Our Board
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Mr Terence Brannigan OBE
Chair
Mr Brannigan is also Chairman of Tourism Northern Ireland, Chairman of BrandBlack Ltd, a Board Member of Co–operation Ireland and a Visiting Professor at the Business Institute of the University of Ulster. He is a former Chairman of the CBI in Northern Ireland and a former Chairman of Glentoran FC and of Biznet Solutions. Mr Brannigan has significant experience at Board level, including business strategy, business development and procurement, from his time as Divisional Managing Director at Compass Group. Mr Brannigan has not been involved in political activity in the last five years and holds no other ministerial appointments.
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Mr Ciaran Mackel
Board Member
Mr Mackel is Director of ARdMackel, Associate Senior Lecturer at Belfast School of Architecture at Ulster University, and provides specialist advice on Architecture and the Built Environment to the Ministerial Advisory Group in the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure. Mr Mackel has not been involved in political activity in the last five years. He holds no other ministerial appointments.
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Dr Conor Patterson
Board Member
Dr.Conor Patterson is the Chief Executive of Newry and Mourne Co–Operative and Enterprise Agency, responsible for managing 5 business parks and a number of business support and economic development initiatives in the Newry Mourne & Down District. He served for 8 years as a Governor of Southern Regional College and for 15 years as a Director of the rural development ‘LEADER’ programme. He has been Chair of Enterprise NI and President of the Newry Chamber of Commerce and Trade. He is currently secretary of two community economic development bodies, Binnian Developments in Kilkeel and Oriel Developments in South Armagh. He sits on the boards of the Newry Confederation of Community Groups and the Newry Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership. Dr. Patterson is a chartered urban & regional planner and has stakeholder engagement experience and extensive economic development activity experience not just in Northern Ireland but across the EU. Dr. Patterson has not been involved in political activity in the last five years. He holds no other ministerial appointments.
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Mr Joe O’Donnell
Board Member
Mr O’Donnell is the Strategic Director of the Belfast Interface Project and was previously the Director of the Short Strand Partnership. Mr O’Donnell has experience in senior positions in local social regeneration organisations in Belfast and experience in a range of perspectives including community development, regeneration and peace building. Whilst not being required to disclose a minor donation, Mr O’Donnell has indicated that he makes a small monthly donation to Sinn Fein. He holds no other ministerial appointments.
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Mr John (Jack) Gallagher
Board Member
Mr Gallagher worked in the education service for 32 years and was Vice Principal and Principal of Lisnasharragh High from 1979–1993. From 1979–2007 he was an Honorary Coaching Instructor and Technical Adviser for FIFA and in that capacity trained senior coaches in thirty five countries under the sponsorship of FIFA Coca Cola and Adidas. He spent some time from 1999–2008 working at Stormont as a Ministerial Adviser and Senior Assembly Assistant. Mr. Gallagher won the Scottish National Poetry Competition in 1983 and is author of a number of publications which he has used to raise funds for various charities. Mr Gallagher is also a Board Member of Intertrade Ireland.
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Mr Duncan McCausland
Board Member
Mr McCausland is currently a Non Executive member of the Strategic Investment Board, Chair of the Responsible Retail Code, a Senior Justice and Security Advisor of the Stabilisation Unit of DFID and a Deputy Lieutenant for County Down. Previously he was an Independent Member of the Strategic Oversight Board for Prison Reform, Non Executive Member of the NI Tourist Board as well as Trustee of SS Nomadic. Up until his retirement from PSNI in 2011, he had been an Assistant Chief Constable for almost 10 years, holding many positions which provided him with extensive experience of working with central government and local councils taking forward many key initiatives both locally and nationally, for example the preplanning for the recent UK G8 summit. He also undertook the role of Vice Chair of the World Police and Fire Games and subsequently the Interim Chair of the Games themselves. Mr McCausland has not been involved in political activity in the last five years. He holds no other ministerial appointments. Mr McCausland is also the current chair of the Corporation’s Audit & Risk Assurance Committee.
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Prof Anthony (Tony) Gallagher
Board Member
Professor Gallagher is a Professor of Education at Queen’s University Belfast, an elected Fellow of the Academy of Social Science, and Lead Editor of Education, Citizenship and Social Justice (Journal). Professor Gallagher has a lengthy and varied academic background in senior academic positions, providing a valuable perspective to the Maze/Long Kesh regeneration programme. He holds no other ministerial appointments.
