New Iarnród Éireann Chief Executive Officer announced

12 August 2025

Ms Mary Considine will succeed Mr Jim Meade in the role later this year, upon Mr Meade's retirement

The Board of Iarnród Éireann has today (12th August) announced that Mary Considine is to succeed Mr Jim Meade as Chief Executive of Iarnród Éireann.  Ms. Considine will take over from Mr. Meade, who retires later this year, at the conclusion of his tenure as Chief Executive. 

Ms Considine, CEO of The Shannon Airport Group, has built a distinguished career in aviation over more than three decades, rising quickly through senior roles - including Shannon Airport Director, Chief Financial Officer, Deputy CEO– before becoming CEO in 2019.

Her leadership was marked by strategic investment, resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a strong focus on regional development, leading the Group’s recovery from Covid delivering its highest passenger levels in 15 years, building on its strategy to be “Ireland’s airport of choice for connectivity and business”.

She led the restructuring of the Group to position it for growth, providing vital strategic national infrastructure, enabling essential air connectivity for the country, developing high quality commercial property solutions and growing the economic impact of the Group’s activities, including its significant property portfolio, to over €4bn supporting over 20,000 jobs nationally. Under her stewardship Shannon Airport has been recognised as Ireland’s top airport brand for a third year running.

Throughout her career, Ms. Considine has cultivated a wealth of strategic leadership experience, with extensive knowledge of the economic, regional, regulatory, governance & risk environment, and has established relationships with key stakeholders in transport regionally, nationally and internationally. 

A fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland; she holds a Certificate of Professional Competence from the Chartered Institute of Transport in Ireland and a Certificate Airport Economics & Finance, from the University of Westminster, London; and completed The Director As Strategic Leader, Cranfield School of Management; and AVIRA (Global Executive Leadership Programme) INSEAD.

Ms. Considine is also currently a Board Director of IBEC, sits on its Audit & Risk Committee, is a Director of Limerick Chamber of Commerce and Trustee and Governing Authority member of MIC.

Speaking today, Steve Murphy, Chairperson of Iarnród Éireann, said:

“We are delighted to announce the appointment of Mary Considine to the role of Iarnród Éireann CEO at a crucial time in Ireland’s and Iarnród Éireann’s sustainability journey.  The calibre and experience of Mary as a strategic leader and a key advocate for a sustainable future, at a local, national and international level, will be invaluable to Iarnród Éireann.  Mary will lead our 5,300-strong team at Iarnród Éireann to realise our ambition of delivering an €8bn nationwide programme of capital investment projects which will almost double the current passenger numbers by 2030, delivering safe, customer-focused rail services daily, as well as developing our port development and Offshore Renewable Hub plans at Rosslare Europort.”

Accepting the role, Mary Considine said:

“It is an honour for me to be taking up the role of Chief Executive of Iarnród Éireann.  Our railway, at the heart of Ireland’s sustainable transport network, as well as Rosslare Europort, are critical national assets, and I look forward to meeting and working with the team at Iarnród Éireann to deliver on the company’s huge ambition during such a transformative era.  I am excited for what the future holds, across the company’s passenger and rail freight services, its unprecedented investment programme, and its role as Port Authority for Rosslare Europort”.

Iarnród Éireann Chairperson Steve Murphy also paid tribute to current Chief Executive Jim Meade, saying:

“I would like to also take this opportunity to sincerely thank Jim for his vision and leadership of the Iarnród Éireann team during a time of unprecedented opportunity and transformational change”.

His leadership has been exemplary over his more than four-decade career in Iarnród Éireann and in particular the last seven years as CEO. Working with regulatory and government stakeholders, he has developed and implemented the long-term strategy and secured record investment which will leave a true legacy of sustainable, customer-focused expansion of the role of rail in Ireland’s economy, society and environment.   He has also been at the helm through some challenging times such as the Covid pandemic, and enabled Iarnród Éireann to emerge from these as a stronger, better organisation.”

I have witnessed first-hand just how welcome and respected Jim is when he visits the IÉ teams around the country, befitting someone who joined the railway as an apprentice, and charted a career to ultimately lead the organisation.   He has been a strategic, people centred leader and his legacy will be long felt.  I wish Jim well for the future.”