Minister Ross Appoints Two New Members to Fáilte Ireland Authority

Minister Ross Appoints Two New Members to Fáilte Ireland Authority


Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross T.D., has announced the appointment of two new members to the Fáilte Ireland Authority – the National Tourism Development Authority.

The two new board members are:

• Joe Dolan, Hotelier, The Bush Hotel, Leitrim
• Stephen Dowling, Global Vice President of Digital for Adidas

Minister Shane Ross commented:

“Tourism is a vital contributor to our economy and supports approximately 260,000 jobs. The two new appointments to the Board of Fáilte Ireland are all well qualified for the positions and have demonstrated their suitability to act as members of the Board. I believe that their skills and experience will be a great asset to the work of Fáilte Ireland in supporting and developing the Irish tourism sector and I wish them well in their role.”

Welcoming the appointments, Fáilte Ireland Authority Chairman Michael Cawley said:

“I am delighted to welcome the two new members to the Board where their skills, expertise and commitment will be a valuable addition to our deliberations as Fáilte Ireland seeks to develop Irish tourism and assist the sector to maximise the potential it has to create employment, generate revenue and contribute to the nation’s economic progress.”

The appointments have been made following a public application and shortlisting process conducted by the Public Appointments Service.  They will take effect from November 15th 2019.


Joe Dolan:
With over 25 years’ experience in the hotel sector, Joe owns and operates the Bush Hotel, a 3-star property located in the heart of Carrick-on-Shannon. The 60-bedroom boutique hotel is one of the oldest in Ireland and is widely recognised for its environmental sustainability.

A graduate of NUIG he also holds a PhD from QUB and a Tourism Strategy Diploma from Cornell State University.  Mr. Dolan is long associated with tourism in Leitrim, was main sponsor of Leitrim GAA for some 9 years  and is a former Leitrim Person of the Year. He worked extensively in project management in the Middle East before returning to hospitality in Ireland. He is a Project Director for Gunpowder Gin and the Shed Distillery Visitor Experience, a former President of the Irish Hotels Federation and a noted advocate for rural economic development particularly through balanced sustainable tourism.

Stephen Dowling:
Stephen is Global Vice President of Digital for adidas, based in global headquarters at Herzogenaurach, Germany, was born in Dublin and holds a BBS and MSC Marketing from Technical University Dublin.

Between 2007 and 2017 he worked and lived internationally for Unilever in various e-commerce, sales, digital and new business model leadership positions. Stephen holds an advanced management programme diploma from M.I.T, a corporate innovation diploma from Stanford Graduate School of Business and in June 2019 ,completed the adidas Harvard Business School executive development programme.

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