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Head of charities watchdog to step down

Chief Executive of the Charities Regulator, solicitor Helen Martin, is to step down when her term of office finishes on 2 April this year.

Pending the recruitment of a replacement, the watchdog’s board has appointed Madeleine Delaney (director of legal affairs and registration) as interim chief executive, effective from 3 April.

A board statement said that Martin had made “a significant contribution” to increasing public trust and confidence in the charity sector.

“The Charities Regulator and charity regulation were still in their infancy when Helen was appointed."

‘Privilege’

“Over the past five years, they have benefited enormously from her extensive experience in regulation, her guidance of the Charities Regulator’s strategic direction, and her exemplary leadership of the organisation,” the board stated.

Martin described it as “a real privilege” to have work with the regulator’s “dedicated staff” during her tenure.

“Ireland’s charity sector is integral to the social, cultural, and economic fabric of our society. I am delighted to have contributed towards the Charities Regulator’s vision of a sector that is vibrant and trusted and valued for the public benefit it provides,” she concluded.

Appointed chief executive in 2019, Martin joined the regulator in 2017. She had previously held the role of Assistant Parliamentary Counsel at the Office of the Attorney General.

Before that, she had held senior legal and regulatory positions in the telecoms sector and in private practice.