The Board & Executive

John Fitzgerald F.C.C.A.

Mr. Fitzgerald has spent most of his career working in local government, serving in several senior positions, including that of Dublin City Manager from 1996 until 2006.  Currently, he is Chairman of the Grangegorman Development Agency and of the two Regeneration Agencies set up in Limerick following his report to Government on problems of social exclusion in that city.  He is also Chairman of the National Transport Authority, vice Chairman of InterTradeIreland and a member of the board of the Health Service Executive.

Patrick Compton

Employee Director
Appointed 1 November, 2008; fifth term
Age 54

Mr. Compton has worked in the postal service for the past 38 years and his current position is that of Partnership Co-ordinator, based in Roscommon.  He was a member of the national executive of the Communications Workers Union for 22 years and its president in 1986.  He was also a director of The Prize Bond Company Limited for many years.  He is active in community development in his local area and he is the County Roscommon GAA Coaching & Games Development Officer.

Jerry Condon

Employee Director - 2
Appointed 1 November, 2008; fourth term
Age 57

Mr. Condon commenced work in 1971 with the Department of Posts and Telegraphs and has worked as a Post Office Clerk for his entire career.  He has been an active member of the Communications Workers Union throughout his career and he served on the national executive of that union for 13 years.

Donal Connell, C.Eng., F.I.E.I., B.E. 

 Director - 2, 3
 Appointed on 14 August, 2006
 Age 57

Mr. Connell was appointed as Chief Executive on 14 August 2006.  He began his career in the Department of Post and Telegraphs and has held senior management positions in Unitrode Ireland, 3Com Ireland and Maxtor Ireland where he was General Manager prior to joining An Post.  He is a non-executive director of Xilinx Corporation’s European Board and he is Chairman of An Post National Lottery Company.

Anne Connolly, B.A., M.B.A.

Director - 2
Appointed on 23 November, 2007
Age 57

Ms Connolly is the Director of the Ageing Well Network, an independent leadership network of heads of organisations across the private, public and voluntary sectors.  She had previously founded and run Anne Connolly Consulting Limited, a strategic management consultancy company.  Prior to forming this company, she worked as strategy manager with Kingspan plc and, before that, at senior management level in the public and not-for-profit sectors.  She has previously been on the boards of ICC Bank plc and APSO and she was chairperson of the Federation of Simon Communities in Ireland.

Paddy Costello

Mr. Costello joined the Post Office as a Junior Postperson in 1964.  He became a Postperson in 1966 and he has been employed in the Finglas Delivery Office, Dublin 11 for the last 43 years.  Throughout his employment, he has represented members of the Communications Workers Union at Delivery Offices in Dublin.  He has held various branch officer positions and he is currently serving as the Treasurer of the Dublin Postal Delivery Branch.

Thomas Devlin

Mr. Devlin began his career in the Post Office in 1976 when he joined the Department of Posts and Telegraphs as a Junior Postman working as a messenger in the Minister’s Office.  He is currently employed as a Delivery Service Manager in Malahide Delivery Service Unit, Co. Dublin.   An active member of the Communications Workers Union, he served on the National Executive for two years and was Chairman of the SDS Drivers Branch from 1996 to 2004.

James Hyland, B.Comm., F.C.A., F.C.I.S.

Director - 1
Appointed 11 December, 2008, second term 
Age 75

Mr. Hyland, a chartered accountant, is former Deputy Chief Executive of Golden Vale Group and was former Group Chief Executive of Youghal Carpets plc.  He was Managing Director of James Hyland & Company, Forensic Accountants, and a partner in Hyland Johnson Murray, Chartered Accountants.  He is Chairman or director of a number of other companies including An Post National Lottery Company.  He is also a mentor on the Marketing Development Programme in the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School.

Peter Ormond, B.A. (Bus. Mgt.)

Mr. Ormond is the Marketing Manager with Mid Ireland Tourism since March 2010 prior to which he was the Community Services Programme Manager for Kilcormac Development Association.  His other work experiences are in auctioneering, in sales and marketing, and in logistics.  He is a member of Offaly County Council and was its chairman in 2005/2006.  He is also a member of the Education Finance Board.  

Gerry O’Toole

Mr. O’Toole started work in the Department of Posts and Telegraphs in 1980 as a Junior Postman and the following year he was appointed as a Postperson.  In 1989, he was promoted to the position of Clerical Officer and worked in the Financial Services area until 1998 when he moved to the IT Unit where he is currently a Technical Support Specialist in IT Network Support.  He has served on a number of branch committees for different unions over the years.  

John Quinlivan, B.Sc. (Mgt. & Law), M.Sc. (Spatial Planning), Dip. in Public Admin.

Director - 3
Appointed 24 June, 2008; second term
Age 72

Mr. Quinlivan has had a lengthy career in local government, serving in senior positions in nine counties, including 15 years as Louth County Manager.  He served for five years as a member of the National Roads Authority and he also served as a member of the Local Government Management Services Board and the Local Government Computer Services Board and An Comhairle.

