The Northern Executive has appointed the new Joint Chairman of the North South Ministerial Council.
Mr Dick Mackenzie will take up his post in Armagh on September 19th. Working with his Southern counterpart, Mr Tim O'Connor, he will oversee the work of the council including the six cross-Border bodies established under the Belfast Agreement.
Mr Mackenzie (58) joined the Northern civil service in 1958 and is currently deputy secretary in the Department of the Environment.