Appointments to the Libraries NI Board

1.  Board Members receive remuneration of £3225 per year for a commitment of at least 15 days per year. Travel and subsistence allowances are also payable.

2.  These appointments have been made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland’s (CPA NI) Code of Practice. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, CPA NI requires the political activity of appointees to be published. Any relevant details are provided in the below biographies.

3.  Board Member Biographies:

Adrian Driscoll: Mr Driscoll is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and an accredited Chartered Engineer. A people-focused, cross-functional leader, he possesses more than 15 years’ leadership experience in complex projects at the cutting-edge of technology; he currently heads up a large portfolio for a French multinational with a significant presence in Northern Ireland. In addition to governance, communication, and organisational objective-setting expertise, Adrian brings a blend of public, private and third sector experience to the Board. He sits on the Board of Trustees for the Panasonic Trust charity, but holds no other public appointments.

Cllr Rosie Kinnear: Cllr Kinnear has been a Sinn Féin councillor serving Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council since 2018. She has held various positions during this time, including membership of the Planning Committee, Operations Committee and Community Planning Committee, as well as serving as Deputy Mayor in 2023/24. She brings her experience of providing strategic direction, corporate planning and performance management from those positions to the Board. As a solicitor who ran her own business for five years, she also brings financial management experience. She is a Governor at a local Gaelscoil and the Cultural and Language Officer for her GAA club. She holds no other public appointments

Cllr Roisin Lynch: Cllr Lynch is a Social Democratic & Labour Party councillor serving Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, where she sits on a number of Committees covering Planning and Community Development. She was previously a director in a family-owned technology business overseeing finance, sales and human resources. She has extensive volunteer experience, including serving as a school governor and volunteering in a number of youth initiatives. She holds no other public appointments.

Ursula O’Hare: Ms O’Hare is the Director (Chief Executive Officer) of the Law Centre NI. Her role includes setting the strategic development and direction of the organisation through the delivery of various plans and engagement strategies, whilst abiding by relevant regulatory standards. She is Vice-Chair of the UK-wide Law Centre Network, is Trustee of Housing Rights, through which she brings governance experience to the Board. She holds no other public appointments and has had no political activity within the last five years.

Cllr Gareth Sharvin: Cllr Sharvin is a Social Democratic & Labour Party councillor serving Newry, Mourne and Down District Council with particular experience within corporate governance, policy development and strategic planning. He currently works for a multi-national software company as a Supportability Program Manager, managing transformational programs across the organisation. He has a range of active volunteering roles including a Club President of a local football club and Assistant Secretary of his local GAA club. He hold no other public appointments.

4.  Media enquiries via email to DFC Press Office.

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6.  The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.