OCPA NI Assessors
OCPA NI Assessor (OA) is a part-time role, bringing impartial scrutiny to the appointments process. An IA will usually be allocated to two-three competitions a year, depending on the number of appointments being made. The current central pool of OA's were recruited through open competition in 2004.
View the OCPA NI Assessor's profiles below
Elizabeth Armstrong“I am a firm believer and advocate of the principles that govern public appointments, and will at all times endeavour to carry out my responsibilities professionally and ensure the principles are applied rigorously”. Elizabeth’s background is in Human Resource Management. She has approximately 20 years Human Resource experience, gained mainly in the private sector. Her HR experience includes extensive involvement in Recruitment, Training, Management Development, Organisational Development, implementing change, general advisory and reward and recognition.Elizabeth was a Lay Member of the Social Security Appeals Tribunals and is a past Chairman of a local Community Playgroup.She is currently a Lay Member of the Fair Employment and Industrial Tribunals and a member of the Northern Ireland Branch of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), where she has organised a number of seminars and training events for members. |
 | Ali BondAli has worked within the fast moving consumer goods sector, in the field of Human Resource Management, for eight years and currently holds a senior post covering all aspects of resourcing, compensation and benefits, development, health and safety and occupational health. She sits on two industry specific councils, the Food and Drink Training Council and the Northern Ireland Bakery Council, representing her trade sector and company respectively. Ali has completed a part time Professional Development Scheme at Belfast Institute for Further and Higher Education and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. |
 | Maureen BrennanMaureen’s entire full-time career was with British Telecom Northern Ireland, spending the last twenty years in various managerial positions, with responsibilities including training, customer service and high-level complaint handling and resolution. During her career, she covered all aspects of people management and has recently consolidated her knowledge by further study, resulting in membership of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. She is a member of their Northern Ireland Committee. Maureen is also a lay panellist with the Nursing & Midwifery Council in London, where she sits on a panel investigating complaints against members of the profession. Her charity work includes membership of the Inclusive Mobility &Transport Advisory Committee, Business & Professional Women UK (City of Belfast Branch), Ards Art Committee and Homestart. |
Fiona Connolly“I am thoroughly enjoying working with a wide range of organisations and helping to ensure that the Public Appointments Process is transparent and equitable to all.” Fiona’s background is in Business Studies with a specialism in Personnel. She is also a graduate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Her main experience is in the area of European Funding and she previously developed projects for funding, monitoring them from start up to the close of the project. She was also responsible for auditing the finances. |
Orlagh Darling“I value the opportunity to contribute to a system that is fair and transparent and which attracts the widest possible number of quality candidates from all walks of life” Orlagh’s background is in Human Resources, with over 20 years experience gained in public and private sectors, and is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Orlagh set up a Human Resource Consultancy Practice, OMD Consulting in May 2004, working as an internal partner in an advisory capacity, with small to medium sized businesses in Northern Ireland. She has extensive experience in the area of Recruitment and Selection and works as an Independent Assessor for International Management Consultancy Practices. |
 | Ursula DohertyUrsula’s career to date has been in Human Resources and she has worked in the public, private and charitable sectors. She is currently employed as Human Resources Manager in Higher Education. Ursula is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. |
 | Paul DonaldsonPaul is a Director of Donaldson Gilpin Ltd and is closely involved in the design, implementation, and validation of assessment processes across a range of sectors. He acts as an Independent Assessor for a number of major Consultancies. In recent years, Paul has been active in developing and promoting socially responsible recruitment practices in the Private Sector. His innovative work around Social Inclusion in Employment was recognised by a National Training Award in 2004. |
Judith EveJudith qualified as a Barrister-at-Law in 1973 and was employed by Queen's University until 2002, firstly as a legal academic, then as International Liaison Officer. She has served as a Mental Health Commissioner, an Equal Opportunities Commissioner for Northern Ireland and as a non-executive Director of North and West Belfast Health and Social Services Trust. Judith was previously Chair of the Civil Service Commissioners for Northern Ireland, is a part-time legal Chairman of The Appeals Service Northern Ireland, and is a Board member of BIH Housing Association and of the Northern Ireland Medical and Training Agency. |
