Dr Marian O’Sullivan

From 2015 to 2022, Marian held the post of Director General of the Institute of Public Administration, Dublin, Ireland. The mission of the IPA is to advance the understanding, standard and practice of public administration and public policy, supporting the Irish public service to deliver on the complex challenges it faces. Marian was responsible for the formulation, oversight and execution of the annual budget with an income generation of over €13 million. During covid, she led the successful delivery of all IPA services online. Marian provided vision, strategic leadership and management to ensure that the IPA consolidated its position as a provider of choice for training, education and development services to the wider public service.

Marian has strong leadership, excellent communication and interpersonal skills, good organisation and management skills, an inclusive decision-making style with a strong strategic, risk management, financial and governance focus. She has a clear and motivational communication style and her achievements demonstrate a strong commercial and governance focus with significant energy, drive and resilience.

Prior to joining the IPA, Marian held several senior management positions in Higher Educations Institutions and State Agencies in Ireland. They include the positions of Academic Registrar; and Head of Development and Research at the Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT), a specialist third level Higher Education Institute. Before joining IADT, Marian held a number of quality assurance, research, and lecturing roles in the National Council for Educational Awards (NCEA), Teagasc (Food Research), University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin and University College Cork.

Marian has been a member of the IPA Board, Board of the Association of Chief Executives of State Agencies (ACESA), Board of Management of Sally noggin College of Further Education,OECD National Schools Government steering Committee, and Chair of the Strategic Advisory Forum to the National Patient Advocacy Service. Through her Board and committee experience, Marian provides an independent and objective oversight role with a strong focus on leadership, corporate governance, strategy delivery and risk management.

Marian’s qualifications include a BSc and PhD in microbiology from University College Cork, an MSc in Executive Leadership from the University of Ulster and an IoD Cert and Diploma in Company Direction from the Institute of Directors.