Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar has today (Tuesday) confirmed his appointment of a new Chairperson of CIE, and a new Chairperson of each of its three subsidiaries.
The Minister has announced the appointment of the following persons to their new roles.
· Chairperson of CIE - Vivienne Jupp;
· Chairperson of Dublin Bus - Kevin Bonner;
· Chairperson of Bus Éireann – Paul Mallee;
· Chairperson of Iarnród Éireann – Phil Gaffney.
As part of the new governance model for the CIE group, Kevin Bonner, Paul Mallee, and Phil Gaffney have also been appointed to the board of CIE.
The four appointees will now appear before the Oireachtas Transport Committee to outline their proposals for their respective roles.
Speaking today, Minister Varadkar said: ‘I am delighted to be able to confirm the appointment of these four talented people to these positions. This represents a new era for the CIE group of companies. These four individuals bring a tremendous amount of experience and enthusiasm’.
"It also marks the start of a new era for CIE and its subsidiaries. We are putting in place a more traditional structure with a separate, non-executive Chairperson for each company.
"I would also like to thank outgoing Executive Chairman John Lynch, whose term ends shortly. Mr Lynch performed his duties with skill and professionalism in a challenging economic climate."
The selection process was also a new departure for the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport, and for the Government. The process was broadened to include public advertisements in the media and on the Department’s website seeking expressions of interest. More than 270 expressions of interest were received, including two of the four appointees.
The appointees
· Vivienne Jupp is currently a management consultant, and formerly a global managing director of Accenture. She was the first female partner in Europe in Accenture in 1988. She has had a number of Government appointments including:
Chair, Information Society Strategy Committee (1996);
Chair, Information Society Committee (1997-2000);
Member, Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (1998-2009).
· Kevin Bonner is currently a consultant, formerly Secretary General of Department of Labour (1990-1993) and Department of Enterprise and Employment (1993-1997). He has a very strong background in industrial relations and employment law. He has had a number of Government appointments including:
· Chairman of Marine Institute;
· Member of NESC and Council of ESRI;
· (Currently) Chairman of Ordnance Survey Ireland.
· Paul Mallee is the current President of the Chartered Institute of Transport and Logistics in Ireland. His background is in management consultancy, mostly in the transport field in Ireland and abroad.
· Phil Gaffney was formerly managing director of the Hong Kong Metro, having also served as Chief Engineer and Operations Director during his 28 years with that company. He retired to Co Cork in 2005, was appointed to the Board of Iarnród Éireann in January 2006 and reappointed in May 2009. He has also recently served as Chairman of Crossrail Rail Systems Expert Panel in the UK.