The Director General of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Laura Burke, has been inaugurated as the 132^nd President of Engineers Ireland, following the organisation’s AGM, held on Wednesday, 29 May. Ms Burke succeeds outgoing President and former Dairymaster CEO, Dr Edmond Harty, in the role.

Ms Burke was appointed as Director General of the EPA in 2011 and has served as a Director at the EPA since 2004. She is a member of the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC), and a member of the High-Level Implementation Committee of ‘Food Vision 2030’, the Irish Agri-Food Sector Strategy, and served as the Chair of the European Environment Agency (EEA) Management Board for six years.

Before joining the EPA, Ms. Burke worked the private sector. She holds a BE in Chemical Engineering from University College Dublin and an MSc in Management Practice from Trinity College, Dublin.

Ms. Burke was elected to the position of Vice-President of Engineers Ireland in 2022.

Also inaugurated at the AGM was a new Vice President of Engineers Ireland, David Murphy, former CEO of PM Group, a project delivery firm specialising in the design, construction, and management of high-tech facilities. A Chartered Engineer with over 35 years’ experience, Mr Murphy is also a member of the Board of Business in the Community Ireland.

Commenting on her inauguration, Ms Burke said,

“I am delighted to take up the position of President of Engineers Ireland. Our unique Institution serves a crucial function for Ireland’s engineering profession, upholding high professional standards while representing all engineers with a single voice.

“Ireland faces key challenges in areas such as infrastructure and sustainability and engineering skills and expertise are needed to address these in effective and innovative ways. Our profession is key to creating a better world for tomorrow and I look forward to working with our members to further enhancing the role and profile of engineering in the year ahead.”

Damien Owens, Director General of Engineers Ireland, added,

“Laura is a model representative of our profession, as exemplified by her inspiring leadership of the EPA over the past 13 years. With the adverse impacts of climate change becoming more severe and more visible, and a greater focus on sustainability required by our profession, her inauguration as President is timely.

“I also wish to congratulate David Murphy on his inauguration as Vice-President. David’s expertise and experience will prove invaluable to our Institution as he joins fellow Vice President John Jordan and Past President Edmond Harty, alongside Laura on Engineers Ireland’s Officer Group.”