Governance

Caoimhe was appointed Trócaire CEO in October 2018, twenty-one years after first joining the organisation. Her first role was as Campaigns Officer, later becoming Policy and Advocacy Coordinator. She moved to Mozambique in 2007 to take up the role of Assistant Regional Manager for Southern Africa with Trócaire. In 2011 she was appointed Director of Trócaire’s International Division. A fluent Irish speaker, Caoimhe is from Dublin and continues to live there with her husband, Carl, and two sons, Fionán and Ferdia. Caoimhe has a Masters in Development Studies from University College Dublin.

Noreen joined Trócaire in 2010. For the last 8 years she has served as Head of Humanitarian Programmes, responsible for oversight and strategic direction of Trócaire’s humanitarian work.

Prior to joining Trócaire, Noreen lived and worked in Southern Africa (Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa) for over 25 years and worked with a range of local and international organisations including UNICEF, CAFOD and Jekesa Pfugwa/ Vulingqondo (Open Your Minds). She was appointed Director of Global Programmes in April 2024.

Gwen joined Trócaire in 2016 as Director of Fundraising and Marketing. She has over 20 years’ experience with blue chip companies including ARYZTA, Bord Na Mona and Cadbury Trebor Bassett. Prior to joining Trócaire, Gwen worked with LauraLynn, Ireland’s Children’s Hospice.

Sorcha joined Trócaire in 1998. She has held a wide range of roles in the organisation and has spent 16 years working overseas in Latin America and Africa. Since returning to Ireland in 2013, Sorcha has worked as a Regional Manager for Trócaire’s work in Central, West and Southern Africa and more recently as Head of Strategic Projects. She was appointed Director of International Operations in April 2021.

Dearbhla was appointed Director of Corporate Services in May 2020. She joined Trócaire in 2011 as Head of Internal Audit and has been our Head of Standards and Compliance since 2018. Dearbhla is a dual qualified chartered accountant and internal auditor. She has a broad background in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, having previously worked in financial services, marketing and advertising, management consultancy, local and national government.

Rose joined Trócaire in 2024 and is based in our Nairobi office. With over 23 years of experience, she has worked across 29 countries in Africa and 7 countries in Asia. Known for her strategic leadership and commitment to fostering an inclusive and productive workplace, Rose oversees the development and implementation of strategic talent management and organisational development initiatives, HR policies, and compliance with employment laws across all the countries that we work in.

Bishop Crean of Cloyne Diocese heads up Trócaire’s Executive Board, which oversees the financial and operational management of the organisation. He was appointed Chair of Trócaire in June 2013.

Karen Gallagher is a Fundraising Consultant has over 20 years’ experience in the voluntary sector in Northern Ireland. Karen was previously Head of Concern Worldwide in Northern Ireland and has held a number of interim CEO roles in other leading not for profits. Karen has been on the Board of Trócaire Northern Ireland since 2016 and assumed the role of Chair in 2019.

Martin O’Brien is the Executive Director of the Social Change Initiative (SCI), a Belfast-based international NGO working with activists and donors to support and improve the effectiveness of their work for progressive social change, particularly in divided societies. Prior to joining SCI, Martin worked at the Atlantic Philanthropies where he was Senior Vice President. Martin previously led the Committee on the Administration of Justice in NI (CAJ).

Annette was a post-primary teacher before becoming engaged in justice education full-time. She was Coordinator of Education and Campaigns with Trócaire between 1995 and 2002. Annette currently works as a consultant for the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). She has responsibility for curriculum development in a range of subjects.

David was one of the Irish Government’s negotiators for the Good Friday Agreement. He also served as Irish Ambassador in Russia, Germany and Austria. From 2001-4 he was the Director General of Ireland’s development co-operation programme, today known as Irish Aid. As Political Director from 2009-13, he had responsibilityfor Ireland’s overall foreign policy. From 2013-17 Ambassador Donoghue was the Permanent Representative of Ireland to the United Nations in New York. He served as co-facilitator (with Kenya) for the UN negotiations which led to the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015. He also served as co-facilitator (with Jordan) for the negotiations which produced the New York Declaration on large movements of refugees and migrants, adopted at a special summit in September 2016.

