Governing Authority

Submission Deadline

 Meeting Date
Meetings commence at 10 a.m. unless otherwise specified

Thursday, 21 August 2025

Wednesday, 15 October 2025

Thursday, 20 November 2025

N/A

Tuesday, 13 January 2026

Thursday, 26 February 2026

Thursday, 9 April 2026

Thursday, 28 May 2026

Michael Beary (Chair)

Mike Beary has been, until recently, Country Manager Ireland for Amazon Web Services, which employs close to 7,000 direct staff in Ireland as a core part of the Amazon global business, and HR Director for Amazon Europe, Middle East & Africa. Amongst other roles, he was previously HR Director for Amazon Marketplace in Seattle and before that HR Director for Disney Consumer Products in California. He currently serves as a non-executive director on the Board of Tallaght University Hospital and previously served as a non-exec on the Board of IBEC.

Joe Carthy 

Joe Carthy is a professor in the UCD School of Computer Science, with expertise in the area of cybersecurity. He has served as Head of School, College Principal and Dean of Science as well as Acting Data Protection Officer, President of Athletic Union Council (AUC), Aurora Champion, Director of UCD in the Community and previous Member of GA for 2 terms. Joe has a track record of leading EDI initiatives in science and across UCD e.g. introducing both the UCD Values in Action and the UCD Long Service Awards.

Jim Clarken

Jim Clarken is CEO of Oxfam Ireland and an Executive Director of Oxfam International. He is Chair of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency and a Commissioner at the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. He holds a B. Comm from University of Galway, an MBA from UCC, where he also served as Adjunct Professor, and completed the Chartered Director Programme at the Institute of Directors. Prior to joining the international development sector, Jim worked at senior management and board level in a range of industries serving energy, pharma, environment and start-ups.

Jim Clarken was nominated by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

Peter Cross

Peter Cross is Managing Director of Trasna Corporate Finance, which provides strategic financial advisory services to businesses and investors, and was previously Chief Financial Officer of Eircom and of BT Openreach.  He is a non-executive director of DAA, VHI, Cubic Telecom and a number of renewable energy businesses managed by Arjun Infrastructure, and previously served as chairman of the Audit & Risk Committees of the HSE and of Ervia.  

Antoinette Dunne

Antoinette Dunne is Chief Executive Officer of BCM Global and Non-Executive Chair of the Board of Capitalflow DAC.  Amongst other roles, she was a Director and co-owner of a business and debt consulting firm, Head of Halifax Bank in Ireland and Head of Bank of Scotland's Mortgage and Asset Finance Business.

Valerie Farrell

Valerie Farrell is Head of Human Resources for Teagasc which employs over 1600 staff who are spread across Ireland in 7 large research centres, 50 advisory offices and 7 colleges. In addition to holding other management roles in Teagasc, she was previously Compensation and Benefits Manager for Intel Ireland and HR Specialist in Xilinx. She served on the Governing Body for Institute of Technology Carlow for seven years up to its formation of the South East Technological University. She was a member of the Audit and Risk Committee and undertook the role of Vice Chair in IT Carlow for two years. She holds a Business Degree from University of Limerick, a Masters in Change Management from University of Brighton and a Diploma in Strategic management from Henley Business School. She holds a Certificate in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion from SETU, is a certified trainer for the European Consultants in Rural Areas (CECRA) and is a member of the Institute of Directors Ireland.

Valerie Farrell was nominated by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

Orla Feely

Orla Feely is President of UCD. She holds a BE degree from University College Dublin and MS and PhD degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. Professor Feely is a Member of the Royal Irish Academy and a Fellow of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), Engineers Ireland and the Irish Academy of Engineering. Among other roles, she has served as President of Engineers Ireland, Chair of the Irish Research Council, and as Board Member and Deputy Chair of the Higher Education Authority.

Kelly Fitzgerald

Kelly Fitzgerald is an Assistant Professor in the UCD School of Irish, Celtic Studies and Folklore. 

Conor Galvin

Conor Galvin is Chief Executive of Dairygold, one of Ireland’s largest milk processers based in the Munster region. Prior to joining Dairygold in 2014, he held senior management positions in DCC plc, Diageo Plc and Proctor & Gamble. He holds a B.Sc. (Hons) degree in Human Physiology and a Ph.D. in Cell Biology from University College Dublin, an MBA from Smurfit Business School, a BLL degree from the Open University, and is a member of the Certified Management Accountant (CMA). He is married to Catherine and has two daughters.

