Extensions to Public Appointments - June 2018

The Department for the Economy (DfE) has announced extensions to the terms of office of a number of Chairs and Board members of public bodies sponsored by the Department.

Consumer Council for Northern Ireland

The tenure of Sheila McClelland, Chair of the Consumer Council for NI, has been extended for a period of nine months from 1 April 2018 to 31 December 2018.

Invest NI

The tenures of Ken Nelson, Rose Mary Stalker, Dr Gerard O’Hare and Scott Rutherford have been extended by six months from 1 April 2018 to 30 September 2018.

North West Regional College

Gerard Finnegan, Chair, has had his tenure extended for six months from 1 April 2018 to 30 September 2018.

South Eastern Regional College 

The tenure of Board member Ed Jackson has been extended by six months from 1 April 2018 until 30 September 2018.

Tourism NI

The tenure of Terence Brannigan, Chair, has been extended from 1 April 2018 to 30 September 2018. Board member Geoff Wilson’s tenure has also been extended by six months from 1 March 2018 to 31 August 2018.

The extensions were made in accordance with the Code of Practice issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland.

Notes to editors:

1. The Consumer Council for Northern Ireland, established in 1985, under the terms of the General Consumer Council (Northern Ireland) Order 1984, is funded by the Department for the Economy. The Council’s aim is to make the consumer voice heard and make it count. It has a statutory remit to promote and safeguard the interests of consumers in Northern Ireland and has specific functions in relation to energy, water, transport, postal services and food. The Chair post is remunerated at £22,876.50 per annum.

2. Invest Northern Ireland was established under the Industrial Development Act (Northern Ireland) 2002, and its role is to promote innovation, enterprise and competitiveness in Northern Ireland businesses, encourage new start-ups and market Northern Ireland as a location for inward investment. The Chair post is remunerated at £42,790 per annum and Board member remuneration is currently £12,240 per annum.

3. North West Regional College is one of the six Northern Ireland further education colleges. The governing body of a further education college is responsible for securing the efficient and effective management of the college, the provision of suitable further education to its students and determining the college’s strategic direction. In sustaining and developing its services, the governing body takes into account the educational needs of the business sector and the local community. The post of Chair is remunerated at £20,000 per annum. Travelling and subsistence allowances are also payable at Northern Ireland Civil Service rates.

4. The governing body of South Eastern Regional College is responsible for securing the efficient and effective management of the college, the provision of suitable further education to its students and determining the college’s strategic direction. In sustaining and developing its services, the governing body takes into account the educational needs of the business sector and the local community. The post of Board member is remunerated at £250 for a Governing Body meeting and £150 for a committee meeting or event sanctioned by the Chair. Travelling and subsistence allowances are also payable at Northern Ireland Civil Service rates.

5. Tourism Northern Ireland is a statutory non-departmental public body (NDPB) established under the Development of Tourist Traffic Act (NI) 1948. Its constitution and continuation were affirmed in the Tourism (NI) Order 1992. Tourism Northern Ireland is funded by the Department for the Economy under Article 7 of the Order, from monies voted by Parliament. Tourism Northern Ireland is the trading name of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board. The Chair of the Board of Tourism Northern Ireland is remunerated at £25,935 and Board members are remunerated at £5,205 per annum.

6. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, the Commissioner for Public Appointments, Northern Ireland requires the political activity of appointees (if any declared) to be published. The extendees have all declared no political activity.

7. Pen pictures

Consumer Council for NI

Sheila McClelland, Chair

Sheila was, previous to this appointment, the Chief Executive of                  Carrickfergus Borough Council until the reform of local government              and the amalgamation of the council area into Mid and East Antrim              DC on 1 April 2015.

She has held appointments on the board of Northern Ireland Co-operation Overseas (DETI/Invest Northern Ireland), Board of Directors of the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council, and to the Heritage Lottery Fund (Northern Ireland Committee).

Sheila has served three years as Chair of The Consumer Council and has also had a number of other appointments. She has recently finished an interim appointment working at a senior level within the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment, has taken up a board position at Cooperation Ireland, and has been appointed as an expert panel member to the Competitions and Markets Authority.

She does not hold any other public appointments.

Invest Northern Ireland

Rose Mary Stalker

Rose Mary is an experienced business leader who has successfully operated for many years at Executive Team and board level in complex multi-disciplinary global organisations such as Ford, Boeing and Rolls-Royce, responsible for the successful delivery of multiple transformational projects in a range of disciplines, new product delivery, business models, manufacturing, logistics, service centres, recruitment and quality, across numerous industry sectors, aerospace, automotive, construction and energy.