Emma is an Associate Partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC). She holds the position of audit partner for businesses and charities in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Emma has worked as part of the Assurance practice of PwC for almost 16 years. She also spent two years within Business Recovery Services.

Karen is a Chartered Accountant specialising in risk management and corporate governance. She is the Chief Risk Officer for AIB Merchant Services. She has previously worked with KPMG, AIB, and Ulster Bank. Karen is the Director of a Professional Diploma for the Institution of Chartered Accountants.

Matt is Executive Director of Human Resources for Allergan in Ireland. He was previously Director of Corporate Affairs with Trócaire. Matt was Associate Director of HR with Pfizer BioPharma. He has also worked for companies including Aer Lingus, Xerox and Coca-Cola. Matt holds an MBA and an MSc in Human Resource Development and is a member of CIPD.

Bishop Fintan Monahan was ordained in June 1991. He taught at Saint Jarlath’s College in Tuam from 1993-2006. He became Bishop of Killaloe in September 2016. He is active on various social media platforms and is the author of publications on St. John Henry Newman, Thomas Merton, C.S.Lewis and Pope Benedict.

Melissa Bosch – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategist and DE&I Country Lead EY Ireland.

Melissa is an award-winning diversity, equity and inclusion strategist and leadership consultant. Through behavioural and culture change programmes she has successfully embedded equitable practices. She positively influences the systems and interactions that support unlocking individual, community and organisational potential by striving for equity, inclusion and belonging.

Her ethos is seeded in the African philosophy of Ubuntu – the universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity – and the belief that incredible things happen when people feel seen, connected, valued, empowered, and involved.

Caroline is a Director at FirstIdea Consulting Limited, a bouquet advisory firm specialising in Enterprise Risk Management in Africa. She has over 20 years’ experience, having previously worked with PwC, KPMG, and the European Union.

She is a Board Member of Faulu Bank and chairs the Risk and Compliance Committee of the Bank. She also serves as an Independent Member of the Audit and Risk Committee of the Africa Economic Research Consortium (AERC).

Paul is Chief Operating Officer with the Hierarchy General Purposes Trust, the registered charitable trust responsible for the overall operational management and leadership of the work of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference. He has previously worked in senior leadership roles with the Ulster Bank Group and First Active Bancassurance.

Joanne is Head of Governance at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. She is an experienced corporate governance professional, working with boards, committees and management at a senior level in the fields of scientific cooperation and international development. She previously worked with European Science Foundation in Strasbourg, France, where she worked in various roles, including project management, data protection and corporate governance. Joanne is member of the Committee of the Irish Business Network Switzerland where she co-leads the Geneva Chapter.

Lucy is an experienced international development professional with over 20 years’ experience in policy and programming. She currently works as a consultant, supporting the Gates foundation in its work with EU institutions on agriculture and nutrition.

She worked as a senior Governance Advisor for DFID in Mozambique, Malawi, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, advising the UK government and managing large accountability, access to justice and public sector reform programmes

Previously she worked in Brussels for a network of European NGOs on development finance issues.

Lucy started her career in development working for Trocaire in Honduras and Nicaragua.

Martin O’Brien is the Executive Director of the Social Change Initiative (SCI), a Belfast-based international NGO working with activists and donors to support and improve the effectiveness of their work for progressive social change, particularly in divided societies. Prior to joining SCI, Martin worked at the Atlantic Philanthropies where he was Senior Vice President. Martin previously led the Committee on the Administration of Justice in NI (CAJ).

Dr M. Satish Kumar was the former Director of Queen’s Academy India and Director for Internationalisation for the School of Natural and Built Environment. With over 23 years at Queen’s University Belfast, his knowledge and expertise are widely sought by Governments, charities and other national and international organisations. In recognition of his global profile, he was recently nominated as a Distinguished Honorary Chair of Global Sustainable Development Goals, India. He was awarded the Belfast Ambassador Medal (2020); The Queen’s University Teaching Award (2014) and the Bhoovigyan (Earth Scientist, 2002). He has held a number of visiting professorship positions in India and is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the Higher Education Academy. He is the Chair of BAME-Mental Health Charity, NI.

