The aid agency Goal has announced the appointment of a new general manager following the departure last week of chief executive Barry Andrews.
Celine Fitzgerald has been appointed to the post on a one-year fixed-term contract by the Goal board.
Ms Fitzgerald, who comes into the interim position having served at ceo and board level across several multinational, state and charity bodies, will formally commence her new role on November 1st.
Described as an expert in change management, she will oversee a period of transition within the organisation over the next 12 months.
Ms Fitzgerald said: “Along with many Irish people, I have admired the work of Goal from afar for many years and I am acutely aware of the great work that the organisation does with millions of vulnerable people across the world.
“It is critical that we sort out the issues facing Goal during my one-year tenure, and ensure that the people on the front line, whether in head office or in the field, can get back to doing what they do best.”
Goal said during her tenure the agency will hold an open, competitive process for the selection of a new ceo to replace Mr Andrews, who announced last week that he had tendered his resignation to the board last August and would step down at the end of the year.
Ms Fitzgerald has held management roles at Eircell, Vodafone and outsourcing business, Rigney Dolphin, where she acted as chief executive officer from 2007 to 2012. She joins Goal from her own consulting business, Integro Consulting, where she served as managing director for the past four years.
Ms Fitzgerald currently sits as a non-executive director on the boards of VHI and Ervia.
She is also a former director of organisational development at Trócaire, and a former board member of Nurture Africa - a charity providing health services in Uganda - as well as a non-executive board member at An Cosán, a not-for-profit organisation providing education services within disadvantaged communities.
Her duties will include the implementation of an action plan in response to the ongoing investigation by the Office of the Inspector General of USAID into alleged supply chain irregularities relating to US-sponsored humanitarian aid programmes in Syria.
The action plan has been designed to help the organisation further enhance governance and control processes, particularly in volatile conflict zones such as Syria.
Chairwoman of Goal Anne O’Leary, said: “I am delighted that someone of Celine’s experience is joining the organisation at this important juncture. Given the changes and additions we are making at management level within the organisation in the coming weeks, it is important that we appoint someone with experience and competence in the field of change management to oversee this period.
“The next 12 months will be a critical period for GOAL as we seek to regain and consolidate the trust of our donors and the general public, while continuing with the implementation of our aid programmes across the world.”