Gerry Gilpin"I believe that the principles that govern the making of public appointments are vital in today’s culture. As an OCPA NI Assessor I welcome the opportunity to be part of an open and transparent process that seeks to underpin these." Gerry is a qualified Accountant with an industrial background, having held senior management positions in Magee Clothing and Standard Telephones & Cables. He also has over 30 years experience in management consultancy, specialising in Human Resources and Change Management. He is currently the Senior Partner in Key Consulting Group and heads up the DBM Organisation in NI. Prior to this, he worked for such Consultancy Companies as PA International, Beecom (now Parity) and Gilpin Black (the latter two at Partner/Director level). Gerry is the Vice Chairman of the BIFHE Board of Governors, has been a Council Member for the CBI, a Non Executive Director in a Health Trust, President of the NI Region of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, and Chairman of the Institute of Management Consultants. He has also been involved, in a voluntary capacity, with a number of charitable organisations Gerry is a former Irish rugby International. |
 | Francesca GrahamFrancesca’s background is in management in the private sector, together with many years of public service at Board Member / Director level. She has been involved in both the hospitality and motor industry and was a partner in a retail new vehicle franchise for a number of years, where she was responsible for Human Resources, Financial Management and Capital Development. Since then, she has developed her interest in public service, by holding Board appointments in Education, Health and Criminal Justice. Francesca served as a school governor on several boards for over ten years. She was a member of the NI Police Authority, a former Vice Chairman of the South Eastern Education & Library Board, former Deputy Chairman of the Probation Board for NI and was a non-executive Director of the Eastern Health and Social Services Board. She is currently a lay panel member of the Industrial Tribunals and is a non-executive Director of the South Eastern Health & Social Services Trust. She was recently awarded an O.B.E for Public Service. |
 | Rosemary Greene“I have undertaken “Competency based training” in the United States covering recruitment, development and succession planning. I have enjoyed the move to competency based interviews for public appointments, and believe that I have skills that I can bring to the process.” Rosemary has worked in Human Resources for 30 years. For the last 16 years, prior to her early retirement in 2005, she worked for Hughes Christensen Company, a successful engineering company and a former winner of the Northern Ireland Quality Award, under the Business Excellence Model. She was involved in recruitment at all levels in the Company and in various locations throughout the UK. In addition to full time employment, Rosemary held a number of external positions. These included: Industry Board Member for the Northern Ireland Schools and Examination council; Board Member for Lisburn College of Further Education, including the Chair of the “Staffing Committee” and was an Independent Panel member for Social Security Appeals. |
Jean Haworth“Being an OCPA NI Assessor gives me the opportunity to make a personal contribution towards assisting ministers and departments in the task of making public appointments that command public confidence” After over 30 years service to Royal Mail and the community it serves, Jean now works as an independent consultant in the Training and Development field. During her time with Royal Mail, Jean headed up a number of different departments including Customer Service, Operations and Training and Development. She also led a number of major projects, including organisational change, performance management and leadership development. As Leadership Development Manager, Jean gained extensive experience of Recruitment and Selection procedures, best practice and legislation from advertising to appointment. Jean is also a highly experienced assessor who participated in numerous appointments and promotion boards for Royal Mail at frontline and management level. Jean is also an NVQ Assessor, member of the Chartered Management Institute and member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. |
Alan HenryAlan has worked in the field of human resources for over 25 years, 20 of them as Head of Human Resources at a large public company. Following retirement in 2003, Alan formed an HR Consultancy specialising in employment law, recruitment, assessment, diversity and equal opportunities. Alan is also a Civil Service Commissioner, a Human Rights Commissioner and a former Commissioner for the NI Equality Commission. He is also a member of the Queens Counsel Appointments Panel and an Assessor for the National Patients Safety Authority. Alan is a lay member for the Office of Industrial/Fair Employment Tribunals and a former lay Schools Inspector for the Department of Education. |
 | Patrick HigginsPatrick’s career was in the Northern Ireland Civil Service in the Department of Education, where he held posts in a variety of sectors. For five years, he was the Head of Personnel, where he gained much experience in interviewing and selection for recruitment and promotion. He holds a Certificate of the Institute of Personnel and Development. Since his retirement from the Civil Service he has worked as a part-time Development Officer for a voluntary youth and community group, which employs seven part-time staff and contributes to the social economy in the area. |
 | David HowardDavid’s career has been spent almost entirely within the public sector as a general manager. During this time, he has been extensively involved within the recruitment and selection process. He is firmly committed to Human Resource best practice and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development; he is also a Member of the Chartered Management Institute. He currently holds the position of Community and Cultural Services Manager for North Down Borough Council, based in Bangor. Within this role, he is responsible for managing the delivery of a wide range of local government services for North Down. David also sits on the Management Committee of several voluntary organisations within the North Down area, including the North Down Over 50s Forum and North Down and Ards Home Accident Prevention Group. |
