Feargal O’Rourke announced as IIEA Chairperson with Dr Orlaigh Quinn also appointed to IIEA Board
The Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA), Ireland’s leading independent foreign policy think tank, has announced two new appointments to its Board.
Feargal O’Rourke is confirmed as IIEA Chairperson, taking up the role from Board member, Terence O’Rourke, who has been interim Chair since December 2022. Dr Orlaigh Quinn will also join the IIEA Board as a new member.
On confirmation of the appointments, IIEA Director General, Alex White, said: “As the world navigates upheaval and change, it is more important than ever to have, here in Ireland, a platform for a range of voices that is independent, open and informed. The IIEA plays that role. In 2023 we welcomed over 8,000 attendees to more than 160 events and published over 60 publications on key issues related to European and International affairs, and Ireland's role therein. I am delighted that Feargal O’Rourke is confirmed as IIEA Chairperson and that Dr. Orlaigh Quinn will also join the Board. They will both bring their own unique perspective to the IIEA and my team and I look forward to working with the Chair and Board alongside our members and partners in the period ahead.
White continued: “I would also like to thank Terence O’Rourke for his leadership and guidance as interim Chairperson and look forward to his ongoing support as a member of the IIEA Board.”
Speaking on his appointment, incoming IIEA Chairperson, Feargal O’Rourke, said: “It is an honour to take up the role of IIEA Chairperson, an organisation with a long history of debate, discussion and policy analysis. Since its establishment in 1991, the IIEA has continued to grow its reputation as a leading think tank in Ireland as well as internationally, and I welcome this opportunity to work with the IIEA Board, Director General and his team at a time when outlets for informed and open dialogue are so critical.”
Biographies
Feargal O’Rourke
Feargal O’Rourke retired from professional services firm PwC in October 2023 after 37 years, the last eight of which he was Managing Partner. He has worked in the Foreign Direct Investment area for almost all of his professional career, focussing mainly, but not exclusively, on companies from the West Coast of the US setting up in Ireland and Europe. During his time in PwC he also led the tax practice and was heavily involved in the OECD BEPS process with companies, officials, governmental bodies and the OECD.
A native of Athlone, Feargal is a graduate of UCD, a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland and an Associate of the Irish Tax Institute. He is also Chairperson of the IDA, the State agency for FDI.
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.
The IIEA is Ireland’s leading independent think tank and policy research institute. It acts as a forum, bringing together stakeholders to discuss issues of national, European, and international significance.
For further information, please contact IIEA Communications Director, Adrienne Ferguson, [email protected] or call 087 737 0157.
Further Information:
For details of all upcoming IIEA events and latest research, please visit www.iiea.com. To subscribe to the IIEA’s digest of upcoming events and latest research contact [email protected]