Following a competitive process managed by Mazars, Horse Sport Ireland are very pleased to announce the appointment of Denis Duggan as their Chief Executive Officer.

A native of Tipperary, Denis Duggan (pictured) currently holds the post of CEO of Macra Na Feirme and will join Horse Sport Ireland in January 2022. Denis has a prolific background in the agriculture and business sector and brings a wealth of experience with him to take up the helm at Horse Sport Ireland. Denis holds an MBA from National University Galway.

Previously, Denis worked with Shannon Development for six years, followed by the position of Senior Regional Development Executive with Enterprise Ireland encouraging and developing new agri-business start-ups. Of great interest, Denis was also involved in the Innovation Arena gaining a variety of achievements and awards across community development and science.

Denis has been instrumental in tripling the surplus of the rural youth association (Macra Na Feirme) in respect of its membership, for the first time in decades. Furthermore, Denis carries an in-depth knowledge of stakeholder relations, critical lobbying and governance expertise all balanced with astute business acumen. Denis has been noted by many as a strong professional leader which is highly desirable for Horse Sport Ireland as we move through the next phase of development and strategic implementation.

HSI Acting Chair, Mary Lambkin-Coyle said of the appointment:

I am very pleased to welcome Denis Duggan as CEO of HSI. I believe he will bring strong leadership and commercial acumen to help us to achieve our ambitious objectives for the Sport Horse industry in the coming years as laid out in our strategic plan. In particular, we will look to Denis to deliver our centre of excellence at Greenogue and to establish it as a vibrant headquarters for the industry hosting a comprehensive programme of education and research

Denis Duggan said of his appointment:

“Horse Sport Ireland, with its team of staff, board of directors, and affiliates, is an incredible organisation with huge potential. The foundations are in place with the current strategic plan to embark on a period of exciting development and growth across equestrian sports and breeding. I look forward to leading the organisation on this journey as we embrace the challenges ahead and to working with all our partners and stakeholders on bringing our ambitious plans to fruition.”

HSI acting CEO, Joe Reynolds said of the appointment:

I welcome Denis Duggan to HSI. Denis is a proven manager in a streamlined membership organisation dealing with 170 clubs in rural Ireland. I look forward to working with Denis to deliver some of the exciting projects already in hand and have no doubt Denis’s background and expertise will widen the scope of our activities.