John KeanieJohn’s career has spanned industry, social housing, education and local government, where he was Chief Executive of Derry City Council for nine years. Since 2000, as an independent consultant, he has specialised in interface work with public, private and voluntary sector organisations, currently working with knowledge-industry companies and chairing a benefit take-up initiative for older people. John has also served on the Advisory Board of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, chairing the Audit and Risk Committee. He was also Chair of the Advisory Council on Infrastructure Investment, providing advice to the Minister on NI infrastructure matters. “As an OCPA NI Assessor probity, transparency and diversity are my key aims”. |
Fiona KeenanAs Director of her own Human Resource Management Consultancy – Keenan (HR) Consulting Ltd - Fiona is an experienced Management Consultant. She has over 12 years experience in the field of human resource management and development and has held senior management positions within the Information Technology, Consultancy and Retail sectors. Fiona is a skilled facilitator and executive coach and has considerable experience in the field of executive recruitment and selection for both public and private sector organisations. She has Chartered Membership of the Institute of Personnel and Development. |
 | Christine KennedyChristine’s background is in research and policy development in the agri-food sector. Prior to taking a career break to care for her children, she held the post of Director of Food and Commodities with the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU.). Since then, in partnership with her husband, she manages a busy dairy & beef farm and works freelance as a consultant in agri-food. She acts as an Independent Panel Member, assessing projects for funding for the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Christine has served on the Residuary Milk Marketing Board and has recently been appointed to the Food Strategy Implementation Partnership. She is a member of a number of other boards in various voluntary organisations, including the UFU, the Church Council, and the Management Board for Christian Counselling. She Chairs the Board of Governors of Donaghadee Primary School, is a committee member of the Ladies Branch of Donaghadee Golf Club and assists the UFU on human resource and strategy issues. |
 | Adrian KerrAdrian Kerr has been Chief Executive of the Local Government Staff Commission since September 1991. He has overall responsibility for the development of human resource policies in the 26 district councils in Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. Before taking up post with the Local Government Staff Commission, Adrian held a similar post with the Staff Commission for Education and Library Boards. He previously held senior management posts in the education and housing sectors within the public service. Adrian is an accredited CEDR Mediator (Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution) and is also a trained Panel Assessor for the Investors in People unit. |
Delia Van Der LendenDelia originally trained as a social worker and spent the early part of her career in practice and management, with statutory social services. Mid-career she moved to the voluntary sector, where one of the posts she held was Director for Northern Ireland with the children’s charity ChildLine. Prior to her retirement, she held the post of Chief Officer with the Southern Health and Social Services Council. Since retiring, Delia has worked part time as a management consultant, providing services to the community and voluntary sector. In November 2005, she was appointed to a part time post as Chair of the Southern Area Children and Young People’s Committee’s Family Support Project. Delia has held a number of public appointments, including that of lay member of the Mental Health Review Tribunal and non-executive Director of Newry and Mourne Health and Social Services Trust. In February 2004, she was appointed as a Lay Magistrate. |
Stephanie LowryFor 20 years, Stephanie worked for a major retail company throughout the UK and Spain. Her final position in the company was Head of Retail Operations for Northern Ireland. During that time, she also became involved in various community and charitable activities, including Arts and Business. She established and became Chairperson of Lisburn Commerce against Crime. She is on the board of the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland and an Independent Board Member with the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure. |
Anthony McDowell‘I firmly believe in meritocracy and have gained enormous satisfaction ensuring this principle was scrupulously applied in the public appointment projects I have been involved with during my short time with OCPA(NI)’. Anthony’s legal training and experience allowed him to progress quickly when he transferred to the Human Resources sector in 1990. He spent the next 13 years as a senior HR Manager with a number of high tech multinationals. He was involved in setting up and expanding a number of operations which required large scale recruitment projects. In 2003, he again changed career direction, with a move into a business advisory role with InvestNI. Anthony is a chartered fellow of the HR professional body CIPD. He sits on the board of governors of an Integrated College. He is also a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Member of the Chartered Management Institute and is currently studying for his chartered accountancy examinations. |
