New Rehab chairman to be ex-Aviva chief Sean Egan

The former chief executive of the insurance company Aviva Ireland is to be the new chairman of the Rehab organisation.

Sean Egan will act as executive chairman of the disability body for the moment pending the appointment of a full time chief executive. The post of chief executive of the group, which has been vacant since the departure of Angela Kerins in April, will be formally advertised in the next few days.

Mr Egan succeeds the long-time chairman of Rehab Brian Kerr who has retired.

Mr Egan’s nomination as chairman of the organisation was tabled by the Board’s nominations sub-committee on the back of a selection process undertaken over the past five weeks.

Following his appointment today he said: “I have enormous respect for the work done by Rehab. I have personal experience of rehabilitation services and I know the difference that the support of committed professionals can have in enhancing the lives of people who rely on the types of services Rehab provides. I look forward to providing the leadership at Board level that is necessary to support this impressive organisation as it enters this next period of change and development both domestically and internationally.”

In a letter to the staff of the Rehab group, Mr Egan said he had chosen to take on the role of chairman because he believed he could contribute to securing a positive future for the organisation. He asked that staff place their trust in him and stated that he would work with the new incoming chief executive and everybody across Rehab, to ensure that the organisation overcame the recent turbulent period for a more positive future.

Mr Egan is 57 and retired in October 2013 as chief executive of Aviva Ireland.

Rehab said that he had experienced a major stroke in 2012 and following intense rehabilitation he made a strong recovery.

Rehab said there would be no remuneration for any aspect of Mr Egan’s duties as chairman or executive chairman of the organisation.

Rehab said that further appointments to the Rehab Group Board were anticipated in the coming weeks. It said that interested parties were invited to make contact with the nominations committee in Rehab.

It emerged on Sunday that the next chief executive of the Rehab group will receive a salary of around €140,000 a year, around €100,000 less than Ms Kerins received in the post.

The Rehab group had been at the centre of controversy over recent months and an investigation by the Dáil Public Accounts Committee in relation to how more than €80 million in State expenditure was spent.

Ms Kerins and her predecessor as Rehab chief executive, Frank Flannery, had both been at the centre of controversies surrounding executive pay levels and consultancy fees at the charity.