Paul Maher has been appointed as the new head of international relations and corporate strategy at Teagasc.

He takes over from Dr Lance O’Brien, who retires in April, having served in Teagasc for over 40 years in a range of strategic planning and developmental roles.

Over the last 10 years, Maher has led the strategic development and modernisation of the Teagasc advisory and life-long learning programmes in his role as assistant director of Knowledge Transfer.

Paul Maher, Teagasc.

Prior to that, he worked in organisation-wide functions in Teagasc, such as business evaluation, business planning and risk management, as well as farm financial management, advisory and education roles.

He also worked in Ireland and New Zealand in commercial and agri-extension roles. He is a graduate of UCD with a Bachelor and Masters in Agricultural Science and also holds a post graduate qualification in business studies from WIT.

Maher said he is passionate about the development of agriculture as the anchor point for a vibrant economy and the positive contribution that rural communities make to society.

“I look forward to guiding Teagasc to successfully transition the agri-food sector towards a sustainable food system within Ireland, as well as making a substantial contribution at European and international level,” he said.