 | Celine McKenna"My work as an Independent Assessor to date has been varied and interesting. The challenge ahead is to continue with creating a greater public awareness of the whole process." Having spent more than 30 years in the teaching profession, Celine is currently Principal of a large co-educational Secondary School in Limavady. The school has established close links with other schools in the area and with the local College of Further and Higher Education. After four years intensive work, the link now operates as the Limavady Learning Partnership and has been recognised as an innovative model of educational collaboration. Celine has also served as a board member of the former Training and Employment Agency, using her experience in education to contribute towards debate and developments in youth employment and careers’ education. She has served as a board member of the Governing Body of Limavady College of Further and Higher Education and has acted as an independent assessor for the appointment of Vice-Principals with the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools. |
 | Alison McVittyA graduate of Queens University, Belfast, Alison is a Human Resources professional and a chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development. Alison currently works as a Human Resources Consultant for one of Ireland’s leading Financial Services Institutions. Her background in Human Resources includes extensive experience in managing recruitment and selection and more recently, in front line HR relationship management in Retail Banking. Alison presently works as a Project Consultant managing projects across a range of HR related initiatives. |
 | Orla MooreAfter graduating, orla worked in a training capacity for a large manufacturing company for two years and since 1998, she has worked as a Human Resource manager for a food manufacturing company. Her responsibilities include recruitment and selection, employee relations, health and safety, training and development and she has overall responsibility for ensuring a competent Human Resource function within the organisation. Orla is a member of the chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. |
Quintin OliverQuintin has worked in local government (in Scotland, for Strathclyde Region), in the voluntary sector (in Belfast for the N. Ireland Council for Voluntary Action) and in the private sector (for Stratagem, a public affairs company based in Belfast). Projects have included helping set up the European Youth Forum (1977), the European Anti-Poverty Network (1991) and the Consultation Institute (2002). He was appointed to the Council of State of Ireland by President Mary Robinson (1991-1997). In 2003, Quintin advised the Health Minister on issues at the Northern Ireland Hospice, followed by similar commissions in respect of suicide prevention strategies in Northern Ireland and redrawing Health Service boundaries in Scotland (both 2005). He chairs the Board of the Oscar-nominated Nerve Centre in Derry and sits as trustee of the Scottish anti-sectarian charity, Nil by Mouth. |
Alice QuinnAlice enjoyed a high profile career in retailing with Marks and Spencer as a Senior Manager. Among her many responsibilities during that time was the management of the corporate social responsibility budget, which enabled the community to benefit from the company. She is Chair of the Health Promotion Agency, the aim of which is to provide leadership, strategic direction and support, where possible, to all those involved in promoting health in Northern Ireland. Alice is also Chair of Proteus, an association with responsibility for distributing peace and reconciliation funding to various organisations. She is an external member for the Project Board of the Public Prosecution Service, a board member of Enterprise Ulster, a board member for Fold Housing Association and a member of the International Women’s Forum. |
Jo QuinnJo was Human Resources Manager with Marks and Spencer for 28 years. Her principal post prior to retirement was the management of the Human Resources function throughout the entire store network in Northern Ireland, with responsibility for 1500 people. Jo is a member of the Board of Victim Support Northern Ireland and also continues to work as Human Resources Advisor in a variety of business environments. |
Phillip RobinsonMost of Philip’s career to date has been involved in the management and development of people in the public sector. He is currently Deputy Secretary with the Staff Commission for Education and Library Boards, which is a non departmental public body responsible for overseeing the terms and conditions of employment of over 25,000 non-teaching staff across Northern Ireland. Philip has extensive experience in Human Resource management and currently has particular responsibility for the implementation of the Staff Commission's Code of Procedures on Recruitment and Selection in the Education and Library service. |
Joan RuddockJoan is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Her early career was spent in London working for the Financial Times and after returning to Northern Ireland, she spent a short time working in industrial development. From 1984-1990, she was General Manager of the European Special Products Division of the electronics company, AVX and from 1990-1999 was Managing Director of the Educational Company Ltd. Since 1999, she has been Chairman of Belfast City Hospital Trust. Joan is a Parliamentary Boundary Commissioner and is also a Director of Investment Belfast Ltd. and Deputy Chairman of the Greater Village Regeneration Trust. |
