Who’s who in the environment

An overview of the key players in environmental policy within the political, public, private and voluntary sectors.

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government:
Phil Hogan TD
Phil Hogan TD is the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government, having previously been Fine Gael spokesman for the environment. He was elected to the Seanad in 1987 and the Dáil for Carlow-Kilkenny in 1989, and has held a number of positions within the party. He served as Minister of State in the Department of Finance in the last Fine Gael-led coalition government (1994-1995) and was the party’s Director of Elections in the 2011 general election.

Minister of State for Housing and Planning:
Jan O’Sullivan TD
Jan O’Sullivan was appointed as Minister of State for Housing and Planning in December 2011. She was previously Minister of State for Trade and Development at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade from March 2011. Formerly a pre-school teacher, Jan O’Sullivan was a Limerick City councillor (1985-2004), Senator (1993-1997) and TD for Limerick East from 1998. She has represented Limerick City since the 2011 general election. She joined Labour from the Democratic Socialist Party in 1991.

Minister of State for the NewEra Project:
Fergus O’Dowd TD
Fergus O’Dowd is Minister of State for the NewEra Project and has been a Fine Gael TD for Louth since 2002. A science teacher by background, he was previously a Senator (1997-2002) and a councillor on Louth County Council (1979-2003) and Drogheda Corporation (1974-2003). Minister O’Dowd works between the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.

Secretary General, Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government:
Geraldine Tallon
Geraldine Tallon was appointed Secretary General of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in July 2007 (renamed after the 2011 general election). She is an arts graduate of University College Dublin and joined the department in 1980. She worked at various levels in its Planning, Housing and Environment Divisions before becoming an Assistant Secretary in 1997.

Chairman, Joint Committee on the Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht:
Ciarán Lynch TD
Ciarán Lynch chairs the Oireachtas’ Joint Committee on the Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht. He studied social studies at University College Cork and humanities at Waterford Institute of Technology before working as an adult literacy organiser for Cork Vocational Education Committee. He was firstly a county councillor (2004-2007) and was then elected to Dáil Éireann for Cork South Central at his first attempt in 2007. Between 2007 and 2011, he was Labour’s spokesman on local government and housing.

Director-General, Environmental Protection Agency:
Laura Burke
Laura Burke was appointed by the Minister for the Environment as Director General of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in November 2011. Laura joined the agency in September 2004, as the Director of the Office of Communications and Corporate Services, and was Director of the Office of Climate, Licensing and Resource Use from August 2008. She is a chemical engineering graduate from University College Dublin, holds an MSc from Trinity College and previously worked in the private sector, mainly in waste management.

Director, National Economic and Social Council:
Rory O’Donnell
Rory O’Donnell is Director of the National Economic and Social Council (NESC), which incorporated Comhar, the Sustainable Development Council, from January 2012 onwards. Rory has contributed to the analysis and deliberation that underpinned Ireland’s social partnership approach to economic and social policy. His work in the NESC has included macro-economic strategy, rural development, housing and land policy, and public sector reform. He holds an MSc in economics and a PhD.

Director, ICARUS:
John Sweeney
Professor John Sweeney is Director of the Irish Climate Analysis and Research Units (ICARUS) and has been a lecturer in the Department of Geography at NUI Maynooth since 1978 and is one of Ireland’s leading experts on climatology. Over the past 30 years, he has published approximately 60 scientific papers and edited or co-authored four texts on various aspects of climatology and climate change in Ireland.

Director, Friends of the Earth:
Oisín Coghlan
Oisín Coghlan has been Director of Friends of the Earth Ireland since 2005. Previously he worked for 10 years in overseas aid and human rights, including stints in Belize as a community organiser, Bonn as international Fairtrade’s ‘banana manager’ and Dublin as Christian Aid’s policy officer. His primary degree was sociology and political science in Trinity and he has a masters in international relations from Dublin City University.

Chair, An Bord Pleanála:
Mary Kelly
Mary Kelly was appointed Chairperson of the Board in August 2011. She had been the Director-General of the Environmental Protection Agency since May 2002. She holds a PhD in chemistry from Trinity College Dublin, and an MBA from Dublin City University. Mary previously worked with the Irish Business and Employers Confederation, where she was responsible for environmental policy, and before that in the pharmaceutical industry.

Chief Executive, Repak:
Andrew Hetherington
Andrew Hetherington has been Chief Executive of Repak since its establishment in 1997. Repak is an industry-funded organisation which aims to facilitate and grow packaging recycling in Ireland, through the adoption of a partnership approach to its members and stakeholders. Prior to joining Repak, Andrew worked at a senior level in industry in general management and environmental management roles.

Environment Executive, IFA:
Thomas Ryan
Thomas Ryan is the Environment Executive with the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) and has policy responsibility for natural resources and climate change. He is a graduate of University College Dublin and the Irish Management Institute. Thomas represents the IFA on environmental and infrastructure issues in Ireland, Brussels and internationally.

Head of Energy and Environmental Policy, IBEC:
Neil Walker
Appointed in 2010, Neil’s current role includes responsibility for climate mitigation and green enterprise. He studied chemical engineering at Cambridge University, subsequently obtaining an MBA degree from the London Business School and a doctorate in environmental economics from University College Dublin. He has held a variety of senior management roles within European manufacturing industries.

Environmental presenter:
Duncan Stewart
Duncan Stewart is presenter and producer of RTE’s top-rating environment series, Eco Eye. Duncan is an award-winning architect and energy consultant and is well-known for his far-reaching interest in environmental issues. He is a Director of Greenme.ie, a website designed to help people make informed decisions about moving towards an eco-friendly lifestyle and to identify products and services that are truly ‘green’.