Who’s who in energy

An overview of the key players in politics and across the semi-state and private sectors.

Pat Rabbitte TD
Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

Rabbitte was Labour’s justice spokesman in the last Dáil and led the party from 2002 to 2007. He has been TD for Dublin South West since 1989. A Minister of State in the 1994-1997 Rainbow Coalition, he was previously a Dublin City councillor and National Secretary of the Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union.

Fergus O’Dowd TD
Minister of State

A Louth TD since 2002, Fergus O’Dowd was Fine Gael’s education and skills spokesman before entering government, and previously held the transport and marine brief. He has special responsibility for the NewERA stimulus plan and is a former science teacher. From 1997 to 2002, O’Dowd sat on the Seanad’s administrative panel. He was also a Louth county councillor from 1979 to 2003.

Sara White
Deputy Secretary-General, DCENR

Sara White is Deputy Secretary-General at the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources with responsibility for energy. She has held several Assistant Secretary portfolios since 1992 and was appointed to the energy brief in 2006.

Dermot Nolan
Commissioner Commission for Energy Regulation

Dermot Nolan has been a member of the Commission for Energy Regulation since 2008. He previously led on regulating retail gas and electricity, the Single Electricity Market and the CER’s smart metering project.

Padraig McManus
Chief Executive, ESB (outgoing)

Padraig McManus is the outgoing Chief Executive of ESB, a position he has held since July 2002. A graduate in electrical engineering from UCD, he joined ESB in 1973 and spent fifteen years on the company’s international businesses, later becoming Managing Director of ESB International and Commercial Director of ESB. He is a Board Member of the Irish Management Institute and Vice Chairperson of Business in the Community Ireland.

John Mullins
Chief Executive, Bord Gáis

John Mullins was appointed Chief Executive of Bord Gáis in December 2007. He was previously Chief Executive of Bioverda and a senior energy consultant with PwC. Other former posts have included Business Development Director at Greenstar, European Investments Director at ESB International Investments and senior manager in corporate development at ESB. He is an engineering graduate from University College Cork and holds an MBA from the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business.

Brendan Halligan
Chairman, SEAI and IIEA

Brendan Halligan is Chairman of the leading Irish think tank, the Institute of International and European Affairs, and has been Chairman of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland since October 2007. He is also a board member of Mainstream Renewable Power. He chaired Bord na Móna for ten years and has worked in a consultant capacity with Airtricity.

David Taylor
Chairman Energy Institute in Ireland

David is the former Chief Executive of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, and is the Principal in David Taylor and Associates. He has advised the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security and was responsible for supporting the committee’s Public Consultation on Ireland’s Electricity Needs post-2020.

Dermot Byrne

Chief Executive, EirGrid

Dermot Byrne has been Chief Executive of EirGrid since 2005. His previous posts include Head of ESB Networks and manager of ESB National Grid’s power system operation. EirGrid owns the System Operator for Northern Ireland and the Single Electricity Market Operator.

David Strahan
Managing Director, Phoenix Energy

David Strahan was appointed to the Board of Phoenix Supply Ltd in December 2006 and as Managing Director has responsibility for all gas supply operations. In addition, he is also Managing Director of Phoenix Energy Ltd, a company supplying natural gas in the Republic of Ireland. David also sits on a number of governmental advisory bodies.

Kevin Greenhorn
Chief Executive, Airtricity

Kevin Greenhorn is Chief Executive of Airtricity and Director of Supply, Business, Contracting and International for the SSE Energy Group. He joined SSE in 1991 and was appointed its Managing Director in Ireland in August 2007. SSE acquired Airtricity in 2008.

Professor J Owen Lewis
Chief Executive, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland

Professor J Owen Lewis is Chief Executive of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. He founded the UCD Energy Research Group in 1975 and was also its Dean of Engineering and Architecture and Principal of the College of Engineering, Mathematical and Physical Sciences. He was also Bord na Móna’s Director for Innovation and R&D in 2007-2008.

John FitzGerald
Research Professor, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI)

John FitzGerald is responsible for the Energy Policy Research Centre at the ESRI, where he has worked since 1984. He studied history and economics at UCD and started his career in the Department of Finance. He was a TK Whitaker research fellow in the ESRI (1982-1983) and a member of the Northern Ireland Authority for Energy Regulation between 2003 and 2006.

Gabriel D’Arcy
Chief Executive, Bord na Móna

Gabriel D’Arcy was appointed as Chief Executive of Bord na Móna in 2008. A former Defence Forces captain, his business career involved positions in the Kerry Group, including Commercial Director. He holds a BSc (Hons) from University College Galway, an MSc from University College Dublin, an MBA from Kingston University Business School and an Advanced Diploma in Management Practice from the University of Ulster.

Éamon Ó Cuív TD
Fianna Fáil

Éamon Ó Cuív is Fianna Fáil’s spokesperson on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 1992 and represents the Galway West constituency. He has previously held a range of ministerial portfolios including defence, environment, social protection and community, rural and Gaeltacht affairs as well as having been Minister of State at a number of departments. He was a member of Galway County Council from 1991-1997 and was a Senator from 1989-1992.

Tom Gillen
Chief Operating Officer, Viridian Power and Energy

Tom Gillen was appointed during 2009 as Chief Operating Officer, Viridian Power and Energy, the Viridian Group’s integrated generation and supply business which includes Huntstown power station, Eco Wind Power and Energia.Tom joined Viridian in 2000 and became Managing Director, Energia in June 2008.