Gwen SavageFor 20 years, Gwen ran her own Recruitment and Training Organisation. Selling the business some five years ago has allowed her a more flexible working life. She still retains an interest in business and enjoys the variety that acting as an OCPA NI Assessor in the public sector, and an independent assessor in the private sector, brings. |
 | Ann Shaw"I believe in the transparency and accountability which are brought by the princples governing public appointments. It is a priviledge to be an OCPA NI Assessor and to be part of the process which ensures that these principles are upheld" Ann trained and worked as a physiotherapist before being made a director of her family’s agriculture businesses in Northern Ireland, and of a plc in Australia. Ann chaired the Health and Safety Agency for Northern Ireland from 1993 – 1998 and chaired the Institute of Directors Northern Ireland from 1998 – 2002. She is a former member of the UK’s Better Regulation Task Force, immediate past chairman of Lloyds TSB Foundation for Northern Ireland and member of the Senate of Queens University. She has been involved in and continues to be on the board of various voluntary and charitable organisations and is the current Northern Ireland Trustee of NSPCC. She has also been a member of several public sector Task Forces and is a member of the Remuneration Committee of Permanent Secretaries for the N.I. Civil Service. |
 | James SmythJames has 25 years experience in Personnel covering Recruitment, Industrial Relations, Employee Services, Evaluation, Appraisal etc. and is currently working in the Public Sector. He has managed many Appointment files, as well as Disciplinary/Harassment investigations. He has overseen change and restructuring processes. He is also a Panel Member of Industrial Tribunals and is a Member of the Disciplinary Committee of the Western Health and Social Services Board. Up until 2005, he was a Department of Education representative for 8 years on the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools. He sat on the Finance & Personnel Committee and the Diocesan Education Committee. He chaired Appointment Panels for Prescribed posts (Principals) and ratified Teacher Appointments. He also chaired Appeals and Grievance Hearings. James is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development. |
 | Joan SmythJoan spent the early part of her career in Human Resources in the private sector, at one stage running her own consultancy business, advising companies on how to put in place good recruitment practices. She was also Chair and Chief Executive of the Equal Opportunities Commission. Currently, Joan is Chair of the Progressive Building Society and Chair of the Chief Executives Forum. Joan has held a number of public appointments and she has just completed six years as Chairman of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company, the parent company of Translink. She is also on the Board of Choice Housing Association and has just been appointed Chair of the Red Cross in Northern Ireland. |
 | David StewertAfter obtaining his doctorate in microbiology, David worked as a research scientist and as a food technologist for the Department of Agriculture and lectured in agricultural and food microbiology in Queen’s University, Belfast. In 1982, he took up the post of Technical Director of the Milk Marketing Board for Northern Ireland. In 1988, he was appointed Chief Executive of that organisation and subsequently, Chief Executive of the successor organisation, United Dairy Farmers Ltd, when milk marketing was deregulated in 1994. Since his retirement in 2000, he has served on the Northern Ireland Advisory Committee of the Food Standards Agency and has acted as independent assessor for the award of grants by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, under the EU Processing and Marketing Grant Scheme. |
Patricia WeirPatricia is Chief Executive of the Staff Commission for Education and Library Boards. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Patricia’s areas of expertise include selection interviewing, equality and diversity training, mentoring, organisational development, management of change and other Board level issues. She has extensive experience of assessing, selecting and developing individuals across a wide range of positions and has been involved in recruiting public sector appointments to a senior level, within a number of organisations. She has chaired various committees and working parties and is a member of the Northern Ireland Chief Executives’ Forum. She currently holds a public appointment as lay member of the Industrial Tribunals Panel. She was governor of an integrated school from 1997 to 2003 and Chair from 2002-2003. In addition, she is a member of the Downs Syndrome Association and supports the work of Special Olympics Northern Ireland. |
Norah WhittakerNorah has had a long career in the food industry in Northern Ireland driving forward change and implementing a range of management systems across a wide range of disciplines, culminating in Human Resources. Through this experience, she gained Fellow status of the Institute of Food Science and Technology. She currently works with the Livestock & Meat Commission for Northern Ireland as Human Resources manager and is a chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD). She is a very widely experienced interviewer for positions at all levels. Norah has held previous public appointments with Enterprise Ulster and the Training & Employment Agency. She has acted as an industry adviser to the food related degree courses both for QUB and UU and currently is Chairperson of a Human Resources Cluster Group, within the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Industry Association. |
