The Uisce Éireann Board

Career experience:

Jerry is an experienced Non-Executive Director & Strategic Business Advisor in the infrastructure and utilities sectors. In his career as a water services consultant, Jerry has worked on projects throughout Ireland including major strategic water and wastewater projects in the Dublin area. Between 2002 and 2012, he was Managing Director of RPS Consulting Engineers. In 2013, Jerry took up the role of Head of Asset Management at Uisce Éireann and was its Managing Director from 2016 to September 2018. Since retiring from Uisce Éireann, he has held non-executive positions including as a Member of the Governing Body of TU Dublin, Director of Sport Ireland, and roles in the private and charity sectors. Jerry is currently Chairman of Dublin Port Company and is a member of the of the Major Projects Advisory Group at DEPNDPNR.

Jerry holds a First-Class Honours Degree in Civil Engineering and a Diploma in Contract Law & Arbitration from UCD, is a Fellow of Engineers Ireland, Fellow of the Irish Academy of Engineering and Member of the Institute of Directors. He was the recipient of the President’s Award from the ACEI in 2017 for Services to Engineering in Ireland and, in 2018, received the Irish Environment Award from CIWEM (ROI Branch), Outstanding Achievement Award from ICE (ROI Branch) and the Civil Engineering Contractor’s Award for services to the industry.

External appointments:

Chairman of Dublin Port Company and member of the Major Projects Advisory Group at DEPNDPNR, Director of Jerry Grant & Associates Ltd.

Career experience:

Niall has significant experience in finance, construction, commissioning and maintenance of transport and utility assets, and has led major infrastructure projects across Ireland, the UK and Asia. He has held a number of senior leadership roles with world-leading infrastructure companies including General Electric and Shanahan Engineering. He is also the former Managing Director for Veolia Ireland and Alstom Ireland. Niall holds a degree in engineering from the Dublin Institute of Technology and is a Fellow of Engineers Ireland.

Career experience:

Gerry served as a senior member of the Coillte CGA executive team for 15 years from 2006 to 2021, including serving as Acting CEO, CFO and COO. With deep commercial experience, including in Forestry, Renewable Energy and Manufacturing, he played a key role in Coillte’s Transformation programme, which led to a step change in the trajectory of the business. He previously served as Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the independent Coillte Pension Fund and as a Director of a number of Coillte Joint Ventures companies and subsidiaries. Gerry is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland, and also holds an MBA from DCU.

External appointments:

Chair of the Board of Directors of Buttimer Engineering Trade Holdings Limited, appointed 9 April 2025.

Career experience:

Patricia is a former General Secretary of ICTU and former vice-President of SIPTU and also served as one of two vice-Presidents of Congress. A full time official with SIPTU for over 25 years, she was the first woman to serve as a national officer of the union when appointed as vice-President in 2010. She has represented workers in all areas of the economy, in both the public and private sectors. Patricia is a member of the Climate Change Advisory Council and is also the Chairperson of the External Oversight Body of the Defence Forces.

External appointments:

Courts Service Board, Atlantic Technological University Governing Body, Apprenticeship Council, Housing Commission and Climate Change Advisory Board.

Career experience:

Eileen is an experienced strategic advisor with commercial transformation, regulatory and legal expertise. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree and MBS from University College Galway and is a member of the Institute of Directors in Ireland. She has a track record for developing and executing strategic infrastructure projects as well as negotiating commercial joint ventures, partnerships, and acquisitions. She worked in the telecoms industry for 30 years and is currently Chair of the Nuisance Communications Industry Forum and Chair of the Telecommunications Industry Engagement Forum. Eileen is a member of the Board of NAMA. She is also a former member of the Eirgrid Board and the Compliance Committee of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. She was the Director of Strategy and External Affairs in Vodafone and a member of the Vodafone Ireland Executive Board.

