CBI Northern Ireland Appoints new chair Richard Gillan

Press Release

CBI Northern Ireland Appoints new chair Richard Gillan

30 Aug 2023

Richard Gillan has been appointed the next Chair of CBI Northern Ireland.

Richard, the Managing Partner at Grant Thornton Northern Ireland and former Chair of Chartered Accountants Ulster Society, has been the CBI Northern Ireland Vice Chair since the beginning of this year and will become Chair from Friday (1^st Sept)

Elaine Birchall MBE, the current Chair, and one of Northern Ireland’s leading business figures, will become Vice Chair.

Richard and Elaine will both continue to work closely with CBI Northern Ireland Director Angela McGowan, to help local firms tackle local economic challenges arising from high inflation, low growth and the lack of a functioning Executive.

Angela McGowan, CBI Northern Ireland Director, said: “I congratulate Richard on his appointment. As Vice Chair, he has brought experience and knowledge of the business community and will be another outstanding Chair of CBI Northern Ireland.

“With his broad range of sectoral knowledge, Richard will continue to be a fantastic advocate for ‘Northern Ireland plc’ at a time when businesses continue to face continued economic challenges and political instability.”

Richard Gillan said: “I’m delighted to be appointed and look forward to working closely with Angela and the team to tackle the pressing challenges for local firms.”

Experts / Authors

Richard Gillan

Richard leads Grant Thornton’s Northern Ireland practice and has driven a ten-fold revenue increase over the past decade. With extensive leadership experience across advisory, tax, and international operations, he also serves on the US Tax Executive Leadership team.