Board of Directors

Ability West is a voluntary organisation governed by a Board of Directors.  The Board of Directors comprises of two elected Family Representatives and co-opted Board Members.  The Family Representatives must meet the criteria of ‘family member’ as outlined in our Constitution.  The Directors are non-executive and offer their services on a voluntary basis.

Within the Board’s broad governance role are a number of specific roles that are exercised, including: approval of the Strategic Plan, reporting to Members at the Annual General Meeting and passing bye-laws which are subject to approval by the Members.  The Board has a number of reserved functions: appointment of the Chief Executive, approval of annual budget, acquisition and disposal of company assets and overall corporate governance. 

For further information please contact the Company Secretary at cosec@abilitywest.ie.

 
 

Board of Directors 2023

Mr. Kevin Newell, Chairperson

Mr. Ray Kelly, Vice Chairperson

Mr. Shane Lynch, Company Secretary

Mr. Jack King

Ms. Breda Dolan

Mr. Mick Finnerty

Ms. Anna Lawless

Finance Committee

The Finance Committee monitors the financial affairs of the organisation on behalf of the Board of Directors.

The committee consists of Board Members, one of whom is the Honorary Treasurer and two members of the Senior Management team, i.e. the Chief Executive and Director of Finance. The Finance Committee meets regularly during the course of the year.

The current members of the Finance Committee are: Dermot O’Neill, Chairperson, Breda Dolan, Páraic Lawless, John McHugo and Audrey Pidgeon.

 
 

Nominations Committee

The Board Nominations Committee is tasked with the core responsibilities of managing the appointment process for new board directors and succession planning for the Board of Directors. The current members are: Kevin Newell, Chairperson. The Chief Executive is in attendance at these meetings.

 
 

Audit and Risk Committee

The role of the Audit and Risk Committee is to keep under review the adequacy, scope and effectiveness of accounting and internal control systems of all activities carried out by Ability West. The Audit and Risk Committee advises the Board of Directors on the appointment of the external auditor, the audit fee, and issues relating to the resignation or dismissal of the auditor or on any matters arising of concern to the auditor.

The Audit and Risk Committee comprises of four members: Chairperson, Gerry Walsh and Kevin Newell

 
 

Visiting Committee

As part of the overall governance of the organisation, the Board of Directors visit our respite and residential services on an annual basis and day services on a biennial basis. A written report is provided to the Chief Executive following each visit and feedback on any issues raised is given at the following Board of Directors’ meeting.

 

Quality and Safety Board Committee

 

The purpose of this committee is to assure the Board of Directors that there are appropriate and effective systems in place that cover all aspects of quality and safety in the organisation. The committee comprises of: Board Members, Chief Executive, Directors of Client Services, Finance and Human Resources, and Quality and Compliance Manager.