Geoghegan-Quinn wins leadership award

Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, has won the Public Sector Leaders Award at the Women’s Executive Network (WXN) Leadership Summit and Awards Gala in Ireland. She was honoured at the ceremony celebrating the country’s most influential and powerful women.

WXN founder Pamela Jeffery said: “In Europe, the most senior positions are still predominantly held by men, whether in business, politics or other fields. In March this year, the European Commission noted that women only account for an average of 18% of the members of boards of directors in the largest publicly-listed companies and 3% of the CEOs. They recognise that, despite a concerted effort in many companies, progress is too slow to deliver the Commission’s target of 40% by 2020.”

Also awarded the Public Sector Leadership Award were Catherine Day, Secretary-General of the European Commission, Ann Doherty, CEO of UL Hospitals, and Laverne McGuinness, COO and deputy director general of Ireland’s HSE.