Chief Executive Officer - Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail

Today’s extensive €8bn capital investment programme is reinforced by the All-Island Strategic Rail Review (AISRR), jointly commissioned by the Department of Transport and the Department of Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. It sets out the vision up to 2050, for continued improvements for passengers and wider society on the island of Ireland. With an estimated capital cost of €37bn, the AISRR, recommends further actions for additional electrification of services, increased speeds, higher service frequency and new routes, and is aligned with the net carbon zero commitments in both jurisdictions.

In this context of unprecedented transformational growth and development, the Board of IÉ now wishes to appoint a CEO. The CEO will prepare IÉ for the all-island plans to 2050, continue to build trust and deliver on current commitments, and lead the organisation through one of the most dynamic periods of transformational change for rail passengers as well as, freight and passenger services at Rosslare Europort, Ireland’s gateway to Europe.

Reporting to the Board, and working closely with the Chair, the CEO will continue to build collaborative stakeholder engagement with e.g. NTA, DoT and the EU, as well as leading the senior executive team.

Key responsibilities:

• Collaborate with the Board on the development of strategy with safety and customer experience at its heart and lead out on significant stakeholder engagement
• Regularly report on the implementation of strategy/implementation plans, in line with IÉ’s vision, mission and values
• Lead a strong senior executive team in the overall leadership of IÉ’s 4,700 people for the change and transformation of the railway and Rosslare Europort, ensuring the further development of capacity to deliver on multi-billion-euro programmes of capital works and their transition into the day-to-day running of the railway
• Build on and maintain existing, strong, collaborative working relationships with external stakeholders, including the DoT, the NTA, all relevant regulators and policy makers, government agencies, elected representatives, suppliers and local communities
• Consistently model behaviours that reflect the values of the organisation: Always Safe, Customer at the heart of the business, Valuing our people, One Team, Proud of our Past & Passionate about our future, Sustainability in Motion.

The ideal candidate will:

• hold a degree in Business Administration, Transport or related field
• have 15+ years senior leadership experience in transport, infrastructure or a relevant role in an organisation of comparable scale and size
• bring extensive and complex stakeholder engagement experience to the role
• demonstrate a track record in leadership that aligns with IÉ’s values and drive a culture with safety and customer service at its heart
• have a proven ability to develop and deliver strategic plans in a large, complex and diverse stakeholder environment
• be an excellent communicator and engage authentically with stakeholders to solve problems and build trust
• be commercially astute with experience of large-scale infrastructure projects and organisational growth and transformation
• have strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
• be comfortable operating in a regulated industry with a good understanding of relevant regulatory requirements and industry best practices.

It is anticipated that this appointment will be made by the end of December 2024, to allow appointment as CEO Designate before taking up the role in June 2025.

IÉ is a subsidiary of the commercial semi-state group of transport companies, Córas Iompair

Éireann, and its activities are regulated by the National Transport Authority and by the Commission for Railway Regulation. Irish Rail is an equal opportunities employer.

For further information, please contact PwC Executive Search. Please see details below.