Career experience:

Cathy has a background in economic regulation as it applies to aviation, water, electricity and gas. At present she chairs the Performance Review Body; assisting the European Commission in regulating and incentivising the performance of monopoly air navigation service providers designated by the Member States. Until late 2021, Cathy was the Commissioner for Aviation Regulation in Ireland, and the National Supervisory Authority for the economic regulation of air navigation services. Cathy previously worked in the Commission for Regulation of Utilities and was responsible for establishing the economic regulatory framework for water services and for developing and implementing policy for many aspects of the Irish energy markets including tariffs and the economic regulation of electricity and gas networks. She holds a BA Mod (Hons) in Economics and Business Administration from TCD, an MBA from Queen’s University Belfast and a Diploma in Corporate Governance from UCD.

Career experience:

Michael has over thirty years’ experience as a non-executive director, senior executive and commercial lawyer in the aircraft leasing and financing industry. In addition, from 2003 to 2005, he served as Chief Legal Officer of Bord Gais Éireann. From 1986 to 1989, Michael was a diplomat in the Irish Diplomatic Service. Michael is Chairperson of Shannon Foynes Port Company and a non-executive director of AerCap Holdings N.V., the industry leader in aviation leasing, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Michael is also a member of the Executive Committee of Limerick Civic Trust and previously served as a non-executive director, including chairperson, of a number of companies which finance and lease aircraft and trains throughout the world. Michael is a Barrister and a law graduate from University College Cork.

External appointments:

AerCap Holdings N.V.

Shannon Foynes Port Company

Career experience:

Michael was appointed to the Uisce Éireann Board in January 2024. Michael was formerly CEO of Transport Infrastructure Ireland from 2015 to 2020, and previously held positions as Head of Major Projects and Capital Programmes at the National Roads Authority. Previously Michael held local authority positions, including managing interurban motorway projects. His external appointments include non-executive Director of ESB Networks DAC and Chairperson of the Major Projects Advisory Group (MPAG). The role of MPAG is to assist the Department for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation in the application of the Infrastructure Guidelines before any Government consideration of major public investment proposals. Michael is a graduate civil engineer of the University of Galway and holds an MSc in Major Programme Management from the University of Oxford. He is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of Engineers Ireland.

External appointments:

ESB Networks DAC, Member of the BusConnects Programme Board for the National Transport Authority. Chair of the Major Projects Advisory Group for the Department for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.

Career experience:

Douglas is a non-executive director with organisations that focus on delivering public or community benefit where he brings his experience in leadership, governance, strategic financial management, environmental sustainability, and transformation in customer centric and highly regulated environments. Douglas worked in the water sector in Scotland for 27 years, playing a key role in its transformation. He was Scottish Water’s Chief Executive for over 10 years until 2023 having previously been Finance and Regulation Director since the creation of Scottish Water in 2002.

Douglas is Chair of World Vision UK, a Court Member of the University of Edinburgh where he chairs the Audit and Risk committee, a Lay Member of the UK General Medical Council and a Board Member of the Scottish Government’s National Strategy for Economic Transformation Delivery Board.

Douglas is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.

External appointments:

University of Edinburgh, General Medical Council, World Vision UK, Scottish Government’s National Strategy for Economic Transformation Delivery Board

Career experience:

Paul has recently completed a role as the Independent Chairperson of the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs. He is currently a strategic business advisor. Paul has previously held CEO and senior executive roles in the private, not for profit, central government, local government, and health sectors including, CEO of the Health Service Executive (HSE), from May 2019 until December 2022. In this period, he led the health service through the Covid-19 global pandemic and a potentially catastrophic criminal cyber-attack and in tandem implemented a whole suite of reforms.

Paul was also Chief Executive of Fingal County Council from 2014 to 2019, one of the largest Local Authorities in the state. Prior to this he was Chief Operations Officer in the Department of Public Service & Reform and for a period as Director of Corporate Affairs with Trócaire. Much of his career (1982-2010) was in the private sector as an Executive Director with eir (Eircom Limited). Paul holds a Masters in Business Administration from Trinity College and a BA in Human Resources and Industrial Relations from the National College Ireland. He has received honorary fellowships from the National College of Ireland and Griffith College.

External appointments:

Strategic business advisor to Covalen, Chairman of the Board of Ashdale Care (Ireland)