Fáilte Ireland appoints Caroline Bocquel as new chief executive 

Ms Bocquel takes over from Paul Kelly, who is taking a role at the RDS

The former chief executive of BIM Caroline Bocquel has been appointed as the new CEO of Fáilte Ireland. 

The former chief executive of BIM Caroline Bocquel has been appointed as the new CEO of Fáilte Ireland. 

Ms Bocquel will take on the role in November, taking over from Paul Kelly, who is taking up a role as chief executive of the Royal Dublin Society (RDS). Ms Bocquel has worked in financial management, corporate governance and strategic planning over the past 20 years and most recently served as Bord Iascaigh Mhara
chief where she led the Irish seafood industry through the post-Brexit disruption.

She was chief financial officer at humanitarian response agency GOAL and director of corporate service in the Marine Institute. Ms Bocquel will become the first woman to hold the position of CEO at Fáilte Ireland.

"Tourism supports hundreds of thousands of jobs in communities nationwide, and its sustainable growth is essential to our economic and cultural future. I look forward to working with the Fáilte Ireland team, the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, industry partners, and communities to ensure Ireland continues to offer world-class experiences while building a resilient, innovative, and inclusive tourism sector," said Ms Bocquel.

Paul Keeley, director of regional development, has been appointed by the board of Fáilte Ireland as interim CEO to oversee the organisation from September until Ms Bocquel formally takes up the role.

Fáilte Ireland’s role is to support the long-term sustainable growth of tourism to Ireland, a sector driving €10bn in revenue per year and supporting over 225,000 jobs.