Mr Colin Byrne
Chairperson
Mr Byrne has extensive legal and business experience. He was a corporate lawyer in one of Ireland’s leading law firms, Arthur Cox, for almost 30 years, where he led and advised on significant mergers and acquisitions. He holds a B.A. (Mod) in Legal Science and a Masters in EU Law from Trinity College Dublin. In addition, Mr Byrne is a qualified Solicitor (Law Society of Ireland), Chartered Accountant (Chartered Accountants Ireland) and a Notary Public.
Appointed Chairperson of the Board of Directors in 2020, Mr Byrne also serves on the Hospital’s Finance, Infrastructure Development and Marketing/P.R. Committees. His extensive financial, legal and business expertise is invaluable to the Board as NOHC explores inter alia opportunities to enhance services and develop the Hospital campus. Mr Byrne is also a member of the Board of Governors of the Mater Misericordiae and the Children’s University Hospital Limited.
Appointed to the Board: 21.02.2017
Sub-committees: Member of the Nominations and Remuneration Committees
Shane Deasy
Vice-Chairperson and Non-Executive Director
Appointed to the Board of Directors at NOHC on 21.02.2017, Shane currently serves as the Vice-Chairperson of the Board. He is the Co-Founder and CEO of Clevernet, an innovative company specialising in smart building systems for improved connectivity, operational efficiency, security and sustainability. Working in the ICT Sector for over 20 years, Shane founded and sold Irish Wi-Fi business Bitbuzz to Virgin Media in 2014. He continues to invest in Irish Tech Startups and in 2015, became a Non-Executive Director at Rethink Ireland, a Social Innovation Fund. He is also the former Chairman of the Board at Heneghan PR. Having obtained a B.A. in Economics & Sociology from UCC, and a Diploma in Surveying from University College of Estate Management, Reading, Shane brings his training, business skills and technological expertise to bear on the Hospital’s Finance and I.T. Committees.
Appointed to the Board: 21.02.2017
Sub-Committees: Member of the Finance Committee
Prof. John O’Byrne
Clinical Director – Adult Patients
Internationally recognised Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon and educator, Prof O’Byrne is the Clinical Director of Adult Services at NOHC and the Abraham Colles Professor of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI). He is also Director of the MCh programme at RCSI, the Chairman Olympic Science and Medicine Commission and the Chief Medical Officer UEFA Euro 2020 (Dublin). In addition, Prof O’Byrne is the Honorary Orthopaedic Surgeon for the Ireland Senior Soccer Team and the former President of the Irish Institute of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery.
As a leading authority in orthopaedic surgery, a clinician with a large clinical practice, an avid clinical researcher and an accomplished author, Prof O’Byrne is uniquely placed to advise the Board on advanced surgical techniques and service innovations for optimal patient outcomes.
Prof. O’Byrne joined the Board of Directors on 05.02.2021 and is a member of the NOHC Research and Ethics Committee, the Medical Board and the Executive Management Team.
Appointed to the Board: 05.02.2021
Sub-committees: Member of the Research & Ethics Committee and Member of the Medical Board.
Mr Paul Connolly
Clinical Director – Paediatric Patients
Mr Connolly, Clinical Director for Paediatric Patients and Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at NOHC, joined the Board of Directors on 2nd June 2022.
Specialising in Paediatric Orthopaedics, Mr Connolly is particularly interested in paediatric hip pathology, spine deformity and clubfoot deformity. He received an FRCS Trauma & Orthopaedics Certificate in June 2003, completed Higher Specialist Training in Trauma & Orthopaedics in Ireland in 2004, and entered the orthopaedic division of the Register of Medical Specialists in July 2006.
He undertook Paediatric Fellowships in Orthopaedics at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital, Dallas and at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, Iowa City, under the supervision of Prof. Tony Herring and Prof. Stuart Weinstein, respectively.
Mr Connolly is also the Administrative Head of the Department at the Children’s University Hospital Temple Street.
Appointed to the Board: 02.06.2022
Sub-committees:Member of the Medical Board and Clinical Governance & Risk Committee
Ms Tara Lillywhite
Non-Executive Director
Tara joined th Board on 03.12.2021. She is also a member of the Hospital’s Group Audit Committee.
A former Assurance Partner at the Industrial, Commercial and Technical Division of EY Ireland, Tara is an accomplished auditor and business advisor with extensive experience across diverse industries, including technology, life sciences and medical technology.
Tara attained a B.A. in Commerce and a Post-Grad Diploma in Accounting from the University of Natal, Durban and is a Member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland. She is also a Member of the Board of Management at Kildare Place National School and a former Non-Executive Director and Honorary Treasurer at the Dublin Chamber of Commerce. Tara’s expertise enhances the Hospital’s financial monitoring and reporting and assists in financial planning.
Appointed to the Board: 03.12.2021
Sub-committees: Member of the Finance and Group Audit Committees
Mr Brian Madden
Non-Executive Director
Brian joined the Board of Directors at NOHC on 23rd November 2022 and is a member of the Infrastructural Development Committee and the Health, Safety and Risk Committee.
He is a Chartered Engineer of distinction with significant experience in the public and private sectors. In a career spanning 40 years, he has evaluated, designed and overseen major infrastructural projects, including the Luas Cross City and the Pearse Station roof. He held prominent positions in Iarnród Éireann before becoming the Managing Director of Parsons Brinckerhoff Ireland in 2001. In 2006, Brian was appointed the Director of Bridges & Rail at O’Connor Sutton Cronin Consultant Engineers. He is a Fellow of the Engineers Ireland and a Fellow of the Association of Consulting Engineers. In addition, he is a member of the Institute of Directors and the Permanent Way Institution.
In 1981, Brian attained a Bachelor of Engineering Science from Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and a Diploma in Structural Engineering from the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT). He subsequently received a Diploma in Highways and Geotechnics (TCD) in 1989, a Diploma in Computers for Engineers (TCD) in 1992, and a Diploma in International Selling from DIT in 2019. That same year, Brian’s work on the Luas Cross City project was recognised by an Irish Construction Excellence Award and a CECA Award. In addition, he received an ACEI Award for Excellence in Bridge Design for the Leamouth Bridge in 2019.
Despite retiring in 2022, Brian provides consultancy services and serves as a volunteer on the Kyrie Therapeutic Farm project.
He was appointed to the Board: on 23rd November 2022.
Sub-committees: Member of the Nominations Committee
Ms Petra Augustinovic
Non-Executive Director
Petra joined the Board of NOHC on 13.12.23.
A senior Software Engineering manager at Meta, Petra has extensive digital expertise, knowledge and experience, having developed software solutions for the retail, health insurance, travel, social media regulation and financial sectors.
She holds a Master’s Degree from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing at the University of Zagreb, Croatia, studying relational databases.
Ms Elaine Hanly
Non-Executive Director
Elaine was appointed to the Board in February 2024 and is a portfolio non-executive director with 20+ years of board director and committee chair experience across financial services companies and non-profit boards. She chairs the Research and Ethics and the Patient Care and Mission Effectiveness Committees.
She was a senior Financial Services Partner with over 30 years’ of experience at one of Ireland’s largest corporate and financial services firms. She has specialist expertise in financial services and project finance, having being involved in the funding of some of the largest infrastructure projects in Ireland. She previously was a trustee of The Royal Victoria Eye & Ear Hospital and is currently a Trustee of ENTUK. She sits on the boards of a number of regulated financial service entities.
Elaine is a graduate of University College Dublin (BCL) and a member of the Law Society of Ireland.