Catriona McCarthy is Director for Global Engagement at Ulster University.  She has spent 20 years in the internationalisation of Higher Education, having previously worked for a number of Scottish Universities. Catriona is Vice Chair of the British Universities International Liaison Association (BUILA) and serves as a member of both the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) International Advisory Group and is also on the Strategic Advisory Committee of the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA).  She sits on the Advisory Board of two successful Ed-Tech companies and on the Visit Belfast Ambassador Circle Steering Group. 

Nicola Skelly is the Washington Ireland Program’s Executive Director and has twenty years’ senior experience in higher level education, heading up the Vice-Chancellor’s office at Queen’s University Belfast, and holding a previous position as Head of the University’s Research Policy and Postgraduate Office. An advisor to five Vice-Chancellors at Queen’s University, Nicola has provided integral support on complex and sensitive issues and has worked closely with global figures such as Hillary Rodham Clinton, whilst leading the development and implementation of the work of the Queen’s University Executive Board.

Ged is a finance manager working with Lakeland Dairies. He is an ACCA qualified accountant with over 25 years of post-qualification experience. He has held a number of senior finance positions within industry, the co-operative movement, and the non-governmental sector. This includes a long involvement with another large Irish NGO, firstly as a volunteer fundraiser, then working overseas with them for three years, serving as a country financial controller in Afghanistan, Zimbabwe & Indonesia. On returning to Ireland, Ged served as a member of their board for a period of three years, and the finance sub-committee for a total of six years. During this period, he conducted a number of overseas internal audits for on their country programmes in Liberia and Zambia. He has also conducted an internal audit for Trócaire of their country programme in Malawi in 2014.

Archbishop Eamon Martin was ordained a priest for the diocese of Derry in 1987. He became Archbishop of Armagh in September 2014. Archbishop Martin is President of the Bishops’ Conference.

Dermot Farrell was conferred by the Pontifical University, Maynooth, with Licence in Theology in 1981. In 1988 he was awarded a Doctoral Degree from the Gregorian University in Rome. Appointed as Bishop of Ossory in January 2018, Pope Francis appointed Archbishop-elect Dermot Farrell as Archbishop of Dublin on 29 December 2020. He is a former President of St. Patrick’s College.

Archbishop Kieran O’Reilly was ordained in June 1978. He became Archbishop of Cashel and Emly in January 2015. He is a member of various bodies, including the Episcopal Commission for Social Issues and International Affairs.

Bishop William Crean was ordained in 1976. He has been Chair of Trócaire since March 2013. He is also a member of the Episcopal Commission for Social Issues and International Affairs.

Archbishop Francis studied for the priesthood at Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth and was ordained a priest for the diocese of Kilmore on 20 June 1982 in Saint Mogue’s Church, Bawnboy, Co Cavan by Bishop Francis MacKiernan.  After completing the Higher Diploma in Education, he taught in St. Patrick’s College, Cavan, for eleven years.  Then, after two years of postgraduate studies, he was appointed principal of Fatima and Felim’s Secondary School, Ballinamore, Co Leitrim in 1996.

After twelve years as principal, Archbishop Francis was appointed Diocesan Secretary and Financial Administrator and Chancellor of the Diocese of Kilmore.  During that time he was resident priest in the parish of Laragh, Co Cavan.  On 17 July 2013 he was appointed by Pope Francis as Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnois with his episcopal ordination taking place on 6 October 2013 at Saint Mary’s Church, Athlone.  He served as Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnois for eight years until his appointment as Archbishop of Tuam on 10 November 2021.  Archbishop Francis was installed as Archbishop of Tuam in the Cathedral of the Assumption on Sunday, 9 January 2022.

Bishop Alan McGuckian is a member of the Standing Committee, Irish Episcopal Conference representative to ICEL; Chairman of the Council for Justice and Peace/NICCOSA, Member of the Council for Pastoral Renewal and Adult Faith development, Liaison Bishop with Pax Christi Ireland.