The Government has appointed Graham Doyle as the new Secretary General of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.
The appointment will take effect following the retirement of the current Secretary General, Tom O’Mahony, on 31st October. It follows a public competition under the Top Level Appointments Committee.
Doyle is 41 years old and joined the Department as an external recruit in 2013. Prior to that he had been CEO of Waterford Airport and a management consultant with PwC.
He currently heads the Public Transport portfolio within the Department and previously had overall responsibility for Road Safety. A native of Waterford, he is a Chartered Accountant by profession and also holds a Bachelor of Business Studies, a Masters of Accounting and an MBA. He recently graduated from the British Civil Service’s Major Projects Leadership Academy at Oxford University.
Married with three young children Doyle is believed to have a good overall understanding of the role that sport plays across society and will be a champion for it within the Department in the same way as his predecessor has been.
Announcing the appointment yesterday Minister Paschal Donohoe said: “My Department has a critical role to play in supporting economic recovery and enhancing our future economic and social development.”
“Graham has a superb mix of skills and experience which equip him perfectly to lead the Department through the challenges which lie ahead”.
Minister Donohoe also paid tribute to the departing Secretary General. “Tom has made a very significant contribution to public service across a 43-year career. As Secretary General since 2009, he has steered the Department adroitly through very difficult times and he leaves it in very good shape for the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead”.
This is the latest in a series of personnel changes at the top level of Government’s relationship with sport. James Galvin was recently appointed as the new CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport while Ken Spratt will shortly take over responsibility for Tourism within the Department, a move that will in time be supplemented with the addition of the sports portfolio.
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