A background check on members of the RTÉ executive board

Dee Forbes

Director General (suspended)

Deirdre Anne ‘Dee’ Forbes became director general almost seven years ago – and is currently on holidays, as she had been due to leave the station next month.

She worked in advertising and broadcasting in London and became managing director of the Discovery network in Europe.

Born in Drimoleague in west Cork, where her parents ran the East End bar, she is a former non-executive director of the board of The Irish Times and sits on the board of Munster Rugby.

She studied history and politics at UCD.

Now aged 56, she is the first female to become director general and is said to have been the first senior external appointment at RTÉ in half a century.

Richard Collins

Chief Financial Officer

A former director of finance at Dunnes Stores, Mr Collins joined RTÉ just before the Covid outbreak and has no responsibility for any arrangements entered into before 2020.

Before joining Dunnes, he was the finance director at Superquinn where he oversaw integration into the Musgrave Group following the exit of Feargal Quinn and family.

The RTÉ website says he has held a number of other senior financial roles, both in Ireland and abroad, with roles at Dell Computers and the Dublin Airport Authority, including others. He is a Trinity graduate and did postgraduate studies in accountancy at UCD, before training as an accountant with KPMG.

Jim Jennings

Director of Content

Jim Jennings is a popular RTÉ “lifer”, with four decades of experience, having ascended from the bottom rung. He is particularly associated with the heyday of The Late Late Show, where he was an indispensable ally of long-term original host Gay Byrne.

Educated at Belvedere College, where he graduated in 1981, he joined RTÉ Radio in 1985 after college, starting with current affairs on programmes such as Today at Five and The Pat Kenny Show.

In 1989, he moved into television, where he eventually became executive producer of the Late Late before being appointed managing director of RTÉ Radio in 2013. He is currently director of content.

Deirdre McCarthy

Managing Director, News & Current Affairs

Deirdre McCarthy, also from Cork, is the first woman to be appointed managing director of news & current affairs, having been acting in the role following the departure of Jon Williams for his native UK.

She studied at University College Cork, taking a degree in History and Economics.

Moving into political coverage, she earned a master’s in this field at UCD.

Interestingly, in the current climate, she also holds a postgraduate diploma in Conflict & Dispute Resolution from Trinity College Dublin.

She oversaw coverage of the filling station explosion in Creeslough, Co Donegal, that was widely praised for its sensitivity, and also coverage of the death last year of Queen Elizabeth II.

Richard Waghorn

Director of Operations & Technology

Richard Waghorn joined RTÉ in February 2012 as chief technology officer (CTO). He previously worked in this role with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and has been dealing with widespread complaints about poor functionality of the RTÉ Player and other offerings.

He was responsible for leading the broadcaster’s migration from analogue to digital television.

Mr Waghorn studied spent 10 years with the BBC, leading preparations for the digital switchover, including the Freeview platform.

Geraldine O’Leary

Director of Commercial

Ms O’Leary was named as a “Media Hero” by her industry peers in 2018, according to RTÉ.

A graduate in Psychology from University College Cork, she has a long history of working in the advertising industry.

Her stints include with agencies such as DDFH&B, Saatchi & Saatchi and Zenith Media.

Ms O’Leary joined RTÉ in 1997 as manager of television sales and was promoted to director of sales and marketing two years later.

A marketing specialist, she became director of commercial in 2018, where has been leading a large team in attracting advertising revenues and in other ventures.

Adrian Lynch

Channels & Marketing

Previously channel controller for RTÉ One and RTÉ2, he is credited with drawing up exciting autumn schedules and turning their launch into a media event.

A former managing director of the independent production company Animo, one of Ireland’s most successful, he joined RTÉ at the end of 2014.

He has since overseen such successes as Dancing with the Stars, RTÉ’s centenary coverage of the 1916 Rising, and award-winning documentaries.

He is now interim director-general as a result of Dee Forbes’s suspension.

Eimear Cusack

Director Human Resources

Over 10 years at RTÉ, Ms Cusack is in charge of all staff issues. She has “a broad range of experience at senior levels across a range of organisations”.

Before moving to Montrose, she worked as head of human resources with telecoms company Ericsson, responsible for employees in both Britain and Ireland.

Rory Coveney

Director of Strategy

A younger brother of Employment Minister Simon Coveney, he is a son of the late Hugh Coveney, another politician, and is said to be a further member of the jocularly dubbed “Cork Mafia” at the heart of Donnybrook.

He has been with RTÉ since 2007. Twelve years ago, he became strategic adviser to the director general, with a focus on long-term planning and risk identification.