Ireland board

Joan Burton (Chair)

Joan is a former Tánaiste (deputy prime minister) of Ireland. She held that position in the coalition government from 2014 until 2016, during which time she was also leader of the Labour Party. Previously, she was minister for social protection, minister of state for overseas development and minister of state at the Department of Justice. A chartered accountant by profession, Joan worked in Tanzania in the 1980s as a lecturer at Dar es Salaam University. She also lectured at the Dublin Institute of Technology before entering politics.

Brian Dawson

Brian is head of strategic engagement at the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. He has extensive experience in strategic communications, advocacy and public affairs. Brian previously worked for the European Parliament in Brussels, the UK Labour Party and the Irish Wind Energy Association. A passionate advocate of disability rights, he led on the development of the commission’s public awareness campaign: “Because we’re all human. Means we’re all equal.”

Daragh Fahey

Daragh is a medical doctor who specialises in ophthalmology and public health. He founded his own eye charity in 2002 and previously worked as a board member for international eye charity Right to Sight. He is currently working as a public health consultant for UK councils.

Chris Kinder

Chris joined Sightsavers’ Ireland board in 2017, having served on the global audit committee since 2012 and as a trustee of the Global Council since 2013. Chris retired as a partner of Accenture. He chairs a family charitable trust, is on the board of Afghanaid and is on Sightsavers’ governance and remuneration committees, and is a member of the Programme Expert Group (advisory).

Joyce Luma

Joyce was previously at the United Nations World Food Programme, where she has been the human resources director for Italy since 2019. Before that, she was the World Food Programme (WFP) country director and representative in Ethiopia from 2017 to 2018 and in South Sudan from 2014 to 2017. She also served as the deputy director of policy, programme and innovation division in Rome, Italy. Prior to that she managed a food security information and health information system on behalf of FAO in Zambia and was a research fellow at the University of Zambia. Joyce holds a doctorate in food and nutrition from Texas Tech University.

Jim Miley

Jim joined the Sightsavers Ireland board in September 2016. He is a former chair of Concern Worldwide and business to consumer director at The Irish Times. Previously, he was CEO and founder of MyHome.ie and has also held a number of senior executive positions, including at The Gathering Ireland 2013 and Dublin Chamber of Commerce. He is currently the director-general of the Irish Universities Association.

Dr Una Murray

Una is a lecturer in international development at the National University of Ireland Galway, where she is also director of the master’s degree programme in international development practice. She works extensively in evaluation and conducts research on topics including migration, climate change and gender. Una has more than 25 years of experience in development, having worked with UN agencies such as UNICEF, the United Nations Development Programme and the International Organization for Migration. She has also worked with the bilateral aid programmes of Ireland, UK, Finland, Australia and the EU, and is a board member of Dóchas, the Irish association of non-governmental development organisations.

Barbara O’Reilly

Barbara started her career with Concern Worldwide in the early 1990s. In 1994 she was assigned to Rwanda and later worked for the International Organization for Migration on the Rwandan refugee return programme. She has a background in aid and development, insurance, project management and information technology, and previously worked for IBM, Diageo and TNT. Barbara is currently the global network director for RSA Insurance Group.

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