Board Members

Dermot Clohessy B.Sc Eng (2015 - 2020) (2021 - 2026)

Dermot Clohessy has an extensive understanding of foreign direct investment (FDI) having worked for 28 years with IDA Ireland. He was the IDA’s Executive Director/COO from 2006 to 2015. During his career with the organisation, he had leadership responsibility across all key functional areas of the organisation. He has strong knowledge of and experience in strategy development and implementation, dealing with corporate governance, including compliance and procurement within the public sector.

Dermot was a member the Development Task Force established to support the implementation of Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth – an integrated marine plan for Ireland. He was Chairperson of one of its subcommittees to address the Business Development, Marketing and Promotion agenda that set about sending a clear message to investors that Ireland is open for, and a good place to do, marine business.

Since leaving IDA Ireland in 2015, Dermot now works internationally as a strategic advisor on a very wide range of projects on investment and international business development, for both the private and public sectors. His work concentrates on strategy implementation, capability building and international business development where his expertise is on implementation management. Dermot is an Engineer by profession, with additional qualifications in Business Strategy and Accounting & Finance.

Dr. Berna Grist B.L. (2015 - 2028)

Dr Berna Grist B.L., a barrister and chartered town planner, is Adjunct Professor in the School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy at University College Dublin. She holds a PhD from the University of Ulster on The Legislative and Regulatory Framework for Development in the Republic of Ireland and has practised as a barrister since 1991, specialising in consultancy and advisory work on planning and environmental law.

Berna has published widely in the fields of planning and environmental law, public policy and governance. Together with the late James Macken SC, she coedited the Irish Planning Law Factbook (2003), which she updated annually until the 2024 Planning and Development Act commenced its passage through the Oireachtas. In 2012, she published the second edition of An Introduction to Irish Planning Law. She has contributed to a number of environmental research projects sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and is a member of the Irish Environmental Law Association (IELA).

Berna Grist was appointed Deputy Chairperson of the Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board on its establishment in 1998. During the period 2001-2006, she served as a member of An Bord Pleanála and in 2013, she was appointed to the Expert Group advising the Minister for Housing and Planning on a successor to the National Spatial Strategy 2002-2020. She has served on a number of State Boards and is currently a director of the Dublin Port Company.

Aodh O Domhnaill (2021 – 2026)

Aodh O Domhnaill is a native of Co Donegal. He is CEO of the Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO) and formerly the International Sales Director with Errigal Bay, a Gaeltacht based shellfish processor and exporter. His responsibilities included in that role ongoing development of international seafood markets, with a particular focus on Asian, U.S. and Scandinavian territories.

In March 2022, Aodh took up the position of CEO of the IFPO, a body formed in 1975. The IFPO represents owners of commercial sea-fishing vessels of all sizes in the Pelagic, Whitefish, Shellfish and Inshore sectors. The Organisation is concerned with the management of members’ fishing activities, both catching and marketing, with a view to making the best use of the available fish stocks and optimising returns.

Aodh has extensive and lifelong association with the seafood sector and has worked in senior operationssales and marketing roles. He has served as a committee member of the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association (IFPEA) and on the North West Pelagic Advisory Committee. Mr O Domhnaill also served as Chairperson of the Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LYIT) for a four year term from 2007 to 2011.

Aodh is a native Gaelic speaker and has a primary degree from Trinity College Dublin. He holds a Certified Diploma in Accounting and Finance and an MBA from the Open University.

Charlotte O'Kelly de Gallagh (2021 – 2026)

With over two decades of experience in operational oceanography, Charlotte O'Kelly de Gallagh specialises in real-time data buoy systems and metocean surveys for coastal engineering and offshore renewable energy applications.

Charlotte co-founded and leads TechWorks Marine as Managing Director. Under her leadership, TechWorks Marine has evolved from a startup concept to an internationally recognized provider of marine data services, supporting clients in optimising marine operations through advanced monitoring technologies.

Charlotte holds an Environmental Resources degree from Kingston University, a Master's in Oceanography from University College of Wales, Bangor, and a Postgraduate Diploma in International Sales from TU Dublin. Her leadership at TechWorks Marine earned the Digital Ocean Achievement Award (2017) and an Irish Times Innovation Award finalist nomination (2019). She has coordinating multiple European Space Agency (ESA) contracts in marine earth observation over the past decade, integrating satellite data with in-situ measurements to develop innovative marine data services. As an EU Commission evaluator and frequent conference speaker, she champions real-time marine monitoring solutions.

She has chaired both Women in Technology and Science (WITS) and the Lycée Francaise d'Irlande, demonstrating a sustained commitment to STEM education and gender equality. Currently, she contributes to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) Offshore Wind Industry Forum and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) Expert Group on Data for Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE).

During the last year, she has been appointed to chair Marine Institute board meetings by fellow Board Members, recognising her governance and marine policy expertise.

