Mr Purcell, a qualified solicitor and chartered secretary, has been appointed to the Health and Social Care Professionals Council until March 2027.

He has worked at senior management level in a number of government departments including the Oireachtas and in the health services for over 30 years. He currently holds the position of corporate secretary for the Health Service Executive (HSE) along with the position of executive lead for Office of Legal Services within the HSE.

His academic qualifications also include a Master’s degree in European law (LLM), a Master’s degree in health care management (MSc Healthcare) and a diploma in leadership and quality in healthcare.

Ms Kelly-Desmond, the managing solicitor at Mercy Law Resource Centre (MLRC), has been appointed to the Social Workers Registration Board.

She previously worked as a solicitor in A&L Goodbody and Matheson where she advised commercial entities and public bodies on investigations, regulatory matters and complex litigation and disputes.

She is also chair of Plan International Ireland, an international development charity that advances children’s right and equality for girls.

Ms Hughes, a specialist pensions lawyer, has been appointed to the Radiographers Registration Board until January 2026.

She has written and lectured in the Law Society of Ireland on pensions law and has served on other boards in the past and many professional committees. She trained and worked as a registered general nurse managing a busy day surgery unit in a North London hospital before transitioning to law.

She is an active member of the diversity and inclusion committee in her law firm and sits on the committee of the disAbility Legal Network.

Ms Sheridan, a qualified solicitor with 22 years’ litigation experience in the Legal Aid Board, has been appointed to the Speech and Language Therapists Registration Board until February 2024.

She has served on many committees and working groups in the Legal Aid Board, both as chair and ordinary member. She has 10 years’ board experience as a director of a subsidiary of Lloyds Banking Group, where she was actively involved in setting the corporate governance agenda and minimising risk.

Ms Gleeson, the general manager at the HSE National Office for Human Rights and Equality Policy, has been appointed to the Social Workers Registration Board until March 2027.

She holds a BA, an LLB, an MA in community development, a professional diploma in equality and human rights, is a qualified mediator and is currently studying for a barrister-at-law degree at the King’s Inns.