Economic Policy Centre Sponsor Board

Gerry McGinn

Chairman of the Strategic Investment Board/ Vice Chair - Progressive Building Society

Gerry McGinn is an experienced business leader, he was previously CEO of financial institutions in London, Dublin, and Belfast and was Permanent Secretary of two government departments in Northern Ireland.

Mr McGinn is currently Chairman of the Strategic Investment Board, and Vice Chair of the Progressive Building Society. He was previously a non-executive director of Invest NI for seven years.

Donal Durkin

Executive Director of Strategy - Invest NI

Donal Durkan is Executive Director of Strategy at Invest NI. His primary role is to set the strategic direction for Invest NI in the context of the NI Executive’s Programme for Government and economic development policies and priorities determined by the Department for the Economy.

He is the Invest NI Lead on supporting businesses through the EU Exit Transition period and in dealing with the impact of the Covid-19 crisis. Donal has over 30 years’ experience working in the area of Economic Development, having supported businesses across a range of industrial sectors.

During this time he also spent 3 years on secondment at Belfast City Council in the role of Director of Development.

A graduate of Ulster University he has a Certified Diploma in Accounting and Finance (ACCA) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Strategic Planning with the Irish Management Institute. Donal also represents Invest NI on the NI Chamber of Commerce & Industry Council.

Victor Dukelow

Chief Economist and Head of Analytical Services - Department for the Economy

Victor has recently taken on the role of Chief Economist and Head of Analytical Services within the Department for the Economy. Composed of economists, statisticians and state aid experts, Analytical Services is responsible for developing the evidence base upon which Northern Ireland economic policy is built.

Prior to taking on this role, Victor worked as Director of International Trade and Migration Policy within the Department for the Economy and led on tax policy matters within the Department of Finance.

Victor is a graduate of Queen’s University Belfast and of Ulster University.

Cathy Gormley-Heenan

Deputy Vice-Chancellor - Ulster University

Ulster University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Cathy Gormley-Heenan OBE, develops and leads Ulster’s research and impact strategy, their global engagement strategy and their development and alumni relations strategy in addition to serving as a Professor of Politics with research interests in the areas of political elites, peace processes, the politics of divided societies, public policy and governance.

She is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS) as well as a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). For some years, she was also a regular political commentator for the BBC on both television and radio.

Her current work has led to her appointment to a number of national boards, including Matrix, the Northern Ireland Science Industry Panel; Catalyst Inc (formerly the Northern Ireland Science Park); and the UK government’s advisory group on EU Exit, Universities, Research and Innovation.

Gillian Callan

Principal Economist - Department for Communities

Gillian is a Principal Economist in the Department for Communities (DfC) having joined the Northern Ireland Civil Service in 2004. Gillian’s current role is focussed on developing research capacity within DfC and ensuring the department has access to high quality research and evidence to support the successful delivery of its strategy: Building Inclusive Communities.

Since joining the Northern Ireland Civil Service, Gillian has worked in the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM), the Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP) and Department of Regional Development (DRD).

She has accumulated experience across a range of areas including the provision of economic research and briefing, the completion of efficiency and delivery reviews and the provision of economic advice to inform investment and policy decisions.
Gillian is a graduate of both Queens University Belfast and Ulster University

Michael Gallagher

Senior Economist - Derry City and Strabane District Council

Michael Gallagher is Senior Economist with Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Strategic Finance and Funding Unit tasked with oversight of the Economic Modelling of the Community Plan. He has also been involved since August 2016 on the co-ordination of analysis of the Impact of Brexit on the DCSDC area with Ulster University’s Economic Policy Centre.
An Economics graduate of Trinity College Dublin, he completed his M.Litt. Research Degree on Ireland-UK 1980s export performance.

Previously an Economic Consultant with Peace I and II Intermediary Funding Bodies.
From 2008 -2016 he was Strategy Manager within Ilex Urban Regeneration Company, Derry with responsibility for oversight of Econometric Modelling of One Plan Regeneration Plan and 2013 City of Culture Impact Analysis.

Member of NISRA Demographic Statistics Advisory Group and formerly NISRA NI Multiple Deprivation Measures Steering Group.

Roy Adair

Former Chief Executive - Belfast Harbour Commissioners

Roy has significant experience across the business, public and not-for-profit sectors.  He has been a chief executive since his late 20's for Flexibox (Ballymena), NI Quality Centre, Irlandus (in Lurgan) and more recently Belfast Harbour Commissioners.  He has also served as Chair of Business in the Community and as one of their national trustees.

Roy’s non-executive experience includes membership of the Board and audit committee of Invest NI, the UK Offshore Wind Industry Council and the Princes' Trust Council. He is also a former sponsor member on the board of UUEPC.

Roy’s economic interests also includes the desire to link the Northern Ireland diaspora by establishing and chairing Northern Irish Connections.

In each of these roles, Roy brings a strong strategic focus combined with a sound understanding of the economic context.

In his time as CEO of Belfast Harbour Commissioners, he was responsible for putting in place the diversification strategy into property development in order to take advantage of the harbour’s under-utilised land assets, which has resulted in sales and profit growth of 230%.

Roy’s aim as an independent board member of UUEPC is to ensure a strategic economic focus on research to deliver the most effective economic policies for Northern Ireland.

Stephen Glifford

Chief Economist - Faraday Institution

Stephen has 25 years of experience working in economics and economic policy, across a variety of public and private organisations. He is currently the Chief Economist of the Faraday Institution, the UK’s independent institute for electrochemical energy storage research and was formerly Head of Economic Regulation at the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Director of Economics at the CBI, Chief Economist at Grant Thornton and Senior Economist at Oxford Economics.

Stephen also has public sector experience having worked for a short period in the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit for Tony Blair.

Stephen’s non-executive experience is also very extensive.  He is currently a commissioner on both the National Infrastructure Commission for Wales and the South East Wales Transport Commission.  Previously, Stephen was Chair of the CAA sub-board on the economic regulation of NATS and a member of the International Civil Aviation Organisation Airport & Air Navigation Services Economics Panel.

He was also a member of the Local Government Association Commission on the Future of Public Services in England, the Department of Business Secretary of State’s Panel for Monitoring the Economy and the CityUK Independent Economists Group.

Stephen will bring a wealth of economics expertise to the Board as well as an external perspective to help shape local economic policy