IIEA Chairperson Ruairí Quinn steps down

After five years at the helm of the Institute of International and European Affairs, Ruairí Quinn is stepping down as IIEA Chairperson.

Mr. Quinn, who was appointed to the role in January 2017, announced at the IIEA's Annual General Meeting at 8 North Great Georges Street on Wednesday 19^th October 2022 that he will shortly be stepping down from the role of Chairperson.

Commenting on the announcement, IIEA Chairperson Ruairí Quinn said: "It has been an honour to lead the IIEA as Chairperson for the past five years. When Brendan Halligan asked me to become Chairperson in 2016, the United Kingdom had just voted to leave the EU, and Donald Trump had been elected President of the United States. It was clear to me that an independent Irish foreign policy think tank was as necessary then as it was when it was established.

Quinn continued: "Five years on, I am pleased to say that much progress has been made; the Institute's finances have been secured, audiences have vastly expanded, the Board is now gender balanced and the Institute's profile is higher than ever before. Today the Institute is thriving, and our mission is even more important in a world that is ever more connected, facing grave challenges which can only be solved with innovative, collaborative approaches. While I am sorry to be saying goodbye to the Institute, my term as IIEA Chairperson has come to its rightful end, and I am confident that that the IIEA will continue to flourish and grow in the capable hands of the IIEA Board, to whom I owe many thanks for their support over the past five years, Director General David O'Sullivan, and the wider IIEA Team."

Click here to read the full version of Ruairí Quinn’s speech on the announcement.

On the announcement, IIEA Director General David O'Sullivan said: "The Institute is hugely indebted and grateful to Ruairí for his invaluable leadership as Chairperson over the past five years. Ruairí, who has been a supporter of the Institute since its establishment in 1991, was appointed Chairperson at a time of flux in international relations and stood at its helm during a pandemic which required a dramatic change of the Institute's traditional working model. He also helped to improve the budgetary situation. To these challenges, Ruairí brought broad political experience and a wealth of expertise from which the Institute, and its governance, has hugely benefitted. Over the past five years, the Institute has gone through a period of transformation; Ruairí has been central to this progress and the Institute would not be where it is today without his expert leadership, support, and guidance".

The IIEA Board will elect a new Chairperson from amongst its members in the coming weeks.

ENDS

Ruairí Quinn Biography

Ruairí Quinn was appointed Chairperson of the Institute of International and European Affairs in January 2017. Mr Quinn was a public representative from 1974 until his retirement from Dáil Éireann in 2016. He has broad political experience, having served as a Minister in six different Departments, including Minister for Finance (1994-1997) and Minister for Education and Skills (2011-2014). As Minister for Finance, he served as President of the Ecofin Council of the European Union in 1996 and worked to accelerate the launch of the European Single Currency. When leaving office in 1997 he handed over a surplus, the first in about 50 years, to qualify Ireland for the single currency. In 1997, he was elected to lead the Labour Party. As Leader, he developed a strong policy platform, in which he promoted closer European integration. In 2002, he retired as Leader, after choosing not to seek re-election. He is a former Treasurer of the Party of European Socialists, as well as former Chairperson of the European Movement Ireland and the Holocaust Educational Trust. His political memoir, Straight Left – A Journey in Politics, was published in 2005. Before entering public life, Ruairí Quinn was an architect and town planner.

Further Information:

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 details of all upcoming IIEA events and research, please visit www.iiea.com. To subscribe to the IIEA's bulletin of upcoming events and research contact [email protected]. If you have any queries about the event, please contact IIEA Communications Manager, Evie McCullough at [email protected] or call +353 87 737 0157.