The Board
Board Members are appointed by the Department for Infrastructure on the basis of open public advertisement. The number of Board members, including the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, may be no less than ten and no more than fifteen and up to four Board Members shall be members of Belfast City Council.
The management of Belfast Harbour is independent of government and falls to the Board and the management team.
The duties of Board Members are akin to those of a company director, in particular to be accountable for the proper exercise of the statutory and administrative requirements placed upon them.
In addition Board Members are required to:
- Ensure high standards of corporate governance.
- Establish the overall strategic direction of the port having regard to the best interests of the port and the local economy following consultation with key stakeholders.
- Ensure that, in reaching decisions, government policy and relevant guidance provided by the sponsor department are taken into account.
Dr Theresa Donaldson
Chair
Dr Theresa Donaldson is Chair of Belfast Harbour and is a Chartered Director and Fellow of the Institute of Directors. Theresa is also Vice Chair of the Eirgrid Group. Theresa previously held Non-Executive positions with NI Equality Commission and the NI Health and Social Care Board. She is a member of the LCJ Solicitors’ Disciplinary Panel and a Board member of the Centre for Effective Services and NI Appeals Committee for BBC Children in Need. She is a former Local Government Chief Executive and held several senior management positions in health and social care and legal services in NI, including as Director of Policy and Civil Service Delivery in the Northern Ireland Legal Services Commission.
Joe O'Neill
CEO
Joe was appointed CEO of Belfast Harbour on 1st January, 2018, having joined the organisation in 1997 and having held a number of prior roles within Belfast Harbour, including Commercial Manager, Port Manager and Commercial Director.
Prior to joining the Port, Joe held positions with Undus Ltd and Cantrell and Cochrane Ltd. Joe was previously Chairman of the MAC theatre in Belfast, stepping down on 31st December, 2017.
Joe is Chair of the Simon Community and Chair of the Belfast City and Region Place Partnership. He is a member of the UK Major Ports Group, CBI Regional Council, the Centre for Competitiveness and the Advisory Board of Artemis Technologies. Joe is also a Council Member of the British Ports Association and is a Board Member for Business in the Community.
mel chittock
Board member
Mel has over 28 years of economic development experience with Invest NI, and a predecessor agency, working with many local and international companies to help grow the NI economy. His international experience includes both public and private sector organisations having spent ten years in industry prior to joining Invest NI. He is also Chair of TR Logistics Group. In addition, Mel is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
Rachael Ferguson
Board Member
Rachael has been a director of Strathfoyle Women’s Activity Group for several years, driving community-led initiatives and strategic development.
She previously served as a Commissioner for Londonderry Port and Harbour, and was an Elected Member of Derry Strabane District Council, where she championed community engagement and policy development.
Since 2022, Rachael has been serving as a Non-Executive Board Member of the Education Authority.
NOEL LAVERY CB
Board Member
Noel was appointed to the Board in April 2021. Prior to his retirement from the Northern Ireland Civil Service in November 2019, Noel was Permanent Secretary in the Department for the Economy. Before this he had held Permanent Secretary roles in the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and the former Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
He has nearly 20 years of experience of economic development working in public sector policy, delivery and governance roles. He trained as a chartered accountant with PriceWaterhouse and the first 15 years of his career were in the private sector. He has been a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland since 1995. Noel is the current Northern Ireland Co-Chair of the US-Ireland R&D Partnership Steering Group. He is also a trustee of a number of charities.
GERRY MCGINN CBE
Board Member
Gerry was first appointed to the Board in April 2021. He is an experienced business leader with extensive expertise in Banking, Financial Services, the Public Sector, and Education.
He is currently an Independent Non-Executive Director of Axa Insurance, a member of the Professional Standards Board of Chartered Accountants Ireland, and Chair of the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre.
Previous Senior Executive roles include CEO of Bank of Ireland UK and First Trust Bank, and Permanent Secretary of two Government Departments: Education and Regional Development.
