Appointment term extended of existing Non-Executive members of Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Rt. Honourable Julian Smith, has announced that the appointment term of existing Non-Executive members of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company (NITHC) has been extended.

The extensions are effective from 2 January 2020 to 30 September 2020. The appointments have been made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland Code of Practice.

Notes to editor:

The Northern Ireland (Ministerial Appointment Functions) (No.2) Regulations 2019 came into force on 16 October, adding the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company (NITHC) to the table of specified offices under Article 5 of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Act 2018 which permits the Secretary of State to make and extend appointments to the NITHC Board.

The Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company (NITHC) is a Public Corporation which was established by the Transport Act (NI) 1967. Its responsibilities include holding and managing property assets and the oversight, in terms of support, control and supervision, of its private limited subsidiary companies, the principal ones being Ulsterbus, Metro (previously Citybus) and Northern Ireland Railways, trading jointly as Translink. It is expected to operate commercially and has a duty to operate in line with Ministerial policy.

The Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company currently have a membership of three Executive Members and five Non Executive Members The Non-Executive Members of the NITHC Board currently receive remuneration of £12,450 per annum.

All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland requires the political activity of appointees to be published. The five Non-Executive members have declared that they have not undertaken any political activity.

Biographical Details

Mr Depledge has served on the Board of Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company since 2011. He has a background in transport management. He is the former Director of Transport Policy for Arriva plc. He has held a number of board positions, including Transport for Edinburgh Ltd, Lothian Buses Ltd, Blackpool Grand Theatre Ltd and chairs the Board of UniversityBus Limited. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Transport and Logistics. He is currently an honorary President of the European Union Committee of the international transport trade association UITP, having chaired that Committee from 2009 to 2013.

Mr Mitchell has served on the Board of Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company since 2012. He has a background in the Health and Social Care sector and is a former Trust Chief Executive. He is the current Chair of the NI Guardian Ad Litem Agency for which he receives £7,444 per annum. He is also an independent member of the Audit and Risk Committee of the Police Ombudsman NI for which he received £60 per hour. On a voluntary basis, he is also a member of the Advisory Board of Marie Curie, NI.

Mrs McCartan is a chartered accountant by profession. She holds an MBA. Mrs McCartan has held a number of senior management posts in the private sector including the role of Finance Director, and a number of non-executive roles in the public sector. Mrs McCartan is currently a Non-Executive Director (Finance) of the Southern Health and Social Care Trust (DoH) for which she receives remuneration of £8,283 per annum. She is the Chair of the Remuneration and Pensions Committee of the NITHC Board.

Dr. Sweeney has a background in the industrial, commercial and manufacturing sectors within Northern Ireland, Europe and the USA. He is a former Vice President of Caterpillar and Managing Director of FG Wilson. He graduated from Queens University, Belfast with a 1st class honours degree and PhD in Mechanical Engineering. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. He was President of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry from 2006-2008. In 2007 he was awarded an OBE for services to business and in 2011, an Honorary D.Sc. Degree from Queen’s University. He is a current Non-Executive Director of Invest NI for which he receives remuneration of £12,517 per annum.

Mrs Reavey has a background in Finance. She is a qualified Chartered Accountant and has her own consultancy practice. She is an Associate Advisor for the Strategic Investment Board. She is a former Non-Executive Director of the NI Science Park Foundation Ltd (2000-2010), a former Trustee for the NI Science Park Trust (2010 to 2015) and also a Board Member for Firmus Energy. She does not currently hold any other public appointments.

All media queries in relation to the NI Transport Holding Company should be directed to the Department for Infrastructure Press Office on 028 9054 0007 or e-mail: press.office@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk. Out of hours please contact the duty press officer on 028 90372110.