Extern’s Board of Trustees is responsible for our governance and strategic direction. The Board is accountable for everything we do, including setting our strategic direction, scrutinising our performance and supporting & empowering our Executive Team of Directors.

Board members do not receive any remuneration in respect of their services to the charity. Receipted expenses are reimbursed when incurred. The Directors, who are non-executive, represent a diverse range of relevant experience including:

• finance
• legal
• criminal justice
• housing
• health
• children’s services
• business research and
• mental health

Read more about our trustees' below

Allen McCartney

Extern Group Chair and Extern Northern Ireland Director 

Mr McCartney is by profession a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, with degree qualifications in both electrical engineering and corporate leadership.

He had a distinguished career at Director level in Northern Ireland Electricity and Viridian Group and brings a wealth of experience from previous public sector board appointments in the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority, the Department for Regional Development, and the Legal Services Agency Northern Ireland.

He is a Lay Magistrate and an Assessor for the Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency.

Aideen D’Arcy MBE

Extern Northern Ireland Chair, Extern Group Director and Vice Chair and Extern Ireland Director

Aideen lives in Belfast and was educated at Queen’s and the Ulster Universities. After graduating in Geography from QUB, Aideen taught in the post-primary sector before embarking on a rewarding career in social housing for over 30 years, specialising in the provision of supported accommodation for vulnerable people, including frail elderly, homeless, mentally ill and learning disabled people and street drinkers, as well as ethnic minorities. She initiated many innovative and statutory organisations on an all-Ireland basis.

Aideen served on the NI Regional Council of the Society of St Vincent de Paul for over 15 years and undertook several initiatives to improve standards of accommodation and service provision of the organisation's homeless facilities throughout Ireland, recognising that everyone should have a safe place to call home and a stake in their community in order to have the opportunity to fulfil their full potential in life.

Jim Daly

Extern Ireland Chair and Extern Group Director

Jim Daly is a self employed business consultant from Clonakilty County Cork. Jim is a qualified Teacher and former school principal who is currently completing his studies with the Institute of Directors to become a chartered Director. Jim spent 16 years working as a public representative and announced his intention to retire from politics in 2020 while serving as Minister for Mental Health & Older People.

Jim has a keen interest in Children’s welfare and education and recently completed studies at UCC in Trauma Informed Care. Jim previously served as Chair of the all party Oireachtas Committee on Children & Youth affairs where he championed many issues affecting vulnerable children especially those in foster care and played a lead role in the successful passing of the Children’s referendum of 2012.

Jim Daly is currently a non executive Director of a number of private and not for profit boards as well as providing consultancy services to a wide range of businesses especially in the health area.

Ian McAvoy

Extern Northern Ireland Director and Vice Chair and Company Secretary, Extern Group Director and Extern Ireland Director 

Ian lives in Belfast and was educated at MCB and London University. After graduating in economics Ian studied accountancy. After a spell in practice, he became the Finance Director of a leading Irish brand and was promoted to Chief Executive, holding that position for 16 years. He has much expertise in strategic planning, transformation, finance and marketing.

Ian was Chair of PlayBoard, Vice Chair of Sport NI, Director of Sport NI, and is presently Vice Chair of Ark Housing.

He has a keen interest in rugby and football, initially as a player and now as an administrator, and holds the position of Chairman of Rugby at Queen's University, Belfast.

He is married to Lynne with three grown-up children.

Marian Quinn

Extern Ireland Director

Marian holds a Masters in Adult Education, a BSc in Youth and Community Work, Diplomas in Corporate Governance and Performance Management, and is a qualified Life and Business Coach and General Nurse. Her career has focused on children, young people and families through roles in both the statutory and non-profit sector. She has also lectured part-time in Maynooth University, Ireland, at post-graduate level in Adult and Community Education.

Since becoming CEO of the Childhood Development Initiative (CDI) in 2007, Marian has overseen the design, delivery and evaluation of practice models across a spectrum of needs and led the roll out of proven interventions to communities throughout Ireland, including developing a series of training and quality assurance strategies.

Marian has previously held roles in the HSE and Department of Justice and has also worked directly with young people and early school leavers. She developed the Copping On youth crime prevention programme, established the all-island Breaking Through Network and currently chairs Restorative Practices Ireland.

Marian has been a member of the new Children’s Hospital Board, and the Social Work Registration Board. She remains a member of the Airfield Trust Board, and recently ended a seven-year period as Chair of the Prevention and Early Intervention Network where she led numerous campaigns to influence Government policy and resourcing.

Marian is a skilled communicator, and has published a number of academic papers, presented widely at national and international conferences and co-authored a best-selling book (Click Click) about three sisters’ experience of child abuse.      

Eavann Murphy

Extern Ireland Director and Extern Group Director

Born in Northern Ireland and living in Dublin since 1999. 

Studied HND Computer Science, Masters - Marketing Management and ACCA Diploma Accounting & Finance all at University of Ulster.  

Currently Managing Director for the Wholesale Division of eir Group and founding Chair of the eir Group Brand Council. 

Extensively corporate career working in Bank of Ireland, Northern Ireland 1988-2000 in various marketing and strategy roles and then in Telecommunications with Vodafone 2000-2014 and within the eir Group since 20015 managing key business units across consumer, business and public sector markets.     

Previously served on the Board of Governors for Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology.  Completed the Institute of Directors Chartered Directors Diploma in 2021. 

 

Shane McLaughlin

Extern Northern Ireland Director

Shane is an Education Adviser for the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office. He graduated from Queen's University Belfast and achieved his Masters in Education from the University of Nottingham.

Shane previously worked in Kabul, where he had oversight of a girls education programme, working with the Afghanistan government to increase girls access and improve learning outcomes for 70,000 girls. Shane has also worked for the UK’s Stabilisation Unit and the British Council working on multilateral policy and managing international education programs with UK and EU funding.

Before joining the civil service, Shane was a secondary school teacher in England and Northern Ireland between 2013-2016. Prior to teaching, he worked for the Spirit of Enniskillen Trust overseeing the Future Voices programme, which promoted volunteering and participation to develop leadership skills for young adults, supporting their active participation in a diverse and pluralist society.

Shane volunteered with the Trust between 2006 and 2012, leading international exchanges and supporting shared education in post-primary schools across Northern Ireland. More recently, he was the vice-chair on the board of governors for a Federation of Special Schools in London, where he volunteered between 2017-2020.

 Shane is currently supporting education reform and promoting girls' education to increase access to quality education in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Stephen O'Boyle

Extern Ireland Director

Stephen is from Galway and attended NUI Galway where he studied Commence and went onto become a Fellow Member of Chartered Accountants Ireland having trained with of one of the big four Accountancy practices.

Since then he has been living and working in Dublin in the banking sector for over 16 years across multiple roles including Corporate Banking, Credit, Retail Banking, Recovery, Strategy, Governance & Compliance and Mergers & Acquisitions.

He is a Qualified Financial Advisor and Member of the Institute of Bankers of Ireland.

Stephen has several years’ experience in lecturing in Accounting and Economics on a part time basis.

Stephen has recently completed a Masters in Risk Management and Corporate Governance.

Niall O'Sullivan

Extern Ireland Director