Hanson appoints non-executive members of the board of the Ilex Urban Regeneration Company
21 Sep 2006
Reinvestment and Reform Minister David Hanson MP has appointed Mr Michael Heaney and Mr John McDaid as new members of the Board of the Ilex Urban Regeneration Company.
He has also re-appointed Professor Eddie Friel and Mr Richard Sterling to the Board.
In addition, the Board will include, on re-appointment, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ulster, Professor Richard Barnett, the Chief Executive of Derry City Council, Tony McGurk and senior officials from both the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister and the Department for Social Development. The appointments were effective from 28 July 2006.
Notes to Editors:
Established under the Strategic Investment and Regeneration of Sites (NI) Order 2003, Ilex was formally incorporated on 17 July 2003. The company has been set up to stimulate social and economic regeneration for the Derry City Council Area and will take a lead in building an agreed way forward for the wider economic, social and physical regeneration of the area, drawing together the different resources and expertise of the public and private sectors.
Ilex is managed by a Board under an independent Chairman. For administrative purposes it is classified as an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body, sponsored by OFMDFM and DSD.
The appointments have been made in accordance with the procedures required by the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland. The final agreement on the appointment rested with the Minister of State.
Biographical Details
Mr Richard Sterling is a former President of Londonderry Chamber of Commerce. He is a former Managing Director of the employee owned Derry based Coolkeeragh Power Station. He has a long association with the skills agenda in Northern Ireland and in 2003 was awarded the OBE for service to the Basic Skills Committee and Business in Northern Ireland.
Professor Eddie Friel is a Tourism and City Marketing Consultant and former Chief Executive of Greater Glasgow Tourist Board. He has also been involved in the development of a tourism strategy for Derry City Council and has been adviser to a number of cities in Ireland, the UK, Europe and the USA. Professor Friel managed the multi-million pound communications programme to establish Glasgow as Cultural Capital of Europe and had a major role in establishing the first Tourist Board for Glasgow.
Mr Michael Heaney is Director of Services - Community, Culture and Enterprise Directorate, Donegal County Council. Mr Heaney is Chief Officer of Donegal County Development Board a partnership organisation involved in the development of a wide range of sectors, for example, tourism, enterprise, marine leisure and renewable energy.
Mr John McDaid is a Board member of the International Fund for Ireland. He
was a founding Partner of McDaid McCullough Moore, Chartered Accountants and Registered Auditors, and a former President of the Londonderry Chamber of Commerce. He is a founding Director of the Londonderry Inner City Trust and a founding Director and Chairman of Derry Northside Development Trust Limited. Mr McDaid is a Director of the Ulster Community Investment Trust.
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