Senior Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment official Pauline Mulligan has been named as the new chief executive of the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA).
Ms Mulligan, a civil servant for more than 30 years, previously worked at the Department of Foreign Affairs, during which she was based in Brussels for a time.
She has since held a number of senior positions at the Department of Enterprise, and was involved in the department’s response to Brexit and Covid-19.
She was most recently an assistant secretary at the department, where she led the Indigenous Enterprise Division. The role involved responsibility for oversight of Enterprise Ireland, the Local Enterprise Office network and a number of Regional Enterprise Plans. She was a member of the department’s Management Board since 2018.
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Her appointment as chief executive of the LGMA, a State agency that provides professional services to the country’s 31 local authorities and a number of Government departments, is with immediate effect.
The association plays an important role in co-ordinating the work of the authorities, working with them in an advisory capacity on issues and playing a significant role in their efforts to deliver housing and other services and infrastructure.
“The services provided by local authorities play a central role in the everyday lives of everyone living in this country,” she said. “I look forward to leading the team at the LGMA to ensure that we continue to be a valued and trusted support for the local government sector, providing a shared centre of excellence in leading sectoral approaches to the development and expansion of exemplary local public services.”
Chair of the LGMA board, Paddy Mahon, said Ms Mulligan has “a strong track record of leadership, innovation and strategic thinking” whose energy and ability would be an asset to the organisation.
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