Previous Non-Executive Director roles include Progressive Building Society, Strategic Investment Board, Invest NI, and Capita Asset Services Ireland.
Sir Malcolm McKibbin
Board Member
Malcolm was appointed to the Board in April 2021 after holding the position of Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service from 2011 to 2017. He was the Permanent Secretary of the former Departments of Regional Development and Agriculture and Rural Development. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by Queens University in 2017 in recognition of his public service. Following his retirement he led one of the five strands in the 2019 political negotiations aimed at restoring devolution.
He is an Associate of Deloitte, providing advice on Strategic Issues, an independent non-executive member of Weavers Cross Programme Board, a member of the Board of Co-operation Ireland and in 2021 assisted Sir Peter Hendy on NI aspects of the UK Connectivity Review.
Dr Peter McNaney CBE
Board Member
Peter was appointed to the Board in April 2025. He is a Solicitor by profession and practised as a corporate lawyer for 20 years before his appointment as Chief Executive of Belfast City Council between 2001-14, where he led a large-scale change programme and the creation of a City Investment Strategy.
As a non-executive he was Chair of the Governing body of Belfast Metropolitan College during the building of the new campus in Titanic Quarter. He has also served on the Boards of Invest NI and NI Water and has recently stood down as a member of the Council of the University of Ulster where he chaired the Greater Belfast Development Committee which successfully oversaw the completion of its new £350m inner city campus.
He currently serves as the Chair of the Board of SONI, the electricity transmission system operator for Northern Ireland and joint operator of the All Island Electricity Market.
Sharon O’Connor
Board Member
Sharon, a native of Belfast, has built a distinguished career across the region in urban and rural contexts. A former Chair, Chief Executive, Consultant and seasoned Non-Executive Director, she brings extensive experience in transport and capital projects, ferry and port operations, economic development and placemaking, here and in Scotland.
Her core passion lies in creating better places through her work on energy, net zero, and sustainability initiatives. Sharon serves as a member of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, a Senior Independent Board Member for the Department for Communities, and sits on the Scrutiny Board of the NI Investment Fund.
Eamonn O’Reilly
Board Member
Eamonn is the former Chief Executive of Dublin Port Company (2010 to 2022) and Chairman of the European Sea Ports Organisation (2016 to 2020). He is an electrical engineer (UCD) and holds an MBA (Trinity College).
Prior to Dublin Port, Eamonn held a variety of roles including with Doyle Shipping Group, KPMG, Irish Cement and Shanahan Engineering.
Dr Michael Wardlow
Board Member
Dr Wardlow served for eight years as Chief Commissioner for the Equality Commission, prior to becoming Chair of Translink from 2021 until February 2025. Before joining the Commission, he was the CEO of the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education.
He is a member of the OFCOM Communications Consumer Panel and has just completed six years with the British Council’s NI Advisory Committee.
He is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute, and a Visiting Scholar in George Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice.
Cllr Jenna Maghie
Board Member
Jenna has been an elected member of Belfast City Council since 2022 and represents the Ormiston District Electoral Area. She currently sits on the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, People and Communities Committee and the Standards and Business Committee. She has previously chaired the Belfast Waterfront and Ulster Hall Ltd Committee.
cllr ronan mclaughlin
Board Member
Ronan is an elected member of Belfast City Council and represents the Black Mountain District Electoral Area. He is the Deputy Party Group Leader for Sinn Féin. He is a member of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, City Growth and Regeneration Committee and the Business and Standards Committee.
Cllr Ryan Murphy
Board Member
Ryan is an elected member of Belfast City Council and represents the Oldpark Electoral Area in North Belfast. He is a former Mayor of the City of Belfast, the Chair of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee and a member of the Planning Committee on the Council.
Cllr Nicola verner
Board Member
Nicola is an elected member of Belfast City Council and represents the Court District Electoral Area since 2019. She served as High Sheriff of Belfast in 2020, and in the same year received a BEM in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Nicola currently sits on the People & Communities Committee, Waterfront and Ulster Hall and Audit & Risk Committee.
