Members of the Open Data Governance Board

The Open Data Governance Board (ODGP) is tasked with considering how to improve the capacity and capability of public bodies in implementing open data, and considering opportunities to maximise the value of public sector data and information for long-term economic, social and democratic benefits, making recommendations to government in this regard.

Aoife Sexton (Chairperson)

Aoife Sexton is the chief privacy officer and chief of product Innovation at Trūata. Founded by Mastercard and IBM in 2018, Trūata is a privacy-enhanced data solutions provider. Sexton has responsibility for the data science, privacy and product functions within the organisation. She is a European advisory board member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals, and a lecturer on data protection law at the Law Society of Ireland’s Law School as well its postgraduate courses on data protection and technology law.

Andrew O’Sullivan

Andrew O’Sullivan joined An Garda Síochána from the Central Statistics Office where he was an Assistant Director General and Chief Information officer since 2016. O’Sullivan chairs the development of the Public Service Data Strategy as a member of the Government ICT Advisory Board. In An Garda Síochána, he has overall responsibility for information and communications technology. His role also encompasses that of Chief Data Officer with responsibility for ensuring the value and quality of Garda data. O’Sullivan holds degrees in computer science, engineering management and statistics from Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin.

Barry Lowry

Barry Lowry has been the Government’s Chief Information Officer since April 2016, with the primary task of taking forward the Public Service ICT and eGovernment Strategies. These set out ambitions for developing the use of shared services, digital services and data to better serve the people of Ireland and ensure that Ireland is well-placed to benefit from European initiatives, such as the Digital Single Market. Lowry was previously the Director for IT Shared Services and Strategy, and Head of the IT Profession within the Northern Ireland Civil Service. He is a Fellow of the Irish and British computer societies and is a former winner of the BCS Northern Ireland IT Professional of the Year.

Martin Quigley

Martin Quigley has over 15 years’ experience in the public, not-for-profit and social services sector. Quigley is director of data and analytics with Pobal. He has led the development of Pobal’s data science and analytic functions, and championed the use of administrative datasets for programme and policy improvement. In 2018 Quigley and his team won the award for the best use of data science in a Public Sector Body.

Cianán Clancy

Cianán Clancy is Group Head, Commercial and Customer Propositions for Independent News and Media Plc (INM) – Ireland’s largest media group. Prior to this, Clancy served as INM’s Head of Innovation and Strategy where he supervised joint ventures, cultivated third party partnerships and guided teams in the design, build and management of scalable new businesses through lean and agile methods.

Paul Morrin

Paul Morrin is assistant Director General in the Central Statistics Office with responsibility for Statistical System Co-ordination. Morrin joined the Central Statistics Office as a statistician in December 1993 and has worked in a number of areas in Cork and Dublin including services statistics and national accounts. He also worked in the Department of Social Protection as a seconded statistician from April 2002 and subsequently on promotion to Senior Statistician until October 2014.

Adegboyega Ojo

Adegboyega Ojo is associate professor of management and government information systems at Maynooth University School of Business. Before his appointment at Maynooth University, he was Senior Research Fellow and Head of the E-Government Unit at the Data Science Institute, University of Galway. His current research investigates conditions for effective adoption of data-driven innovation and AI-based solutions in government and society.

Bahareh Heravi

Bahareh Heravi is an assistant professor in information and communication studies in University College Dublin and was appointed to the Board in December 2018. Heravi is a founding co-chair of the European Data and Computational Journalism Conference, and a steering committee member of the Computation and Journalism Conference. She also sits on the editorial board of the Digital Journalism journal.

Neil O’Hare

Neil O’Hare is a professor of health informatics at University College Dublin and group chief information officer for the Ireland East Hospital Group. O’Hare has held academic appointments in Dublin City University and Trinity College Dublin with research interests in health informatics, imaging and UV phototherapy dosimetry. He is the current chair of the Health Informatics Society of Ireland (HISI) and in 2019 was awarded an honorary fellowship of the Faculty of Radiology, RCSI, only the second non-radiologist to be awarded such since the establishment of the faculty in the early 1960s.

Joan O’Connor

A recently-retired senior partner with Deloitte, Joan O’Connor currently holds a number of public sector appointments including board member of the Citizens Information Board, a member of the Medical Council and NCCA audit, finance and risk committees and the Law Society Regulatory Authority complaints committee. Joan has a MA (Oxon), MA, and BA. She is a fellow of the Irish Tax Institute (FITI), a chartered tax adviser and a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland (FCA).