Former UCC student appointed chair of governing body

A FORMER University College Cork student, Sean O’Driscoll, has been appointed chair of its governing body until 2027.

Mr O’Driscoll, a chartered accountant, is the former chair and chief executive of the Glen Dimplex Group and a former partner in KPMG.

A commerce graduate at UCC, Mr O’Driscoll was honoured with the university’s prestigious Alumni Achievement Award in 2006.

Mr O’Driscoll is also a former member of the National Competitiveness Council of Ireland and is a member of several other government-appointed advisory groups.

The recipient of an OBE and a Légion d’Honneur award, Mr O’Driscoll joined the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) in 2016 and became its chair in 2020.

He said it was a “great honour” to have been appointed chair of the governing authority at UCC.

“UCC, my Alma Mater, has had a profound and positive impact on my life, as it has had on so many others,” said Mr O’Driscoll.

“Together with my fellow governors, we look forward to serving the UCC community as the university implements its 2023-2028 Strategic Plan, Securing Our Future,” he added.

UCC president, John O’Halloran, said the university was privileged to have secured the services of a person with so much experience to chair its governing authority.

“Sean brings such a tremendous depth of experience to the role, particularly in that nexus between public institutions and national policy. I look forward to working with Sean and all the governors as we implement our ambitious strategic plan,” said Mr O’Halloran.

The new governing body, which takes office this month, will comprise 10 external members (including the chair), six internal members (including the president) and three students.

The new Higher Education Authority Act 2022 changed the composition of the body and the method by which members are elected/selected.

The number of members reduced from 39 to 19.