Catriona McHugh, Alan Bissett, Frank Hewitt and Nigel Robbins have been appointed to serve for a first term on the LPHC Board.
The Commissioners have responsibility, under a series of Harbour Acts and Orders, for developing, maintaining and operating Foyle Port to the highest standards of efficiency, financial prudence, environmental awareness, safety and security to the benefit of all stakeholders. The appointments will take effect from 1 October 2019 and will be for a maximum of four years.
DfI thanks the outgoing Non Executive Members Hilary McCartan, Brian Dougherty, Dolores O’Reilly and Peter Sheridan for the valuable contribution they have made to LPHC during their tenure.
Notes to editors:
- The appointments have been made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland Code of Practice.
- The Constitution of the Commissioners was established under the Londonderry Harbour Order (Northern Ireland) 2002 (No 41).
- The Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners currently have a membership of a Chair, an Executive Member, four Non Executive Members and two Councillor Non-Executive Members. The Non-Executive Members of the LPHC Board currently receive remuneration of £8,931.82 per annum.
- The appointments have been made by the DfI Permanent Secretary under the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise Functions) Act 2019. However should a Departmental Minister return, he/she may review the appointments and subsequently the terms and conditions of the appointment may be subject to change.
- All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland requires the political activity of appointees to be published. Mrs McHugh, Mr Bissett, Mr Hewitt and Mr Robbins have declared that they have not undertaken any political activity.
- Biographical Details
- Mrs Catriona McHugh is a Chartered Certified Accountant. She worked as a financial consultant overseas for almost 15 years, returning to Northern Ireland in 2016. She has provided financial consulting services for a range of public sector bodies in Ireland and the UK. Mrs McHugh will bring the following skills and knowledge to the LPHC role, financial management, including audit, corporate governance and strategy.
- Mr Nigel Robbins has over 25 years’ experience within the digital, technology, and telecommunications field. He has experience within the Private and Public sectors. He was a senior executive with Viacom Inc. for 15 years and has developed worldwide businesses. Mr Robbins will bring the following skills and knowledge to the LPHC role, strategy, governance, corporate investment and administration.
- Mr Frank Hewitt’s career spans both the public and private sectors. Mr Hewitt has extensive Non-Executive board member experience, including former appointments with the Northern Ireland Science Park, Invest NI and Ilex Urban Regeneration Company. He was the German Government’s Honorary Consul in Northern Ireland. Mr Hewitt will bring the following skills and knowledge to the LPHC role, corporate governance, strategy and finance.
- Mr Alan Bissett is a senior utilities lawyer and has advised on a wide range of corporate and commercial matters at leading firms in Belfast and London. He is a member of the Law Societies of Northern Ireland and of England & Wales. Mr Bissett will bring the following skills and knowledge to the board corporate governance, procurement, negotiation and strategy.
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