Rea Walshe is to depart her role as Chief Operating Officer with the FAI at the end of 2021.
Walshe came to prominence in the final months of John Delaney’s reign when she was promoted to the role of Chief Operating Officer, effectively second only to Delaney on the Executive management team.
The intention was to manage a number of key areas and expand on her previous role as Corporate Affairs and Licensing Director.
Within weeks though the Delaney situation blew up and when he resigned on the Saturday night of the St Patrick’s weekend, she stepped up with her appointment as interim CEO.
She graduated with a law degree from UCC in 2003 and then advanced her trade with Greene Solicitors in Dublin for four years.
Her next move brought her to Liberty Insurance where the headquarters in Blanchardstown could, at a stretch have given her a view of the FAI’s new Headquarters on the Sport Ireland National Sports Campus.
She joined the Association in May of 2014 as Head of Legal and Licensing, stepping up to Corporate Affairs and Licensing Director in April 2018.
When she joined the Association she took over the legal reins from Sarah O’Shea who had herself stepped up into the role of Deputy CEO and is now the Honorary General Secretary of the Olympic Federation of Ireland and a Governance consultant in demand across the sporting spectrum.
First Noel Mooney and then Gary Owens took on the interim role once the dust began to settle and late last year Johnathan Hill was appointed to the job in a full time role.
Walshe stayed on in the position of COO and has played a key role in shepherding through the Governance changes required by Government and Sport Ireland.
She has been on our Sport for Business list of 50 Women of Influence in Irish Sport since 2018.
Her next move will be into a consultancy role and we wish her the very best in that.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank Rea for her dedication to Irish football over the last seven years and to wish her well when she establishes her consultancy in 2022,” said Johnathan Hill.
“Throughout her time with the Association and across her various roles, including a spell as Interim CEO, Rea’s contribution has been significant. I would like to wish Rea and her family well and join our Board and my colleagues in wishing her the best of luck in her next career step.”
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