John MacMenamin

John MacMenamin is the Chair of the Irish Financial Services Appeals Tribunal.  Amongst other roles, he was previously a judge of the Supreme Court of Ireland.

Matt Mion

Matt Mion is the Education Officer of the UCD Students' Union, a recent graduate of UCD with a BSc in Pharmacology, and a structured minor in existentialism and critical theory. Throughout his time in UCD, Matt has been deeply involved in student leadership, having served as a Class Rep, Vice Auditor and Events Officer of UCD BioSoc, and as a peer mentor; having majorly contributed to student life centering on academic representation, inclusive community building, and enhancing the educational experience. As Education Officer, Matt champions student voices in university decision-making, offering direct academic support and representing student interests on key policy-shaping committees for teaching, learning, and assessment. Matt is passionate about creating a fair, transparent, progressive and accessible platform for education that genuinely meets student needs.

Jimmy Muldoon

Jimmy Muldoon is a Senior Technical Officer in the School of Chemistry, and manages the School's Mass Spectrometry facility. He is the Chair of the School's GDPR Committee and is a member of the School EDI and Data Management committees. Jimmy represents University Technical staff on a number of University committees and fora including ACQEC and the Technical Development Network. Jimmy is a B.Sc. and Ph.D. alumnus of The University of Galway (formerly NUI, Galway), and completed a Masters in Management in UCD Smurfit in 2010.

Fiona Mullan

Fiona Mullan is the Chief People Officer at Bloom & Wild, a UK headquartered ecommerce company. She joined from Ding, a fintech scale up after its sale to Pollen St Capital. Prior to Ding, Fiona spent her career in the US multinational technology industry joining Meta in 2014 where she led the international human resources function. Prior to joining Meta, Fiona spent nine years at Microsoft, most recently leading human resources for Microsoft in Asia Pacific having started her career with Accenture. Fiona was Chairperson of Fastrack to IT, a non-profit organisation and sat on the Board of Make a Wish Ireland. Fiona holds a BA, an MSc, and a Diploma in Information Systems.

Claire Nolan

Claire Nolan is the School Manager for the School of Information and Communication Studies.

Emilia O'Hagan

Emilia O'Hagan is the current Welfare Officer at UCD Students Union. She recently graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Philosophy from University College Dublin. In her role as Welfare Officer, Emilia is responsible for supporting students on a range of issues, including mental health, housing, and financial support. She works closely with university administration and external partners to address students needs, ensuring that the student body is effectively represented in discussion on welfare policy and services. 

Michael Roche

Michael Roche currently serves as President of the UCD Students’ Union and, until recently, was a Parliamentary Assistant in Dáil Éireann. He has just completed his third year studying Economics and History at University College Dublin, where he has been actively involved in various clubs and societies. As President of the UCD Students’ Union, Michael is the chief representative and spokesperson for over 30,000 students. He leads the Union’s executive team, advocates for student interests within the university, engages with national stakeholders, and represents the student voice in the media. In addition, he is responsible for setting and overseeing the strategic direction of the Union.

Prag Sharma

Dr. Prag Sharma is the Head of Emerging Technologies with the Future of Finance Group at Citi. Prag will define and drive Citi's thought-leadership agenda on next-generation cutting/bleeding edge technologies, including Generative and Agentic AI. This is a strategic mandate requiring intensive, cross-functional collaboration across all five businesses, aligning senior expertise in banking, product, risk, and operations to unlock commercial potential in a dynamic, technology-driven market.

Emma Sokell

Emma Sokell joined UCD in 1999 and is a Professor in the School of Physics. She has been School Head of Teaching & Learning on three occasions, Deputy Head of School (2015-2021) and is currently Head of School. At a UCD level, she is Co-Chair of the Gender Equality Action Group, member of Academic Council Executive Committee, the Dignity and Respect Oversight Group and EDI committee. Past contributions include Science Graduate School Director and member of the AC Examination Committee. She is a member of the Atomic, Molecular and Plasma Physics Group and is currently president of the Irish Federation of University Teachers.

Anne-Marie Taylor

Anne-Marie Taylor is a partner with Board Excellence, Deputy Chair of the Irish Hospice Foundation and a former board member of the Public Appointments Service. She was a founding member of the 30% Club Ireland and, amongst other roles, led her own consulting practice specialising in strategic business transformation and held senior roles in Accenture.

Anne-Marie Taylor was nominated by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.