Martin Whelan from Abbeyleix has been appointed as the new CEO of the national Housing Agency.
Mr Whelan will take up the position on March 31 where he will join from the National Treasury Management Agency, where he is currently head of Group Corporate Affairs and Communications.
He replaces Bob Jordan who had been in the role for the past three years.
The Housing Agency is a state body working towards delivering sustainable and affordable housing for all. They support the delivery of housing by working with local authorities, approved housing bodies
Mr Whelan grew up in Abbeyleix and is a past student of Scoil Mhuire and Salesian College, now Heywood.
His family are steeped in local Abbeyleix life. His mother Betty has been a long-time community activist with the hugely successful Tidy Towns group while his late father Billy, known fondly as ‘Sabu’, was heavily involved as a selector with the great Laois hurling team of the early 1980s before his untimely death.
Martin himself played hurling, football and soccer in Abbeyleix. He is now lives in Portmarnock with his young family and heavily involved in the Naomh Mearnog GAA club.
After school he studied in Queen’s University in Belfast, NUI Maynooth and later in the University of the West of England and the University of London.
Speaking following his appointment, Mr Whelan said: “I have become very familiar with the valuable work of The Housing Agency over an extended period and I see this role as one that is of immense significance to our society – now more than ever.
“Delivering sustainable and affordable housing for everyone in Ireland is rightly seen by so many people throughout Ireland – and by our policymakers – as an overriding priority.
“I look forward to leading the outstanding people in The Housing Agency in working with political, social, industry and other stakeholders to play a major part in achieving that.”
Mr Whelan’s appointment has been welcomed by Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD.
“I am delighted to welcome Martin to his new role as CEO of The Housing Agency,” said Minister O’Brien.
“The organisation provides invaluable support to my department and plays a crucial role in our delivery of much needed housing initiatives.
“With Martin’s experience and expertise, we look forward to working together and building further on the great work the Agency has already achieved.”
Michael Carey, Chairman of The Housing Agency, said: “Martin is a highly experienced corporate leader with extensive expertise in corporate governance, organisational strategy, and strategic management.
“Martin also brings considerable experience across corporate affairs, including government, media and public relations, communications and leading stakeholder engagement.
“These roles have also given him significant exposure to major housing policy initiatives in which the NTMA has a role over the past decade, inputting into the strategy of and leading external affairs and stakeholder engagement across the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund’s (ISIF) €1bn housing and enabling infrastructure programme, Home Building Finance Ireland’s (HBFI) €2bn development finance programme, and NAMA’s commercial, residential development, and social housing programmes.”
Mr Whelan has been Head of Group Corporate Affairs and Communications at the NTMA since 2017. He has previously served as a Non-Executive Director at Threshold Ireland.
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