Appointment of Independent Board Members to the Department of Finance and Personnel

Finance Minister, Sammy Wilson MP MLA has announced the appointment of three Independent Board Members to roles in the Department.

Mr Stephen Hodkinson and Professor Dolores O’Reilly have been appointed to the Departmental Board and Mr Ken Slattery has been appointed to the Strategy Board of Enterprise Shared Services (ESS).

ESS came into operation on 1 January 2010 to improve co-operation and co-ordination between common corporate services such as HR, finance, IT and training.

The primary role of the Independent Board Member is to contribute to the good governance of the organisation. Independent Board Members will offer constructive challenge across the organisation’s business, with a view to ensuring that all aspects of strategy and delivery of policy are scrutinised for effectiveness and efficiency.

The appointments are for an initial three year term and take effect from 1 September 2010.

Notes to editors:

1. Mr Hodkinson was Chief Executive of the Health and Social Services Central Services Agency (CSA) from 1990 – 2009. The CSA employed almost 1000 staff and had an annual budget of approx £800m. Included among his responsibilities was the creation of a regional procurement service for the Northern Ireland Health and Social services.

He has been a non- Executive member of the NI Association for Mental Health since 1989.

Mr Hodkinson has considerable experience of corporate governance and risk management, from his involvement in the CSA over almost twenty years, and his role with the NI Association for Mental Health.

2. Professor O’Reilly is the chair of the Board and Head of the Department of International business, University of Ulster, and is a non-Executive Director of Independent News and Media (NI).

In her role with the University of Ulster she has experience of managing complex change in leading a team of 24 to create a new University Department, which now has a student population of approx 700. Her role as head of the Department of International Business has given her extensive experience of corporate governance, financial management and risk management. Professor O’Reilly also led the course planning team for the creation of the MSc in Innovation Management in the Public Service offered by the University of Ulster.

3. Mr Slattery was Head of Payments in Bank of Ireland from 2003 until his retirement in 2007. Prior to that, he had been Director of the Bank’s Corporate Banking from 1993 – 2003. In 2007 he took up the role of Credit and Operations Director in the Social Finance Foundation, a third sector organisation set up to be a wholesale funder to community and voluntary sector projects.

Mr Slattery has extensive experience in the areas of risk management, financial management and corporate governance from his roles with the Bank of Ireland and since his retirement.

4. Each Independent Board Member will receive a remuneration of £500 a day, with an expected commitment of 25 days a year.

5. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. The new appointees have declared any potential conflicts of interest, and are bound not to engage in political activity which would in the opinion of the Department compromise their membership of the Board or the Department.

6. All media queries to DFP Press Office on 028 9052 7375. Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Office via pager number 076 9971 5440 and your call will be returned.