Dr Orlaigh Quinn

Dr Orlaigh Quinn was the first woman appointed as Secretary General of the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment (2016 -2023), leading the Department through major events including Brexit, Covid and the effects of the war in Ukraine, at the same time heading the development and implementation of key national strategies including the White Paper on Enterprise, the National Digital Strategy and the Trade and Investment Strategy. She also spearheaded reform of Ireland’s public and civil service at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, leading Ireland’s Presidency of the European Union as Head of EU and International Affairs and developing national policies as Head of National Pensions in the Department of Social Protection.

She is currently a board member of several organisations including the Economic and Social Research Institute, Business in the Community Ireland, University of Galway (J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics) and The Convention Centre Ireland. She is a former Visiting Research Fellow of Trinity College Dublin and holds a Masters in Public Management and a Doctorate in Governance from Queen’s University Belfast. She is the author of two books on public policy topics.