Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, has today appointed Dr Pamela Byrne as interim Chair to the Board of Horse Sport Ireland (HSI).
Minister Heydon stated that: “I wish to thank the outgoing Chair, Michael Dowling, for his time, expertise and commitment in overseeing and guiding HSI over the last number of years in its important work within the sport horse industry.”
The Minister has agreed, in consultation with Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan TD, and Minister of State with responsibility for Sport and Postal Policy, Charlie McConalogue TD, on the appointment of Dr Pamela Byrne as interim chair of HSI.
Minister Heydon noted that: “I am sincerely grateful to Dr Byrne, who is a current board member of HSI for accepting this position and I am confident that her experience will guide and lead HSI for the benefit of the Sport Horse sector in Ireland.”
Notes:
- The HSI Constitution provides that the term of office of the Chair and other Directors shall be three years from date of appointment and Directors are eligible to serve a max of two terms.
- The Constitution for HSI provides that the Board includes nine Directors as follows:
- Four members including the Chair appointed by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in consultation with the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport
- One Northern Ireland representative (currently vacant)
- Four Industry representatives (one current vacancy)
About Dr Pamela Byrne:
Dr Pamela A Byrne was the Chief Executive Officer of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) from March 2015 to March 2025. She was also the Vice-Chair of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) management board and the co-founder of global International Heads of Food Safety organizations (IHFAF).
Dr Byrne holds a PhD in Environmental Ecotoxicology from University College Cork, an MSc in Aquatic Resource Management from King’s College London, and a BSc in Zoology from University College Cork.
In addition to her professional roles, Dr Byrne has significant governance experience, serving on several boards and committees, including as a current board member of Horse Sport Ireland, Chair of the Board of the Irish Management Institute, Chair of the Governance Committee of the Centre of Scientific Excellence for the Microbiome in UCC. Pamela is an Adjunct Full Professor at University College Dublin.