Press release
New Chief Executive Officer and board members appointed to Tourism Ireland
From Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Published on
Last updated on
New Chief Executive Officer and board members appointed to Tourism Ireland
The appointment of two new directors to the board of Tourism Ireland was approved at a plenary meeting of the North South Ministerial Council on 8 April 2024, following their nomination by Catherine Martin, TD, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
Karen Hennessy and Paul Gallagher have been appointed as directors to the board of Tourism Ireland and Ms Hennessy has also been appointed as Vice Chairperson of the board.
Minister Martin said: “At the recent plenary meeting, the North South Ministerial Council approved the appointment of two new members to the board of Tourism Ireland. I would like to wish both new members well as they undertake important roles in supporting the tourism industry on the island of Ireland.”
Commenting on the appointments to the Board of Tourism Ireland, Minister Martin, added:
“These new appointees bring a considerable depth and breadth of experience, which will be of great benefit in guiding Tourism Ireland in promoting the island of Ireland overseas as a sustainable tourism destination at a time of significant challenges facing the tourism sector.”
The meeting of the North South Ministerial Council also saw the appointment of Alice Mansergh as Chief Executive Officer of Tourism Ireland.
Minister Martin said:
“I welcome the appointment of Alice as Chief Executive Officer of Tourism Ireland, having filled the position in a designated role since 18 September 2023. Alice brings with her a wealth of experience from both the private sector and from her role on the board of Fáilte Ireland, which I am sure will benefit Tourism Ireland in the years ahead.”
Bios
Karen Hennessy , CEO of agri-tech company, Real Leaf Farm, is leading the development of sustainable hydroponic farming in Ireland and in the UK. Appointed to drive the development and scale Real Leaf Farm to a multi-national business.
She has a track record over 25-years of leading organisations and delivering game-changing transformation within both private and public sector, across food, design, sustainable agri-tech and finance. She has a strong commitment to sustainability and ESG, and dedicated to driving growth and value for businesses. Karen also has experience in scaling food businesses, having spent nine years in Glanbia plc where she was responsible for acquiring Glanbia’s first nutritional businesses.
Karen was appointed to the Board of the Port of Waterford (POW) by the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communication and is Chair of the POW Green Committee and Audit Risk Committee. Previous directorships include Chair of Showcase Ireland Events Limited, Vice-President of the Bureau of European Design Associations, and Board Member of Kilkenny Carlow Education Training Board.
A qualified Chartered Accountant and Chartered Director, Karen holds an MBA from UCD Smurfit School and she recently completed the Business Sustainability Management programme at the University of Cambridge.
Paul Gallagher , MSc in Business and Hospitality 2021 and Fellow of the Irish Hospitality Institute, has over 40 years’ experience as a tourism industry professional. He is currently the General Manager of Buswells Hotel, Dublin.
Paul is a past President of the Irish Hotels Federation and past Chair of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation. Paul was Vice Chairperson of Original Irish Hotels and a non-executive director of the Convention Centre, Dublin.
Over the years, Paul has served on various taskforces and chaired Tourism Ireland’s Central Marketing Partnership Group. He was a member of the Government’s Advisory Group for Small Business, Ireland’s Tourism Recovery Taskforce 2010, the Grow Dublin Taskforce 2008 and most recently the Brexit Taskforce. Paul was appointed to the Tourism Recovery Oversight group in 2020 to guide the tourism industry to recovery post Covid.
Paul is a graduate of Shannon College of Management with extensive experience both domestically and internationally having worked with Trust House Forte in Wales and England. Prior to that, he worked in the Moven Pick Group flagship hotel in Zurich and managed the Memphis hotel in Amsterdam for the Ryan Hotel Group. In Ireland, he has managed Blooms Hotel, Silver Springs Hotel and Herbert Park Hotel before joining Buswells Hotel.
Alice Mansergh , Chief Executive Officer, Tourism Ireland, with leadership responsibility for marketing the island of Ireland to overseas visitors. Collaborating with industry and government partners, Alice and the Tourism Ireland team are proud to support and grow the contribution overseas tourism makes to economies and communities across the island of Ireland.
Previously, Alice spent 19 years leading large-scale commercial organisations at Google. As Managing Director, UK & Ireland Customer Solutions, she helped hundreds of thousands of businesses to digitise and succeed online. During a period based in London, Alice led Google’s own consumer marketing, growing iconic brands like Google Chrome, Maps and Gmail to market leading positions.
Alice is passionate about tourism and has not let a year of her life go by without holidaying around the island of Ireland. From 2018 to 2023, she served on the Board of Fáilte Ireland – the Irish national tourism development authority – with oversight of investments to strengthen tourism offerings and support industry through the Covid period. She served as Chief Executive Officer Designate with Tourism Ireland since September 2023.