Dawn Livingstone
A FERMANAGH woman has made history as she heralds a new era by becoming the first woman to be chief executive of Waterways Ireland.
Dawn Livingstone, from Enniskillen, is to take the helm of the North/South implementation body as the current CEO John Martin steps down at the end of this week.
It is believed that she will take the reins of the cross-border body next Monday and will be based in Enniskillen where the Waterways headquarters are situated.
She will leave her current role as head of property and legal services at Waterways Ireland where she has worked for a number of years. Ms Livingstone previously worked in a management role at the Share Centre near Lisnaskea.
The decision to select Ms Livingstone as the new CEO was made by ministers of the public body, and she will take on the seven-year contract with an annual salary of up to £85,000.
Carmel Meegan, President of the Waterways Ireland welcomed the appointment.
She said: “Ms Livingstone promoted from the ranks of Waterways Irelands senior management and will already be familiar with many of the immediate and pressing issues confronting the membership and we look forward to working closely with the regulators new Chief Executive.
“I also welcomed Ms. Livingstone appointment in the wider context of gender balance.” Waterways Ireland is one of the six North/South Implementation Bodies established under the British Irish Agreement in 1999.
Waterways Ireland has responsibility for the management, maintenance, development and restoration of inland navigable waterways principally for recreational purposes.
The waterways under the remit of the body are the Barrow Navigation, the Erne System, the Grand Canal, the Lower Bann, the Royal Canal, the Shannon-Erne Waterway and the Shannon Navigation.
The public body has an annual budget of £50 million.
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