About our CEO

Tom has extensive experience in governmental and non-governmental organisations in Ireland and internationally. He has worked at a senior leadership level in management, policy development and administration.

Innovation and influence

Appointed as CEO of Concern in October 2001, Tom has led the organisation through a period of growth in budgets, operations, innovation and influence. 

Tom’s other engagements include: 

• Member of the Consortium Board of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research since 2009
• Member of Irish government’s Commission on Taxation from 2008 to 2009
• Member of Advisory Board for the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund from 2006 to 2009
• Member of Irish government’s Hunger Task Force from 2007 to 2008
• Member of UN Millennium Project’s Hunger Task Force from 2003 to 2005
• Member of the International Food Policy Research Institute’s 2020 Advisory Council since 2006
• Chair of European Food Security Group, a network of European NGOs, from 2005 to 2010
• Current vice-chair of Trans Atlantic Food Aid Dialogue, an alliance of European, US and Canadian NGOs, since 2006
• Governor of the Irish Times newspaper since 2008

Before Concern

Tom worked for 13 years with the Irish Department of Agriculture and Food, as Chief Economist (1988 to 1993) and as Assistant Secretary General (1993 to 2001). He was responsible for finance, audit and accounts. Tom led a major programme involving the certification of the department as an EU Paying Agency, responsible for accounting of €2 billion annually.

During this time, Tom was also: 

• Chair of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Committee of Agriculture from 1993 to 1998
• Chair the Working Group on Agricultural Policies and Markets from 1990 to 1993
• Chair of EuronAid, a network of European NGOs involved in distributing food aid from 1992 to 1996
• Chair of the Irish Council of the European Movement from 1991 to 1993

Education 

Tom is a graduate in agricultural economics from University College Dublin and has master’s degrees in business administration and strategic management from the Catholic University of Louvain and Trinity College Dublin respectively.