Rose Mary works as an independent consultant and serves as Chair of The Prince’s Trust in Northern Ireland, having previously chaired The Colin Neighbourhood Partnership, Catagen Limited and been a Non-Executive Director of Catalyst Inc. She has recently been appointed Chair of The Manufacturing Task Force for The Mid & East Antrim Borough Council.

A graduate of Queen's University, she is the recipient of numerous awards, including the European Woman of Achievement in Business and European Automotive Woman of the Year. Rose Mary is a Chartered Engineer, Fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, Member of the Institute of Directors and Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute.

She does not hold any other public appointments.

Dr Gerard O’Hare CBE DL

Gerard is currently Chair and MD of Parker Green International, a property company with an extensive portfolio of Irish, UK and international developments. He is also a visiting professor at the Ulster University School of the Built Environment and the prestigious Harvard Graduate School of Design, USA and was awarded an honorary Doctorate of letters for his involvement in and dedication to the championing of public private partnerships and urban regeneration. Gerard has been involved in a range of local activities in the Newry and South Down area. In addition he chaired Tall Ships Belfast and is currently on a number of boards such as Business in the Community, the Northern Ireland Prince's Trust and the Belfast Harbour Commissioners, remunerated at £12,300 per annum. He is also Honorary Consul of the Republic of Latvia to Northern Ireland.

Scott Rutherford

Scott joined Queen’s University as Director of Research and Enterprise in November 2010. He provides strategic oversight for the development of the research base and the delivery of knowledge exchange activities both within the region and beyond. Before joining Queen’s, Scott spent several years at Imperial College London leading academic research activities within the Faculty of Medicine and more broadly as Research Office Head and Programme Director, Business Intelligence. During his time at Imperial College, Scott also oversaw the successful delivery of a number of major projects to support research development and commercialisation.

Scott has also held a number of posts within research strategy and policy development, working for the Medical Research Council and for the Higher Education Funding Council for England, where latterly he played a key role in developing the Research Excellence Framework programme.

Scott is a member of the Northern Ireland MATRIX Panel, the Catalyst Inc Leadership Group and holds an undergraduate degree in English and Geography from the University of Keele and an MBA from Imperial College London.

He does not hold any other public appointments.

Ken Nelson MBE

Ken has extensive involvement in economic development and entrepreneurship as Chief Executive of Local Economic Development Company (LEDCOM) Ltd.

Ken has over 25 years’ experience working as a business advisor, mentor and trainer with entrepreneurs, start-up companies, small businesses and social enterprises. In 2010 he was the sole Northern Ireland recipient of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion. Ken is a voluntary member of the board of directors of three social enterprises. He has a BA in Business Studies, MBA and MSc in Human Resource Management as well as being a Chartered Manager (CMgr) and Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (FCMI).

In the Queen’s 2018 New Year’s Honours List, Ken was appointed MBE for services to local economic development and the voluntary sector.

Ken is a member of the Board of Governors of the Northern Regional College remunerated at £250 for a Governing Body meeting and £150 for a committee meeting or event sponsored by the Chair, travelling and subsistence allowances are also payable at Northern Ireland Civil Service rates.  In December 2016 Ken was appointed as Chairman of InterTradeIreland by the North South Ministerial Council.

North West Regional College

Gerard Finnegan, Chair

Gerard Finnegan is a Strategy Consultant who established his own business, Sea Change Consulting Ltd, in 2010. The business provides strategic and business planning advice, advice on business transformation and coaching & mentoring to senior executives in public and private sector enterprises. 

Gerard is a qualified chartered accountant who works with a number of businesses in the agri-food, manufacturing and service sectors. He has held senior finance and corporate governance posts in the public and private sectors.  He also served as a member of the Governing Body of the North West Institute of Further and Higher Education.

Gerard lives in Derry with his wife Máire and their three children.

He does not hold any other public appointments.

South Eastern Regional College

Ed Jackson

Until 2012 Mr Jackson was Finance Director/Company Secretary and part owner of a local construction company, with responsibilities for Finance, HR, IT and Company Law. Since then he has set up his own accountancy company servicing small and medium enterprises and the self-employed in the Greater Belfast area.

He does not hold any other public appointments.

Tourism NI

Terence Brannigan, Chair

Terence is also the current Chairman of the Maze Long Kesh Development Corporation (MLKDC) remunerated at £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, a Visiting Professor attached to the Business Institute, Ulster Business School at the University of Ulster, 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.

Geoff Wilson

Geoff Wilson is a board member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing in Ireland and runs his own marketing and communications consultancy business, focusing on sport, business, community and government organisations. 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. Geoff has also been involved in government funded projects promoting sport nutrition and tackling mental health issues to clubs, coaches, schools as well as educating schools on enterprise and business awareness through football. He has a UEFA coaching badge and has gained knowledge of football administration across the globe developing strategic, commercial and public relations activity.

He holds no other public appointments.

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