Governance
The Public Relations Institute of Ireland (PRII) is committed to protecting the interests of the membership body, supporting and enabling the professional and career development of members, and advocating for the profession, while abiding by the Constitution of the Institute.
For further information on our Constitution (Memorandum & Articles), National Council, and Past Presidents see below:
National Council
National Council is the governing body of the Institute, with Council members directly elected by voting members at the Institute's AGM. The President is the highest elected officer of the Institute and serves a two-year term. Ultimately, all acts undertaken by the PRII's officers and executive staff are in the name of, and with the authority of, the National Council.
The current National Council is as follows:
President
Paul Hand, MPRII
Paul Hand has served as PRII Honorary Treasurer since 2022. As Senior Press Officer at ESB, he develops and deploys strategic and bespoke media plans, anchored in the company’s Net Zero 2040 strategy. Paul’s 18-year communications career spans other high profile public institutions in Ireland and abroad, including at the Houses of the Oireachtas and the Department of An Taoiseach.
Vice President
Joan Mulvihill, MPRII
Joan Mulvihill is the Digitalisation and Creativity Evangelist at Siemens. She has been at the forefront of digital transformation in Ireland for over fifteen years. A skilled and experienced creative and communicator and a past winner of the Public Affairs campaign category in the Awards for Excellence in Public Relations, Joan is committed to leveraging technology for good.
Joan serves as an Independent member of the National Council.
Directors
Alex Connolly, FPRII
Alex Connolly has worked as a communications professional in the public sector for almost 30 years, engaging closely with stakeholders and professionals in a wide variety of sectors. He also has experience working as a Special Advisor for a Government Minister. He is currently Head of Communications at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
David Kinch, MPRII (Company Secretary)
David Kinch is a Director with MKC Communications, providing strategic communications guidance to public and private organisations across multiple sectors at national and international level. With a background in planning and engineering, David has close to 15 years’ communications experience, having previously worked with other notable international agencies.
Trudi McDonald, MPRII
Trudi McDonald has more than eight years of diverse experience in strategic communications across the public sector and in agency and in-house roles. She is currently Acting Head of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs in Fáilte Ireland.
Sarah Ryan, MPRII
Sarah Ryan is Director of Communications at daa. She has over 20 years’ experience in international communications and corporate affairs, working for some of the world's leading brands including Vodafone and Netflix and extensive consultancy experience. She also holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Sustainable Business from the University of Cambridge.
David Geary, MPRII (ex-officio)
David Geary has more than fifteen years of leadership in strategic communication. As Director of Communications for the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation, he leads teams in Dublin and Belfast, and was a key spokesperson on major news outlets during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nicola Cooke, MPRII
Nicola, an Account Director at Murray Consultants, has over 20 years of experience in media and communications. She has a background in journalism and corporate roles, specializing in public and corporate affairs, strategic, internal, and crisis communications.
She previously worked as a journalist for the Business Post, Irish Examiner, and Evening Echo/Herald. In 2014, she moved to corporate communications, serving as Media & PR Manager at Bus Éireann and later as Head of Communications at National Broadband Ireland (NBI).
Presidents
Since the foundation of the PRII in 1953, the following individuals have served as President:
1953 E.A. Lawlor
1957 Lesley Luke
1960 Aidan O“Hanlon
1961 L.J. Harty
1962 Michael Colley
1963 Hugh O'Neill
1964 Richard O'Farrell
1965 Tim Dennehy
1966 Don MacDonagh
1967 Capt Jack Millar
1968 Aidan O'Hanlon
1969 Niall O'Flynn
1970 Michael Colley
1971 Tim Dennehy
1972 Pat Heneghan
1973 Joe Dillon
1974 Capt Jack Millar
1975 Dick Hinchy
1976 Michael Colley
1977 Tim Dennehy
1978 Pat Heneghan
1979 Peter Sweetman
1980 John McMahon
1981 Paul Kelly
1982 Michael Dennehy
1983 Barbara Wallace
1985 Larry Sheedy
1986 Jim Walsh
1988 John McMahon
1990 Betty Griffin
1992 David Lawlor
1993 Flan Clune
1994 Francis X. Carty
1996 Roddy Guiney
1998 Nigel Heneghan
2000 Carmel Doyle
2002 Michael Patten
2004 Pat Montague
2006 Justin Green
2008 Paddy Hughes
2011 Barry Kenny
2012 Niall Quinn
2015 Jacqueline Hall
2017 Cian Connaughton
2019 Padraig McKeon
2022 David Geary
2024 Paul Hand
