the Marine Institute, and the Pensions Authority, where she currently chairs the Audit and Risk Committee. Internationally recognized, she has lectured and advised on financial reporting, corporate governance, and business ethics across Europe, the US, and beyond.
Her voluntary work includes counselling at the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre and founding roles in organizations supporting survivors of abuse. An adventurer and advocate for human rights, Patricia combines professional excellence with a lifelong commitment to social change.
(Details to follow)
Paul Regan is an experienced corporate executive with an extensive background in international financial markets. He is strongly committed to Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Business. During his 27 year career with Smurfit Kappa Group (now Smurfit Westrock), his leadership roles included Group Treasurer and he was a member of the Group Executive Committee. Prior to joining Smurfit Kappa Group, he held a number of senior management positions at the Electricity Supply Board (ESB) including Group Treasurer and Group Financial Controller.
He has also served as a director and council member of the France Ireland Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Irish Association of Corporate Treasurers.
Paul is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA).
Edward is a highly experienced risk and governance professional with 38 years’ experience in international and domestic banking. He retired from AIB in 2019 where he held various senior executive positions since 2007, including Divisional Chief Credit Officer. Prior to joining AIB, he held senior executive positions in corporate banking and risk management with Citigroup over a period of 22 years, mainly overseas, having started his banking career with The Investment Bank of Ireland.
He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a Master of Business Studies degree from University College Dublin and completed the Chartered Secretary qualification with the UK Chartered Governance Institute. He is a Qualified Financial Advisor and Fellow of the Institute of Banking and a Chartered Director of the UK Institute of Directors.
Edward is also a Non-executive Director of Scotiabank (Ireland) DAC and Davy Global Fund Management Limited.
Gillian Harford is a HR Executive who works directly with client organisations, focusing on diversity and workplace change. She also operates as the Country Executive for the 30% Club in Ireland; a global campaign supported by Chairs and CEOs driving gender balance on Boards and cSuite; driving their strategic initiatives. Gillian is the former Head of HR Strategy & Planning with AIB where, with a career spanning almost 40 years, she was responsible for significant people change with particular focus on Culture, Career, Diversity and Agile Work.
Gillian holds a BA, an MBA from Michael Smurfit Business School UCD, and the Professional Diploma in Corporate Governance, UCD. She is a member of the Institute of Directors, fellow of CIPD, and a fellow of the Institute of Bankers. Gillian is also an Advisory Group member for the government-based initiative Balance for Better Business.
Derek McGrath is an experience management consultant with over 30 years of experience leading modern technology and business change programs for a wide variety of clients. He currently heads up Accenture’s global R&D centre focused on continues innovation leveraging advanced AI and modern human design.
Derek has a BSc Computer Science from Trinity and a Diploma in Company Direction from the Institute of Directors.
Una Ryder is an experienced business and brand strategist having worked in senior-level roles in a number of leading service organisations. She holds a M.B.A. from the Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School and a Diploma in Company Direction from the Institute of Directors.
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