Mayo native appointed president of Association of Consulting Engineers of Ireland

CIARÁN McGovern has been appointed president of the Association of Consulting Engineers of Ireland (ACEI).

The Kiltimagh native takes up the position at a critical time for Ireland’s infrastructure and housing delivery.

The ACEI was founded in 1938, and is the representative body of consulting engineers in Ireland. It represents 125 member firms that employ over 5,500 people in Ireland.

A chartered engineer and managing director of TOBIN, Mr. McGovern’s appointment comes at a critical time for the sector, as Ireland faces growing pressure to deliver housing, energy and infrastructure projects.

As president, Mr. McGovern said his focus will be on improving collaboration between the engineering sector and client organisations to remove barriers to project delivery, while also strengthening the business environment for consulting engineers.

He also called for reform of procurement practices, including a move away from lowest-cost tendering towards quality-based systems, and more balanced approaches to risk allocation.

Mr. McGovern warned that systemic challenges, including a widening talent gap and procurement practices, must be addressed if Ireland is to meet its infrastructure ambitions. He highlighted the scale of the challenge ahead, noting that the State is expected to invest approximately €100 million per day in capital infrastructure over the next decade.

He said: “If we are serious about delivering housing and infrastructure, we need to create attractive, sustainable careers in engineering. We need to move towards a model where consulting engineers are treated as trusted advisors, not interchangeable suppliers.

“The coming decade will be fundamentally different to the last decade. The scale and urgency of infrastructure delivery will require new ways of working, greater collaboration and a stronger voice for engineering in decision-making.”

The appointment also coincides with the launch of ACEI’s new three-year strategy, which will focus on enhancing the influence, value and community of the consulting engineering sector.

Mr. McGovern was appointed at the organisation's AGM and thanked predecessor Tim Murnane for his exceptional leadership over the last year and his colleagues in TOBIN for their support.

ACEI’s conference Engineering Ireland’s Future takes place in Croke Park on May 14. Tickets are available from acei.ie.