Management Team

Lorcan O’Connor is Group CEO of CIÉ since March 2019.

His previous experience includes:

• Director (CEO) of the Insolvency Service of Ireland (ISI). Lorcan established the ISI as an independent statutory body responsible for the administration of bankruptcies and newly introduced alternatives to bankruptcy. It also regulates personal insolvency practitioners.
• Executive Committee member of the International Association of Insolvency Regulators.
• Director in Deloitte Restructuring Services with experience advising companies in financial distress, advising lending institutions in relation to underperforming loans as well as leading many formal insolvency assignments, including Waterford Wedgwood plc (In Receivership) and Hughes & Hughes Limited (In Receivership)
• Council Member of the Irish Society of Insolvency Practitioners
• Financial Adviser in Department of Transport.  While sitting on the Department’s Management Board, worked on a wide range of transport assignments including the Aer Lingus IPO, State Airport restructuring and the Transport 21 investment programme. Also contributed to the development of smarter travel and national policies

Lorcan is a fellow of the Chartered Accountants Ireland and holds a Bachelor of Business and Legal Studies Degree from University College Dublin

Gary Connolly was appointed Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Director, Enterprise Shared Services (ESS) in 2022, prior to this appointment Gary held the position of Head of Group IT&T for over 10 years.
 
As CIO and Director ESS, Gary is responsible for information, technology, digital innovation, co-ordination and strategy for all of the CIÉ Enterprise Shared Services.

Gary has an MSc in IT Management and during his term as Head of IT led CIÉ Group technology investments, information security programmes, onboarded managed service providers along with implementing best practice for service level agreements and shared service governance.

Caoimhe was appointed Chief Sustainability officer in April 2020. 
Caoimhe has over 20 years’ experience in competition and regulation, strategy, and sustainability development. Prior to joining CIÉ, Caoimhe advised and led the delivery of regulatory strategy in the communications markets and in sustainable development.  
Her experience includes senior management roles in ComReg, as Head of Market Intelligence and Market Analysis Manager and in strategy development in AXA Ireland. Caoimhe is the Chair of Global Action Plan, Ireland, a not for profit organisation driving sustainability initiatives across Ireland.  
She has a Dip. Company Direction, IoD and holds an MBA from the University of Cambridge; a Dip. Competition Econ, Kings College London; an MA in Economics Université Libre de Bruxelles; and a BA International in Economics from University College Dublin.
 

Tom Fahey joined CIÉ’s Group Pensions Department in 1988 and moved to their Claims Department in 1990. He occupied a number of roles before becoming CIÉ Claims Manager in 2012.
 
Tom has over 30 years’ of experience in the area of accident / claims investigation and litigation. He currently manages the Employers Liability and Third Party Claims Handling teams, and personally handles all large loss claims involving the CIÉ Group of Companies
 

Geraldine qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1987 and is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland.  She completed a Diploma in Legal Studies in 1996 and the Barrister-at-Law degree in 1998. She was called to the Bar in 1998. She is an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. She is also a Council Member and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.
 
Geraldine was appointed by the Board of Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ) to the position of Group Secretary in 1997. In addition, she was the Company Secretary of Iarnród Éireann – Irish Rail (a CIÉ subsidiary company) between 2004 and 2020. Prior to these appointments Geraldine was a Financial Accountant in Bus Átha Cliath – Dublin Bus.
 
Prior to joining the CIÉ Group, Geraldine trained with O’Donovan, Cuddy and MacCarthy in Cork and subsequently worked as an Auditor in Deloitte Haskins & Sells in London and in Caplin Meehan in Dublin

Aidan Grogan was appointed as Head of Group HR & OD in September 2020. He has over 20 years’ experience in the Human Resources and Industrial Relations field, having previously held positions in Virgin Media Television (TV3), Virgin Media Ireland (UPC), The Irish Times and IBEC. He recently completed a certificate in mediation and holds a Batchelor of Commerce Degree (HRM) from UCD, as well as a Professional Diploma in Arbitration, and Graduate Diploma’s in Employment Law and Strategy.
 

Therese Killian was appointed Head of Group Internal Audit July 2022. 
Therese has over 15 years’ experience in Internal Audit, Risk Management, Compliance and Program management. Prior to joining CIE, she spent 13 years with CRH plc, in Internal Audit, and was also responsible for ensuring the adequacy of CRH’s Internal Control Framework for annual compliance with Sarbanes Oxley 404 Regulations. Therese has also worked with a start-up biopharmaceutical company in advanced clinical trial stages as part of its IPO process and more recently has led the Internal Audit function in Ryanair.

Therese is a Fellow Charted Accountant and holds a Dip. in IFRS and Dip. In Risk Management, Internal Audit and Compliance from Chartered Accountants Ireland. Therese also holds a B. A (Hons) from UCC, HDip. In Education from NUI Galway and a Professional Diploma in Compliance from UCD.




 

Paul was appointed as Head of Legal, CIÉ Group in September 2024.  Prior to this, Paul was CIÉ Deputy Group Solicitor and Head of Commercial and Regulatory Affairs.  
 
Paul's role is to provide strategic leadership for the development and delivery of legal services and support across the CIÉ Group of companies as well as to foster alignment in support of the Group strategy and innovation in the provision of legal services in supporting business operations and commercial activities.  Paul works closely with the CIÉ Board, the CIÉ Group CEO, the Executive Management Team and senior management across the Group’s subsidiaries.
 
Paul qualified as a Solicitor in 1995 and holds a BA in European Studies (Law and French), an LLM in European Law, a Diploma in Translation, a Diploma in Employment Law, a Certificate in Pension Law and Practice, a Diploma in Advanced Management Performance and is a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.
 

Fiona O’Shea was appointed as Group Chief Financial Officer in March 2022.  Before joining CIÉ, Fiona worked for over 14 years with RTÉ in a number of senior finance roles, most recently as Group Financial Controller.  Prior to her work in RTÉ, Fiona was Group Financial Controller for the Ogilvy & Mather Group, a creative media and public relations agency and part of the WPP Group plc.
Fiona graduated with a Bachelor of Business Studies degree (Hons) from the University of Limerick and is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants Ireland.

Amy Richards was appointed as Head of Group IT&T in 2022, prior to this appointment Amy held various positions in Group IT&T including Infrastructure & Service Delivery Manager and Deputy Head for the Department.
As Head of Group IT&T, Amy manages the IT Shared Service Department making sure the department is performing against agreed SLAs and commitments, the product offering brings value to the clients and costs are optimised. 
Amy has led several transformations in the IT shared service function over the last number of years including maturing the department in line with the ITIL framework, moving to world class Data Centres in 2018 and overseeing the onboarding of a Managed Service as the programme executive. A key aspect of Amy’s role has been the recruitment drive for GIT&T for succession planning for the department, to add value to the clients and to develop talent in line with future service offerings.