Niamh McGowan, a barrister specialising in employment law, has been appointed as deputy chair of the Labour Court.
A graduate of University College Dublin with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, McGowan previously held a number of senior executive roles in business including four years as chief executive of Smurfit Print UK and a further six as head of the company’s Irish print operation.
She has subsequently held a senior HR role and served for 12 years as a non-executive director of An Post National Lottery.
She has been a practising barrister for the past 20 years, course director of the King’s Inns’ Advanced Diploma in Applied Employment Law for 12 and an accredited mediator since 2021.
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The appointment, which has just been confirmed after an open, competitive process, will bring the court back to its recommended staffing level of three deputy chairs for the first time in a year.
Louise O’Donnell was promoted to chair of the court last year and Alan Haugh was refused a contract renewal by the Government before applying for a separate vacancy and being appointed to fill that.
McGowan now effectively fills the position left vacant when Haugh’s original term was not renewed. Her start date has not been confirmed.