An active sailor, she participates year-round in Dublin Bay sailing activities.

Tom Tynan (2021 – 2026)

Tom Tynan has a distinguished career in agriculture. He was educated at University College Galway (UCG), University College Dublin (UCD), Harper Adams University College Shropshire and UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School. and a Masters in Business. He was the 2015 UCD Alumni Award winner from the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science.

Tom worked across a range of agri-business and policy areas where he held a variety of senior management roles. He was Commercial Director for IAWS Agri-business and subsequently Chief Operating Officer of Welcon AS, Norway. He served as Special Adviser to the Irish Minister of Agriculture, Food & Forestry in the Irish Government. He served six years as a Member of Cabinet in the EU Commissioner’s Trade and Agriculture & Rural Development Cabinets where his portfolio responsibilities included agricultural markets, trade remedies, research, development and innovation, bioeconomy and biotechnology.

Currently in addition to his role as Non-Executive Director of the Marine Institute, Tom is on the Boards of the Shannon Foynes Port Company (ROI) and Agric-Food Biosecience Institute (Northern Ireland).

He previously held posts on the Boards of Teagasc (Ireland’s Agriculture & Food Development Authority), Agri-Aware and the Scientific Advisory Board of Alltech. He is a member of the Institute of Directors (IoD) Ireland.

Kate Burns (2024 – 2029)

Kate Burns is a marine and rural resources expert and founder and Managing Director of Islander Kelp Ltd. She has over 14 years’ experience working on marine resource issues and over 30 years in management. Through her work in seafood, kelp cultivation, and inshore fisheries management planning, Kate has an in-depth understanding of the role of marine science and of the fisheries sector. She supported Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) in preparing the EU FLAG strategies for all six FLAG regions in Ireland in 2013 and 2014. Kate’s time as Director of Initiatives with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute included the oversight of a support programme for fishers in their transition to catch share management.

Kate was previously Head of Economic Development for Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council (then Coleraine), followed by her appointment to CEO of the cross border body, the Irish Central Border Area Network in 2002, responsible for implementation of the INTERREG IIIA Programme Measures. She was contracted as a Director to the Cyprus Reconstruction and Resettlement Council and has prepared numerous business plans, evaluations and LEADER strategies etc. for a range of clients over 20 years.

Kate Burns holds an MSc in Rural Development from Queens University, a Diploma in Community Development Practice from University College Galway and a BSc in Economics & Politics from Open University. Kate currently serves as a board member of AFBI (Agri-Food & Biosciences Institute) chairing the Science Strategy Committee. She also completed eight years on the Board of the Belfast Met College, Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority and was Chair of the Belfast Met Charitable Trust. She is currently Chair of the Leslie Foundation and board member of Causeway Coast Maritime Heritage Group.

Pauline Cronin (2024 – 2029)

Pauline Cronin is a Certified Public Accountant and holds an MSC in Economics and Policy, with a particular focus on corporate governance in the public sector. Since 2020, she has been an external member of the Audit and Risk Committee of the Marine Institute. For the past 20 years, she has worked in the Irish Civil Service gaining experience in public sector audit, procurement and risk management. She currently works as Director of Internal Audit and Risk in the University of Galway, providing assurance to the University President and Audit and Risk Committee on the adequacy of the organisation’s overall governance framework including its internal control system.

Prior to this, Pauline worked as Head of Internal Audit in the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, leading the audit function. She also served in the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General for over 10 years and, later, with the European Commission in the Department of Education and Skills.

Professor Tim McCarthy (2024 – 2029)

Prof. Tim McCarthy is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science, and Principal Investigator (PI) based in the National Centre for Geocomputation (NCG) at Maynooth University. He has over thirty years R&D experience in Earth Observation, Geographical Information Science and Geocomputation. Over the past fifteen years at Maynooth, he has led 32 externally funded research projects (with associated funding of €28 million). He has specific expertise in Marine Data Technologies.

Tim possess core competencies in Digital Data Technologies and Digitalisation with experience gained in senior leadership Research, Technology, Development and Innovation (RTDI) roles, at a National and European level. Active RTDI roles currently held include co-leading a multi-million Euro project, ‘Terrain-AI’, dealing with Climate Change, coordinating a European Space Agency (ESA) multi-stakeholder project ‘Atlantic Maritime Surveillance Pathfinder’, and spin-out of Three Data Technology Small and Medium Sized Enterprises.

Tim sits on four committees/working-groups including the Copernicus Earth Observation programme in Brussels, having been appointed in 2015, as Irish National delegate. He provides RTDI support to Industry including a number of start-up ventures, focused around Geospatial Science & Technology, Spatial Decision Support Systems and ArtificiaI Intelligence.

Tim holds a BSc in Geology & Maths from University College Cork, an MSc in Remote Sensing from University College of London and a PhD in Geospatial Science University of London (Birkbeck).