Helen Brophy

Helen was appointed Director General of the IPA in October 2022. She holds 30+ years’ senior leadership experience spanning a range of Chief Executive, Director and Non-Executive Director level roles in public, international, private, family-owned business, not-for-profit and NGO sectors. In addition to her significant senior leadership experience, Helen is an experienced coach, mentor and a specialist in the design and delivery of executive leadership and change management programmes.

Dr. Adele Bergin

Dr. Adele Bergin is an Associate Research Professor at the ESRI, where she serves as joint research area coordinator for macroeconomics, with research interests in labour economics and macroeconomics. She is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Economics at Trinity College Dublin and a Research Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from NUI Maynooth, an M.Sc. in Economics and Econometrics from the University of Bristol, and a B.A. in Economics from Trinity College Dublin.

Dr. Bergin has served as a member of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (2021-2025) and was a Council Member of the Irish Economic Association (2014-2020). She is the Chairperson of Economic and Social Studies (publishers of the Economic and Social Review) and previously served as Policy Section Editor for the journal.

Dan O'Brien

Dan O'Brien is Chief Economist of the Institute of International and European Affairs, one of Ireland’s leading think tanks. He is also a columnist with TheCurrency.ie and Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at University College Dublin’s Geary Institute. He is a regular commentator on economic, public policy and international affairs issues.

Larry O'Connell

Larry O’Connell is the Director of the National Economic and Social Council (NESC), where he leads an inter-disciplinary team. Prior to becoming Director in 2019, Larry worked as senior Economist in NESC on range of policy issues, including climate change, housing and higher education funding. During his earlier career he worked in Teagasc, the higher education sector and in Louis Dreyfus (London).  He has a degree in Agriculture Economics, a Master’s in business and a PhD which focused on the internationalisation of Irish businesses.

Mark Hanniffy

Mark Hanniffy is Director of the EU Presidency Policy Unit at Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and leads the team preparing Ireland’s overall policy approach for its Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2026. He is a native of Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, and holds a PhD in chemistry from the University of Galway.

Dr. Margaret Malone

Dr Margaret Malone is a Lecturer in European Studies with the Whitaker School of Government & Management at the IPA. She fulfils a number of academic roles including: Convenor of and lecturer on the EU Governance module of the Institute’s Doctorate in Governance; lecturer on the European Studies component of the MA in Public Management; Director of and lecturer on the IPA’s Certificate in EU Essentials for Public Servants as well as Director of and lecturer on the Parliamentary Internship Programme for US students.

Declan Power

Declan Power is an independent security and defence analyst, author, and former career soldier with extensive experience in crisis management and international security. He served in various roles within the Defence Forces, including internal security, peacekeeping, and anti-terrorism duties, and later served with the UN, EU, and NATO missions across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Power is also an adjunct lecturer at various civilian and military third level institutions, where he delivers courses on terrorism and international security.