Pen pictures
Marie Mallon MBE
Marie Mallon was appointed Chair of the Labour Relations Agency on 1 August 2014 following her retirement from the post of deputy chief executive/director of HR in the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. Prior to this Marie held many senior posts within health and social care and was a member of the Industrial and Fair Employment Tribunals. Marie is an associate of the HSC Leadership Centre and also undertakes private consultancy work. Marie is a member of the NIAO Advisory Group and chair of the remuneration committee.
Louise Crilly
Ms Crilly, appointed as an independent member to the board, is a practising lawyer with over 20 years’ experience of legal practice in both the private and public sectors in Northern Ireland. She is director of EU law and civil law reform for the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS).
Deirdre Fitzpatrick
Mrs Fitzpatrick was appointed as an independent member to the board. She runs her own management consultancy practice working across the public, private, and voluntary sectors, and is very active in training and consultancy work with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Deirdre started her career in the Ulster Business School, then set up Northern Ireland's first business incubation centre. Deirdre is a former board member of the Gerry Rogan Initiative Trust and of the Northern Ireland Consumer Council, and was a member of its audit committee.
Michelle McGinley
Ms McGinley, appointed as an employer representative to the board, is a qualified solicitor who works for Engineering Employers Federation (EEF), a not-for-profit organisation advising and supporting a wide range of businesses throughout Northern Ireland on employment matters. In December 2019, Michelle was appointed as a solicitor member to the Solicitor Disciplinary Tribunal. Prior to joining EEF in 2003, Michelle worked in private practice in both Great Britain and Northern Ireland specialising in defence employment litigation. She has also previously taught at a London law school. Michelle advises and represents a wide range of organisations before the Industrial and Fair Employment Tribunals and is an accredited solicitor advocate and mediator with the Law Society.
Daire Murphy
Daire Murphy is an employee representative and a regional casework official with the NASUWT, the teachers' union. He has previously worked in the voluntary sector, as an employment legal adviser at the Law Centre (NI), representing workers and employees, and as a barrister in general practice. Daire is an accredited Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) employment and workplace mediator.
Jill Minne
Jill Minne is Strategic HR Director for the NICS. She is responsible for the development and implementation of its People Strategy and leads the centralised HR function that provides services and strategic advice to all of the Northern Ireland government departments.
She has worked in organisational development, human resources and diversity and inclusion for around 30 years, including over two decades with Belfast City Council.
Jill is joint diversity champion in the NICS and is a board member of the Women’s Fund Northern Ireland.
Gary McMichael
Mr McMichael has been the chief officer of the Northern Ireland charity Action on Substances through Community Education and Related Training (ASCERT) since 2001. He formerly served on Lisburn City Council for 12 years and was a member of the NI Civic Forum.
Alison Millar (vice chair)
Mrs Millar is the general secretary of the Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance (NIPSA). She has overall responsibility for the general work of the union as well as the management of all the staff and finances of the union. Alison is the key representative on many of the civil and public service negotiating bodies. Alison was previously the deputy general secretary for NIPSA and had responsibility for major policy issues including welfare reform, review of public administration and matters relevant to the NHS, education, libraries, Housing Executive and local government. She is the chair of the Northern Ireland Committee, Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the vice-president of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.
Albert Mills
Mr Mills is a trade unionist. From 2006, he was chairman of the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers Union (ATGWU) Officers Negotiating Committee for Great Britain and Ireland, and played a major role during merger talks between ATGWU and Amicus to create Unite the Union. Albert was a board member with the Civil Service Appeal Board from 1996 to 2010, and with the NI Local Government Superannuation Committee from 2000 to 2010.