Profiles: Who is on National Paediatric Hospital Development Board?

NPHDB responsible for overseeing building of national children’s hospital

A view of the construction site of The National Children’s Hospital. Photograph: Tom Honan
A view of the construction site of The National Children’s Hospital. Photograph: Tom Honan

The National Paediatric Hospital Development Board was established by former minister for health Mary Harney in 2007 to oversee the building of national children's hospital. The board was appointed by former minister for health James Reilly in 2013.

The board’s members have the “combined experience and expertise in architecture, planning, engineering and procurement”, according to the children’s hospital website.

Here are the members of the board:

Tom Costello (Chairperson - Resigned)

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Costello announced his resignation on Saturday after five years in the role. He said concerns about reputational damage to the project due to the controversy over the costs had forced his decision. Costello is a chartered engineer and established a project management consultancy business in 2012.

Tim Bouchier-Hayes

Bouchier-Hayes is a solicitor and former partner in McCann Fitzgerald firm. He is Ireland's member of the International Court of Arbitration International Chamber of Commerce, Paris. He is also a member of the Engineers Ireland Adjudication, Mediation and Conciliation Panels.

Anne Butler

Butler is a chartered engineer and a former president of the Institution of Engineers of Ireland. Butler is a founding director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and was on its board for 10 years.

John Cole

Cole is an architect by profession and currently acts as an independent strategic client adviser. In 2018, he was appointed as an adviser to the Scottish government on a review of the effectiveness of building regulations in Scotland.

Karl Kent

Kent is a registered architect and fellow of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland. He is a consultant architect-planner with Doyle Kent Planning Partnership Ltd. He was previously a member of the Strategic Infrastructure Division of An Bord Pleanála.

John Martin

Martin is a planner with experience in local government and An Bord Pleanála. He was principal planning adviser in the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government from 2002 to 2011. He served as a member of the 2012 Review Group on the new children's hospital.

Paul Quinn

Quinn is the Government’s Chief Procurement Officer and is tasked with delivering procurement reform across the public service. He is also the head of the Office of Government Procurement (OGP).

Marguerite Sayers

Sayers is the ESB's executive director for customer solutions. Prior to that, she held the position of managing director of ESB Networks for more than three years. She qualified as an electrical/electronic engineer and has worked in various ESB managerial positions.

Brian Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald is the deputy CEO of the Beacon Hospital. He was the chief executive and director of finance at St James's Hospital. He is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

Liam Woods

Woods is a qualified chartered accountant and joined the health services in 1999 as Financial Director of the Eastern Regional Health Authority. He was also Director of Finance for the HSE for an eight-year period, Director of Health Business Services for a year and appointed as Interim Director of Acute Services in January 2015.

Lorcan Birthistle

Birthistle is chief executive of St James's Hospital. He was previously chief executive of Our Lady's Children Hospital Crumlin and St Luke's Hospital in Rathgar.

Prof Jonathan Hourihane

Hourihane has been Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health in University College Cork since 2005. He is a founding board member of the Clemens von Pirquet Foundation and of the Irish Food Allergy Network.

Sarah Burns

Sarah Burns

Sarah Burns is a reporter for The Irish Times


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