Former resident of Dromineer appointed to the board of the HSE
A WOMAN who operated a hotel with her husband in Dromineer over two decades ago is one of three new appointments on the board of the Health Services Executive, announced by the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly.
Lily Collison, who ran the Sail Inn Hotel with her husband, Denis, is a long-time advocate for cerebral palsy care.
Ms Collison has a Master’s degree in Science and is Programme Director at Gillette Children’s Healthcare Press and a member of the Board of Directors of the Cerebral Palsy Foundation. She previously served as a board member on the board of Inland Waterways.
One of Ms Collision adult sons, Tommy, has spastic diplegia. In 2020, she wrote “Spastic Diplegia–Bilateral Cerebral Palsy” in conjunction with senior medical staff at Gillette Children’s Healtcare.
She co-authored ‘Pure Grit: Stories of Remarkable People Living with Physical Disability” with Kara Buckley. “Pure Grit’ tells the stories of 19 people across the globe, who grew up with physical disability and are living and thriving in diverse fields.
With a background in science, Ms Collison’s 30 plus year career included senior management positions in industry and education.
She has also acted as founder and Managing Director of SQT Training Ltd in Limerick, and as a lecturer in Quality Management at Atlantic Technological University (formerly IT Sligo).
Ms Collison is also mother of John and Patrick Collison, the billionaire brothers of the financial services company, Stripe
OTHER ApPOINTEES
The other two appointees include Michael Cawley, a qualified chartered accountant, who formerly acted as Chairperson of Linked Finance and Fáilte Ireland, and he was Chair of the Audit Committees of both Flutter (formerly Paddy Power Betfair) and Kingspan. Mr Cawley served as Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer of Ryanair from 2002-14.
The other appointee is Kenneth Mealy, a consultant general surgeon and the current Chair of the Forum of Irish Postgraduate Medical Training Bodies. He is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin, and his surgical training took place in Dublin and the UK. Mr Mealy is currently Clinical Director of the Liver Transplant and HPB Unit at St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin.
Welcoming the appointments Mr Donnelly said: “The board plays a crucial role in enhancing governance, oversight, and the overall performance of the HSE. Embedding a culture of productivity, the patient voice and driving improvements in performance are key priorities for Government. These appointments will ensure that the board will be supported to implement reform and improve the delivery of health and social care services.”