Here is a selection of people starting new roles with Stratis Consulting, Volkswagen, Veterinary Council of Ireland, EasyGo, Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland and An Bord Pleanála.
Louise Murphy has been appointed as managing director of employment relations specialist Stratis Consulting. Previously Human Resources (HR) lead at MSD, Louise joined Stratis initially as head of learning and development in 2022 and quickly enhanced the firm’s reputation in learning and development programmes for employment relations. Louise has a special interest in working with companies on their people leadership capability and optimising front-line leader performance through programmes that build engagement, authentic relationships, trust, competency and accountability. Partnering with business leaders Louise has designed and delivered bespoke training programmes for front line managers to senior leaders for a range of organisations.
Pierre Boutin has been appointed as group MD and CEO with Volkswagen Group Ireland. He succeeds Carla Wentzel, who is now VW Poland’s first female CEO in the history of Poland’s automotive sector. Since joining the group in 2014, Pierre has been head of VW Russia and VW France. As VW’s CEO and group MD for Canada, he delivered secured the largest electric vehicle supply chain investment in Canadian history. He helped VW Canada achieve record market share in 2023, also creating an EV battery cell gigafactory in St Thomas, Ontario, with a 90GWH potential production volume, enough to power one million EVs a year.
Rachel Brown has been appointed as president of the Veterinary Council of Ireland, the regulatory body for veterinary medicine and veterinary nursing, with Kevin McConnell named as deputy president. Rachel is a veterinary practitioner in Moy Veterinary Clinic, serving companion animal and farm animals in Ballina, Co Mayo. She has served as VCI’s deputy president for the last two years. Kevin McConnell is a vet in a large animal practice in Co Kildare. Kevin’s clinical area of expertise and area of interest lies in equine veterinary medicine. He has served as practice premises committee chair within the VCI since January 2022.
Michael McAteer has been appointed as a member of the executive committee of Erapid Charger Company Ltd, trading as EasyGo, the private car charging network operator. He was previously managing partner of Grant Thornton from 2018-23, having also led its advisory services practice. Michael brings in-depth technical and practical experience across retail, aviation, leisure, construction and IT. EasyGo has also appointed David Fitzgerald as chief revenue officer. Mr Fitzgerald will lead EasyGo’s sales and marketing function for all of its B2B and B2C products and services. EasyGo is creating 60 new jobs, following recent funding of €30m announced by Aviva Investors.
Dr Karn Cliffe has been appointed as director of professional standards – midwifery – with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland. Karn has worked with NMBI, as midwife project lead, on a part-time basis since July 2023. She was director of nursing and midwifery with the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group. Karn was interim chief director of nursing and midwifery for Dublin Midlands Hospital Group. Karn has worked in Australia, at University Maternity Hospital Limerick, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, Dublin Midlands Hospital Group and Citywest Vaccination Centre. In 2023, she was named Adjunct Professor at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, TCD.
Peter Mullan has been appointed as chair of An Bord Pleanála, overseeing appeals from planning decisions made by local authorities in the Republic of Ireland. Currently interim the planning board’s interim chair, he now takes up the role on a permanent basis. He was named as a temporary board member in January 2023, becoming interim chair in September 2023. He was previously an assistant secretary in the Courts Service. Prior to that, he was an assistant secretary in the Department of Justice and Equality for a number of years and chief prosecution solicitor in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
