The Board

Dr David Dobbin, CBE
Chairman

David Dobbin is Group Chief Executive of United Dairy Farmers and is also Chairman of the North/South economic body, InterTradeIreland. He is actively involved in promoting regional economic development and serves on a number of public and private bodies including Invest Northern Ireland. David has extensive international business experience in the food and drink and packaging sectors and received a CBE in 2005 for his service to the agrifood and packaging industries.

Denis Rooney, CBE
Non-Executive Director

Mr Rooney was a senior partner in his own company “DRA” which was established in Belfast in 1984. In 2004 the company was acquired by White Young and Green PLC (WYG) (a multi disciplinary construction consultancy firm) and Mr Rooney was appointed CEO for WYG Ireland. Mr Rooney left WYG in October 2007. He is currently the Chairman of the International Fund for Ireland, which is a joint appointment by the British and Irish Governments and has served for several years on the Economic Development Forum. He has been Chairman of the Institute of Directors and the RICS and has been awarded an MBE for his services to the construction industry and a CBE for his services to the Northern Ireland Economy and the Community. Mr Rooney lives in Belfast.

Arthur J McFerran, CBE
Non-Executive Director

Mr McFerran (known as “Bro”) has a computer services background and since 1999 has been Managing Director of Allstate Northern Ireland (formerly known as Northbrook Technology); he was previously the owner and Managing Director of Logicom Ltd. Allstate NI is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Allstate Corporation which also has an Investment Division based in London which was opened with Mr McFerran’s assistance. Mr McFerran is currently the President of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and has participated in DETI’s Economic Development Forum. He is Chairman of the Belfast Workforce Development Forum sponsored by DEL and is a Non-Executive Director of the Northern Bank serving on its Audit Committee. Mr. McFerran was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2005 for services to the IT Industry of Northern Ireland. Mr McFerran lives in Belfast.

Geraldine McAteer
Non-Executive Director

Ms McAteer is a panel member of the Strategic Review of the Parading Body and is currently working with the review team to develop a framework for the resolution of the parades issue. Ms McAteer is Chief Executive of the West Belfast Partnership Board which aims to drive the economic, social and physical regeneration of West Belfast. She chaired the North and West Belfast Health and Social Services Trust from September 2006 to March 2007 and has also held office there as a non-executive director for five years. As Chairperson, she led the Trust through the major change process of its dissolution in March 2007 and subsequent merger with the new Belfast Trust.

Ms McAteer was a member of the Board of Laganside Corporation, until June 2007. Ms McAteer worked with Board members and the Executive Team to take forward the Corporation’s objectives to regenerate Laganside. She lives in the greater Belfast area.

David Waugh
Non-Executive Director

David has had extensive international experience in infrastructure, real estate and economic development, initially in Europe, South America, the USA and Canada. He then spent four years as Project Director at Canary Wharf in London before joining Trafalgar House Development, as a Director in the Americas and Asia, and headed natural resource, utility, infrastructure development and privatization, and real estate projects in Mexico, South America and SE Asia. Following a role as President of a major hydroelectric and industrial regeneration scheme in the United States, he returned to the UK as Chief Executive of the Liverpool Land Development Company. Since 2007 David has acted as a consultant and Chairman or Director for a number of organisations active in economic development, regeneration, infrastructure and real estate in Panama, Dubai and the UK.

Brett Hannam
Chief Operating Officer and Interim CEO

Brett joined SIB as Chief Operating Officer in January 2006. Previously he worked for the Northern Ireland Office where he was Head of Information Systems, Director of the Causeway Programme and Chief Executive of Northern Ireland’s Forensic Science Agency. Brett holds degrees from Oxford University, the Open University and Queen’s University, Belfast.