Kevin Bakhurst announces new RTÉ Interim Leadership Team

As confirmed earlier today, RTÉ Director-General Kevin Bakhurst has stood down the organisation’s Executive Board, which has been replaced with a temporary interim leadership team to continue running the organisation.

The Temporary Interim Leadership Team is:

• Kevin Bakhurst, Director-General
• Eimear Cusack, Director of Human Resources
• Vivienne Flood, Head of Public Affairs*
• Mike Fives, Group Financial Controller, RTÉ*
• Adrian Lynch, Director Audiences, Channels, Marketing, and continuing as Acting Deputy DG
• Paula Mullooly, Director of Legal
• Deirdre McCarthy, Director of News & Current Affairs
• Niamh O’Connor, Deputy Director of Content*
• Conor Mullen, Head of Strategy & Commercial Compliance,RTÉ Media Sales*
• Richard Waghorn, Director of Operations and Technology

* not a member of former Executive Board

In addition, an external Corporate Governance Expert is to be recruited.

Speaking today, Kevin Bakhurst said: “In due course, there will be a new permanent leadership team. I want to underline that RTÉ, under my leadership and that of the re-constituted Interim Leadership Team, will be an organisation dedicated to working closely with you, to listening, to being open and transparent, to strictly adhering to revised and rigorous governance processes and procedures, to being accountable and to delivering a public service to be proud of. This will take time, but it will happen. It must. There is too much at stake.”

He continued: “I can confirm that RTÉ will publish the salaries of the Executive/permanent Interim Leadership Team along with the earnings of RTÉ’s 10 highest paid presenters in our annual report every year, starting with Annual Report 2023.”

Notes:

KEVIN BAKHURST

Kevin began his media career with the BBC, where his roles included editing the BBC Ten O’Clock news. He was controller of the BBC News Channel and was Deputy Head of the BBC Newsroom from 2010-2012. In 2012, Kevin Bakhurst moved to Ireland where he was appointed Managing Director of News and Current affairs at RTÉ. He remained in that position until 2016, and also served as Deputy Director General. Later, he returned to the UK where he was appointed Group Director, Broadcasting and Online content at the communications regulator Ofcom. His responsibilities there included the regulation of broadcast, online and content policy and he also led Ofcom’s online safety team.

EIMEAR CUSACK

Eimear Cusack joined RTÉ in April 2017. Eimear brought with her a broad range of experience at senior levels across a range of organisations and, having led many transformation projects, brings significant experience in the area of Human Resources. Most recently Eimear has worked as UK and Ireland Head of Human Resources with Ericsson.

ADRIAN LYNCH

Adrian Lynch was previously Channel Controller for RTÉ One and RTÉ2 and in that capacity, launched ambitious new schedules for the services. Adrian has been with RTÉ since the end of 2014 and is formerly Managing Director of one of Ireland’s most successful independent television production companies, Animo Television. As Channel Controller of RTÉ One and RTÉ2, Adrian delivered a range of landmark public service programming across all genres.

DEIRDRE MCCARTHY

Deirdre McCarthy was appointed Managing Director, RTÉ News & Current Affairs in December 2022 following a public competition, and was the first women appointed to this position. Deirdre has been Managing Editor of Regions and Radio News programmes as well as politics and business coverage, where she shaped and expanded the organisation’s political and regional news coverage and strategy, particularly enhancing digital output. She steered the growth of the flagship radio news programmes (Morning Ireland, News at One and This Week) and strengthened and delivered excellence in broadcasting in all three award winning programmes.

CONOR MULLEN

Conor Mullen has worked in sales and marketing for over thirty years and has most recently worked in the mobile and media sectors. He joined RTÉ in 2005 and has held a number of positions across the commercial area in RTÉ. A graduate of Trinity College, he previously worked for Independent Newspapers, Vodafone and Xerox.

PAULA MULLOOLY

Paula was appointed Director of Legal in 2019. She is a highly experienced specialist media lawyer with 25 years’ experience in media, broadcasting and privacy law. She has advised and represented a broad range of media clients in her career, both domestic and international, and has lectured on media law. She was appointed by the government as a member of the Working Group on Defamation Reform which, in 2003, provided a report recommending reforms and which presented draft legislation. She also served on the Compliance Committee of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland from 2010 to 2018, and as Chair of the Censorship of Publications Appeals Board from 2004 to 2012.

NIAMH O’CONNOR

A former member of the RTÉ Editorial Standards Board, Niamh has been central to the origination and delivery of some of RTÉ’s most significant initiatives, including the 1916 commemorative programming and Keeping Ireland Alive. She has extensive experience in the field of investigative programme making. As Genre Head for Factual Programmes, she managed a range of editorially complex and sensitive documentaries.

VIVIENNE FLOOD

As Head of Public Affairs, Vivienne Flood has taken a lead role in the design and implementation of the organisation’s public affairs strategy including advocacy, public policy, stakeholder engagement and RTÉ’s corporate social initiatives and accreditation.

MIKE FIVES

Mike joined RTÉ in May 2022 as the Group Financial Controller.  Prior to this he worked as Head of Finance for Virgin Media Television. He began his career in PWC where he trained as a Chartered accountant.  He also held senior finance positions in both the telecommunications and FMCG sectors.

RICHARD WAGHORN

Richard Waghorn joined RTÉ in February 2012 as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Prior to this role he had been CTO with the South African Broadcasting Corporation and was responsible for leading the broadcaster’s migration from analogue to digital terrestrial television. Richard completed an MBA at Henley Management College in Reading, England, and holds a First Class honours degree in Public Media and Geography from the University of Leeds. Before moving to SABC he spent over 10 years with the BBC as Controller of Distribution. Here he led the preparations for the UK’s digital switchover, as well as serving as the project manager for the launch of Freeview, the UK’s successful Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) platform. He was also a board director of Freesat, the free-to-air satellite television platform, from its inception in 2008.