Board Member Bio’s
Dr Tony Hanna – Chair
Tony Hanna is Chair of the Board of St John of God Hospitaller Services Group, having served as a Director since 2017. He brings extensive experience in governance, leadership and organisational transformation, and has played a key role in guiding the Group’s transition to a fully lay-led model of governance. Dr Hanna worked for many years as Director of the Pastoral Plan in the Archdiocese of Armagh. Part of that responsibility was the restructuring of the Archdiocese into pastoral areas. Prior to that he worked across second level schools in Ireland with Boards of management and school staffs in preparation for new school trusts being established as religious withdrew. He was the architect and first Director of the post graduate Diploma in Catholic Leadership, offered jointly by Marino Institute and Milltown Institute,. He holds post graduate qualifications in Education, Counselling and Theology. He is committed to strong accountability, ethical leadership and mission stewardship, supporting the delivery of high-quality, person-centred services across Ireland and internationally.
Dr Ruth Barrington
Dr Ruth Barrington is a highly experienced board director and former Chief Executive of the Health Research Board (HRB), Ireland’s national agency for funding and supporting health research. She was previously Assistant Secretary in the Department of Health and has held a range of senior board and advisory roles across the health and research sectors, including with the Voluntary Health Insurance Board and national research organisations and was chair of the Irish Times Trust and was a director of the Irish Times Board. She is currently vice chair of the parent board of the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital and the National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh. Dr Barrington brings deep expertise in public policy, health research, governance and system-level leadership, contributing a strong independent perspective to Board deliberations.
Verona Lambe
Judge Verona Lambe is a retired Circuit Court judge with extensive experience in the Irish legal system. She was appointed as a specialist judge under the Personal Insolvency Act and previously served as a County Registrar before her judicial appointment. She retired from the Circuit Court in 2022. Judge Lambe brings significant expertise in law, regulation and public service, supporting robust governance, oversight and compliance at Board level.
Niamh McKeague
Dr Niamh McKeague is an experienced governance professional, most recently serving as Director of Corporate Governance for The English Schools Foundation Hong Kong and has previously held a senior role in the Garda Ombudsman. She brings practical expertise in governance structures, policy development and organisational management, supporting the Board in its strategic and oversight responsibilities.
William Cunningham
Bill is a chartered accountant with 50 years’ experience in the professional, commercial and not- for- profit sectors. Bill was managing partner of Coopers and Lybrand prior to its merger with Price Waterhouse in 1998. Following the merger, Bill ran both the audit practice and the banking and insurance market group in PricewaterhouseCoopers. Since his retirement in 2008, Bill has continued to be active in business, holding several non-executive director appointments and other advisory roles. Bill has chaired audit committees in the departments of Agriculture, Education and Foreign Affairs and in the Pension Authority. He was advisor to the audit committee in the Central Bank of Ireland. He currently chairs the audit committees in an Garda Siochana and the Mater Hospital group and sits on the audit committee of the Department of the Taoiseach.Bernard Murphy
Bernard Murphy is a finance professional with significant international experience, having held senior finance leadership roles including Chief Financial Officer and Finance Director positions in global organisations across sectors such as engineering, consulting and energy. He brings strong expertise in financial management, corporate governance and risk oversight, supporting the Board in maintaining high standards of financial stewardship and sustainability across the Group.
Lucas Dirnberger
Lucas Dirnberger is a senior finance and management professional with extensive international experience across corporate and non-profit healthcare sectors. He currently serves as Chief Financial Officer of the Barmherzige Brüder in Austria, where he oversees finance, controlling, project management and operational support services across multiple countries. He holds a Master’s degree in Business and Finance from the Vienna University of Economics and Business and began his career in risk analysis before spending six years with Ernst & Young, qualifying as a certified public auditor. He has since held senior leadership roles including Head of Finance at the Austrian National Tourist Office and Head of Group Reporting at Wienerberger AG, where he was responsible for group-wide financial and sustainability reportingDr Lillian Chirwa
Dr Lillian Chirwa has extensive experience in healthcare and international service delivery, particularly in the African context. As Director of Health and Social Services for Mzuzu City Council in Malawai, she brings valuable insight into health systems, community-based services and capacity building. Dr Chirwa was appointed Chair of St John of God Malawai Services in 2025 as she supports the Group’s work there and its broader international engagement and development.