Tourism NI Board appointments - pen pictures

The following have been appointed or reappointed to the Board of Tourism NI.

Appointments

John West

John is recently retired from a career in the financial services industry in the UK and Ireland where he held a variety of senior executive roles specialising in the areas of operations, risk management and customer service. In addition, he brings public sector boardroom experience, having served as Senior Independent Board Member and Audit Committee Chair with three separate NI Government Departments, including currently with the Department for Communities. He also sits as an Independent Board Member on the Court Funds Judicial Liaison Group.

Anya O’Connor

Anya is Senior International Officer at Queen’s University Belfast. She leads the Americas team which is responsible for student recruitment, marketing and partnerships in the Americas region.

Anya is a graduate of the Washington Ireland Program (2010) and was Assistant Director for the Program in 2017. She is passionate about showcasing Northern Ireland as a place to visit, study, work and live. In 2018, as a member of the Global Shapers Hub for Belfast, she was part of the team that brought the World Economic Forum’s ‘Shape Europe’ conference to Belfast. Anya was admitted to the British American Project as a fellow the same year.

Anya recently welcomed a little boy named Rowan and is enjoying her new role as his mum.

She holds no other public appointments.

Patricia Corbett

Patricia’s most recent full-time role was as the first Head of Hillsborough Castle for Historic Royal Palaces. She led the £20m programme to open the Castle and Gardens to the public transforming it into a leading visitor attraction.

Her role was diverse, including the development of the commercial operating model for the Castle; significant stakeholder engagement; and leading the employment and training of over 100 staff to support visitor services, host events and community engagement. She also negotiated the transfer of the Courthouse and Fort to Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) thereby safeguarding the future of these historic buildings.

As a Deputy Lieutenant for the Borough of Belfast her role is to support Royal and civic lieutenancy activity, including encouraging voluntary and charitable organisations and supporting local businesses. Patricia is also a member of the Board of The Grand Opera House Belfast.

She holds no other public appointments.

Reappointments

Terence Brannigan (Chair) – updated Sept 20

Terence is also the current Chairman of the Maze Long Kesh Development Corporation (MLKDC) (remuneration of £30,000 per annum). MLKDC is responsible for the regeneration and development of the site at Maze Long Kesh which, at 347 acres, is twice the size of Titanic Quarter and four times the size of Canary Wharf. He is a Board member of Co-operation Ireland, the Entrepreneur-in-Residence at South-Eastern Regional College, a former Chairman of the CBI in Northern Ireland and was the founder and CEO of resource™, one of Northern Ireland’s largest private sector employers. Terence is married to Sharon and has a daughter, Kathryn, and two sons, Rhauri and Fionnbharr. He has been Chair of the Tourism Northern Ireland Board since 1 April 2015.

Angelina Fusco

Angelina Fusco, Assoc. CIPD, is a communications and media training consultant with Channel56 across traditional and digital platforms. She spent more than 30 years working in the newsroom of BBC Northern Ireland – half that time as Head of the TV News brand BBC Newsline. She has a particular interest in Journalism & Trauma and sits as a Trustee on the Board of Dart Centre, Europe. Angelina is a member of the Content Board of Ofcom, London (approx. £16k per annum). She has been a member of the NI Committee of the National Lottery Heritage Fund since March 2015. Angelina was appointed to the Board of Tourism NI in July 2014.

Terry McCartney

Terry McCartney is the owner and manager of the award winning Belmore Court and Motel in Enniskillen and is responsible for the day to day leadership and management of the 60-bedroom, four star guest accommodation.

He was a lecturer in Hospitality and Computers at the South West College in Fermanagh and prior to that he held positions as a Field Sales Executive for Finlay Hydrascreens and Promotion and Sales Executive for Dillon Bass. In 2011, Terry held the position of Sheriff of County Fermanagh. He is also a rugby referee and an amateur photographer.

He does not hold any other public appointments.

Colin Neill

Colin Neill joined Hospitality Ulster (the industry body of Northern Ireland’s hospitality industry) as Chief Executive in August 2008, representing an industry that sustains 65,000 jobs with an annual turnover of £2bn annually. Colin is currently a Trustee of Ashton Community Trust and holds an MBA from the Ulster University.

He does not hold any other public appointments.

Michele Shirlow

Michele is the Chief Executive of FoodNI, dedicated to enhancing the reputation of food and drink which has resulted in Northern Ireland wining the International Travel and Tourism Awards – Best food destination 2018. Following delivery of the first ever Year of Food and Drink in 2016, which increased visitor attitudes towards NI food and drink by 23%, Michele is spearheading the Taste the Greatness strategy to establish Northern Ireland as a leading food region in the UK by 2021. FoodNI is a membership organisation which represents over 450 member companies (including 200 Taste of Ulster Restaurants) supporting the industry to achieve greatness and a key driver in the Taste the island initiative.

She does not hold any other public appointments.

Geoff Wilson

Geoff runs his own marketing and communications consultancy business, with a focus primarily on sport. Previously Head of Marketing and Communications (Irish FA) he was responsible for public relations, public affairs, commercial programmes, brand development, communication to fans and Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Geoff works with the likes of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and other global sports organisations in a wide range of areas from strategic planning, marketing and communications, digital, fans engagement, public affairs and knowledge sharing/exchange programmes. In addition, Geoff consults with a number of sports tech companies in the CRM, eSports, wearable and fans engagement space. Geoff is a part-time lecturer in marketing at Queen’s University Belfast and is Chair of Netball Northern Ireland. He has been a Member of the Tourism Northern Ireland Board since 1 March 2015.

He does not hold any other public appointments.