Alan Sloane

Postmaster Director
Appointed 1 January, 2010; fourth term
Age 53

Mr. Sloane has worked in the family grocery and post office business since 1976.  He was appointed postmaster of Loch Gowna post office, Co. Cavan in 1979.  He is also Managing Director of J.A.S. Limited, a security counter and furniture manufacturing business, which he established in 1985.

Catherine Woods B.A. (Econ)

Director – 1, 3
Appointed 4 February, 2008
Age 47

Ms Woods has spent most of her career in London with JP Morgan.  She has extensive experience of mergers and acquisitions and stockbroking in the financial sector.  Her mandates included the recapitalisation of Lloyds’ of London Insurance market and the re-privatisation of Scandinavian banks.  Since her return to Ireland, she has served on the Electronic Communications Appeals Panel from 2004 to 2007, opining on appeals against ComReg decisions.  She is a Director of Allied Irish Banks plc and is on the Adjudication Panel for appeals regarding the National Broadband Scheme.

Key to Board Committees

1. Audit & Security
2. Personnel
3. Remuneration

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The Executive

Donal Connell, C.Eng., F.I.E.I., B.E. 

Chief Executive, Age 57

Mr. Connell was appointed as Chief Executive on 14 August 2006.  He began his career in the Department of Post and Telegraphs and has held senior management positions in Unitrode Ireland, 3Com Ireland and Maxtor Ireland where he was General Manager prior to joining An Post.  He is a non-executive director of Xilinx Corporation’s European Board and he is Chairman of An Post National Lottery Company.

John Daly, A.C.M.A., M.Sc.(Mgmt.)

Mr. Daly joined An Post in December 1988 having worked previously as a management accountant in FÁS.  During the early part of his career with An Post, he worked in the Finance division as a management accountant.  He then held various senior finance and management positions within the Retail division before being appointed to his current position in October 2006.  He is Chairman of The Prize Bond Company Limited.

Jack Dempsey, B.Comm., M.B.A., M.P.A.

Mr. Dempsey joined the Post Office in 1968 as an Executive Officer in the Department of Posts and Telegraphs.  During his career, he has gained wide experience in all aspects of postal operations and commercial activities, both national and international, occupying a variety of senior management positions across the Company.  He was appointed as Company Secretary in March 2011.

 
Peter Gallagher, B.Sc., M.B.A., M.Inst.D

Director of Strategy and Business Excellence, Age 49

Mr. Gallagher joined An Post in April 2007 as Head of Strategy and Business Excellence.  Prior to joining An Post, he had been a Partner in PA Consulting Group’s Global Business Transformation Practice where he led major transformational and business operational improvement programmes for private & public sector clients.  Previous experience also includes Director of Strategy with KPMG Consulting and Business Operations Manager (UK & Ireland) for Dell Computer Corporation. 

Pat Knight, M.Sc.(Mgmt.), F.C.I.P.D.

Mr. Knight joined An Post in March 2004 as Human Resources Director.  Previously, he had been General Manager Human Resources at Waterford Crystal, which he joined in 1986 and where he held senior HR roles, both in Ireland and the UK.  Previous experience also includes work as a Personnel Officer with Bord na Móna plc.  He is a Trustee of the An Post Superannuation Schemes.

 
Brian McCormick, B.E.(Mech.), M.B.A.

Services Director, Age 51

Mr. McCormick joined An Post in May 2002 as Strategy Director and was appointed to his current position of Services Director in October 2003.  Prior experience includes CRH plc and Merrion Corporate Finance where he was a Director.  He is a Trustee of the An Post Superannuation Schemes.

Liam O’Sullivan

Mr. O’Sullivan joined An Post in 1985.  During his career, he has gained broad experience across the full range of the Company’s business.  He has held various senior managerial and project management positions in the Company. He was appointed as Mail Processing Director in July 2004 and also served a period as Director of Collection & Delivery Change Programmes and Operations.  He took up his current position in April 2009.

Peter Quinn B.Comm., F.C.A., M.B.A.

Mr. Quinn joined An Post in August 2004 having previously held senior financial and strategic positions in PJ Carroll and Company plc and Monaghan Mushrooms Limited.  Earlier in his career, he trained as a chartered accountant and worked in practice with KPMG.

Liam Sheehan

Mr. Sheehan joined An Post in 2000 as General Manager Sales & Marketing and he was appointed as Sales & Marketing Director in October 2006.  He has extensive experience in the Irish fast moving consumer goods sector and in brand creation, channel management and sales strategy.  He previously held senior Sales & Marketing positions in Proctor & Gamble and in Guinness and he was Commercial Director with Erin Foods.  He is a director of The Prize Bond Company Limited and of the Irish Direct Marketing Association.

Barney Whelan, B.Sc., M.B.A., F.P.R.I.I.

Director of Communications and Corporate Affairs, Age 56

Mr. Whelan joined An Post in January 2005.  Having spent many years in the aquaculture industry, he was responsible for public relations and brand communications at the ESB.  He subsequently held the position of Director, Sales and Marketing at The Food Safety Promotion Board.  He was appointed to his current position in October 2006.