The Board of Druid recently announced two exciting additions to the Board, recently retired Irish senior diplomat and trailblazer Anne Anderson and business doyenne and innovator Helen Ryan.
Announcing the new appointments, Druid Chair Cathal Goan said he is delighted to welcome two such distinguished new members to the Board. “Both bring a wealth of experience and important skills to bear and will be invaluable additions to our existing team.”
Welcoming Ms Anderson and Ms Ryan Artistic Director Garry Hynes said she looks forward to both these accomplished and dynamic new members sharing their expertise and unique insights and contributing to our ambitious future growth plans for Druid.
Tipperary native Anne Anderson was a member of the Irish diplomatic service from 1972 to 2017. She was the 17th Ambassador of Ireland to the United States (2013-2017 ). She has also been Ambassador of Ireland to the United Nations, the European Union, France, and Monaco, the first woman to hold each of these positions.
Her bilateral assignments as Ambassador in France and the US, focusing on economic and political issues, included a strong cultural component. She was an ex officio member of the Board of the Irish College in Paris, and in 2016 helped to lead the 1916 centenary celebrations in the U.S. - including a three week festival at the Kennedy Center, DC, the largest festival of Irish culture ever held outside Ireland.
Galwegian Helen Ryan has a Bachelor of Engineering from NUI Galway, a Masters in Project Management from UL, and has completed a Senior Executive Programme at Stanford University. Helen currently holds a number of Board positions including Enterprise Ireland, Dia Nia Technologies and Galway University Foundation, and acts as a strategic advisor to a number of indigenous companies. She was the Chief Executive Officer of Creganna Medical, ranked among the world’s top 10 medical device outsource providers, from 2005 to 2013. During Helen’s time as CEO the company grew five-fold to become the largest indigenous medical device company.
Ms Hynes also thanked recently retired board member author Colm Tóibín for his longstanding support and service to Druid. The new members will join current Druid Board members: Cathal Goan (Chair ), Eugene Downes, Bernadette Murtagh (Secretary ), Bride Rosney, Liz McConnell and Nigel Redden.
