CULTURE Minister Catherine Martin has confirmed Terence O’Rourke as the new chairman of the RTÉ board.
Currently chair of ESB, Mr O’Rourke is a former chair of Enterprise Ireland who spent decades with accountancy firm KPMG, where he became Managing Director in 2006.
Speaking today, as his position at the controversy-laden Irish broadcaster was confirmed, he said: “I am honoured to be appointed Chair of the RTÉ Board.
“RTÉ’s public service role across news, current affairs and beyond is arguably more important today than ever,” he added.
“I look forward to working with the Board and Director General in charting the future for RTÉ, and to working with the Minister and Government to establish a stable footing for the organisation.”
Terence O'Rourke is the new chairperson of the RTÉ boardAnnouncing his position, Ms Martin said Mr O’Rourke “has gained vast experience at executive level having served as Managing Partner with KPMG Ireland as well as serving on the firm’s Global Management Team”.
“He also brings a wealth of non-executive board experience, including chairing both Enterprise Ireland and the ESB,” she added.
Culture Minister Catherine Martin oh her way into the Dail todayMs Martin further confirmed the appointment of Terri Moloney, a human resources professional, and Dr Neasa Hardiman, an award winning executive producer, director and writer, as members of the RTÉ board.
“All three new members bring with them a range of experiences and attributes which will enable the Board to continue its important work of delivering further reform at RTÉ, whilst also driving new strategies to bring the organisation forward and continue to deliver high quality public service content for Irish audiences,” Ms Martin said.
Mr O’Rourke, a native of Inniskeen in Co. Monaghan, graduated from UCD with a BA in economics and history.
A fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland, he served as president of the organisation from 2004 to 2005.
It was revealed last year that former Late Late Show presenter Ryan Tubridy had received a series of undisclosed payments from RTÉHe is currently a member of the Council of the Irish Management Institute, chairman for the ESB and a board member for the Hugh Lane Gallery Trust and the Irish Film Institute.
His appointment follows months of scandal that have rocked Ireland's public broadcaster after it was revealed that large sums of public money were being used to make secret payments to some of its highest-earning presenters.
The practice came to light in June 2023 when RTÉ announced that between 2017 and 2022 it had paid €345,000 more than had been previously disclosed to TV and radio presenter Ryan Tubridy, whose pay was already known to be more than that of anyone else at RTÉ.
Committee of Public Accounts launch their report into RTÉ spendoing today in DublinA report into the organisation's spending habits was released today, which came with 21 recommendations for the broadcaster to follow.
The Dáil's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report into governance and oversight at RTÉ recommended that the Government should bring RTÉ back under the statutory remit of the Comptroller and Auditor General.
It further called for RTÉ to publish the salaries of staff earning more than €150,000 in its annual statements and those earning more than that sum upon their departure, while recommending that future severance agreements do not contain any confidentiality clauses.
The PAC report also recommended "that RTÉ ensures that no side deals that are commercial or otherwise, akin to that agreed in addition to Ryan Tubridy's 2020-2025 contract, are undertaken in relation to contracts for employees or contractors going forward".
Sinn Féín TD Brian Stanley, who is chair of the PAC, said today that the recommendations should be implemented “in full”.
He added that is was the responsibility of Minister Martin and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, as well as Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe, to ensure that the broadcaster implements the report’s recommendations.
“There’s a responsibility on Government and on the ministers to make sure this happens,” he said.
