Cork County Council appoints new temporary chief executive

Valerie O’Sullivan follows in the footsteps of Ann Doherty as head of one of Cork's councils

Valerie O’Sullivan moved to Cork County Council in 2019 and was appointed divisional manager for the south Cork division, where she also had countywide responsibility for planning, roads and municipal districts. Now she is the new temporary chief executive of the council. File picture

A divisional manager with Cork County Council is set become its new temporary chief executive (CEO) when Tim Lucey leaves the role in October.

Valerie O’Sullivan will become the first female CEO of the local authority and her appointment from October 2 will mean that both local authorities in Cork will have female CEOs leading the organisations. Ann Doherty became the first female CEO of Cork City Council in 2014.

At that time, Ms O’Sullivan was a director of services in the city council, where she held a number of senior roles during her career there, including in recreation, amenity and culture, in corporate affairs, and in housing.

But she moved to Cork County Council in 2019 and was appointed divisional manager for the south Cork division, where she also had countywide responsibility for planning, roads and municipal districts.

She will be appointed as temporary chief executive of the county council with effect from October 2 until a permanent appointment to the office is made. 

It is understood that her appointment will have a knock-on effect on a number of other senior roles in County Hall, which are expected to be announced over the coming days.

Her appointment follows the announcement by current council CEO, Tim Lucey, last month that he is leaving the role to become head of the Irish Greyhound Board. He said that after over nine years of his 10-year contract as council CEO, he will finish in the role on September 29.

A qualified accountant, he previously held roles with the former Southern Health Board and Skibbereen Urban District Council, before he rose through the ranks of Cork County Council, from a clerical assistant in 1982, to ultimately lead the entire organisation.

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During his time with Cork County Council, Mr Lucey served as the council's chief accountant playing a prominent role in overseeing the introduction of the authority's new financial management systems. 

He served as the council's Director of Corporate Affairs, with overall responsibility for communications, corporate planning and legal services, and in 2006 he was appointed divisional manager for the northern division with the responsibility for overseeing the entire range of council services including housing, roads, water, planning and economic development.

In 2010, the Bandon native left that role following his appointment as Cork city manager, where he oversaw an annual budget of €200m and had overall responsibility for the local authority's 1,400 staff.

In 2014, he was announced as the new CEO of Cork County Council, returning to lead the organisation where he began his career.