President

Role of the President

The President, as Chairman of the Council, reports to the Council and is the guardian of the Council’s decision-making process. The President has responsibilities additional to those of other Council Members, particularly in relation to leadership, the conduct of Council meetings, the chairing of the Executive Board and engaging with stakeholders. 

Duties and responsibilities

Governance

The President shall be a member of Council and a member of the Executive Board and shall act as Chairman of both. Special and Annual General Meetings shall also be chaired by the President. The President shall be responsible for the integrity of processes of these meetings.
As Chairman of Council the President should ensure the Council:

  • Discharges its powers, duties and procedures, as set out in section 3.1 of the Bye Laws
  • Ensure that the roles and responsibilities of the Council are fulfilled in the best interests of Engineers Ireland and the profession
  • Deliberates on strategic planning and policy issues to inform and advise the Executive Board
  • Informs the members of Engineers Ireland via the Annual Report on the actions and activities undertaken by Engineers Ireland to achieve the objectives of the institution including the use of financial and other resources.

As Chairman of the Executive Board the President should ensure the Board:

  • Discharges its powers, duties and procedures as set out in section 4.2 of the Bye Laws
  • Ensure that the roles and responsibilities of the Board are fulfilled in the best interests of Engineers Ireland and the profession
  • Liaise with Council on behalf of the Board ensuring Council receives regular reports on the activities of the Board

In discharging the role of Chairman of Council and Executive Board the President will:

  • Conduct efficient and effective meetings by ensuring that required decisions are taken, and that agendas are appropriate;
  • Promote a spirit of openness, transparency and accountability;
  • Ensure members work collectively, and that each member puts the interests of the institution and the profession of engineering above other outside interests;
  • Encourage members to participate in induction and other training to support a clear understanding of their role and responsibilities;
  • Ensure the adequate engagement of members in discussion and decision making.

Leadership

The President plays an important leadership role for the institution and the profession. In discharging this role the President will:

  • Provide strong leadership of the institution for the year of Presidency;
  • Listen to and reflect members’ views and represent the collective interests of the profession;
  • Address members at key Engineers Ireland events;
  • Act as an advocate for the institution and its policies.

External relationships

The President’s role is to:

  • Represent the institution as appropriate at various stakeholder engagements including meetings with other professional regulatory bodies and representative organisations;
  • Engage with the media on the institution’s behalf as appropriate and in accordance with Engineers Ireland’s Media Policies.

Internal relationships

The President’s role is to:

  • Act as an internal ambassador for Council, to staff and to other stakeholders;
  • Establish and maintain a close working relationship with the Director General (DG) and the Senior Management Team;
  • Work closely with the DG and other members of the Senior Management Team in identifying and discussing emerging issues and other matters that may impact on the institution and which should be brought to the attention of Council;
  • Manage the performance of the DG by setting and assessing annual performance targets in consultation with the Remuneration, Nominations and Development Committee.

Deputising arrangements for the Chair

The President will normally chair all Council meetings, Executive Board meetings and the Annual General Meeting. In his or her absence, the Senior Vice-President should assume the chair. In the absence of either of these Officers either the Junior Vice President or the Past President should chair the meeting.

Chair of the Remuneration, Nominations and Development Committee

The President will chair the Remuneration, Development and Nomination Committee (RDNC).

Support to the President

The Director General will ensure that administrative support is provided to the President during their term of office.

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John Power CEng FIEI

John Power was inaugurated as the 130th President of Engineers Ireland on Thursday, 2 June 2022.

John Power is an engineering graduate (1975) from University College Dublin (UCD), later completing a Master’s Degree in Industrial Engineering (MIE) and an MBA. Following graduation, he began working as a Technical Advisor with General Electric in the USA and South America. In 1978 John joined ESB, where over a 30-year career, he enjoyed a number of diverse roles in Engineering Management, Marketing and Corporate Change before becoming HR Manager in ESB Networks, Executive Director in ESBI, and finally, Head of ESB Corporate Affairs. 

A former Director General of Engineers Ireland (2007 - 2015), he greatly enhanced the profile of the profession by highlighting the contribution of engineering to the quality of all our lives.  He also promoted the title of Chartered Engineer and was instrumental in the inclusion of the CEng title in the revised building regulations. Other initiatives included raising the reputation of Irish engineering qualifications internationally and the requirement for a Masters degree or equivalent, to secure the title of Chartered Engineer. The first television advertisement, promoting the profession, was produced during his time.  During this period, John also chaired the International Centre for Graduate Education in Micro and Nano Engineering (ICGEE) and chaired the Rail Safety Advisory Council for seven years. He received the Association of Consulting Engineers of Ireland President’s Award in 2013. He is a Past President of the UCD Engineering Graduates Association.  John became a Fellow of Engineers Ireland in 1985.

Now practicing as an Executive Coach, John deploys his broad career experience supporting others.  He graduated with his Executive Coaching qualification from the UCD Smurfit Business School in 2016.  He is now an accredited Senior Executive Coach with the European Mentoring and Coaching Council.   John serves as a Trustee of the Arup Charitable Trust and is a member of the Engineers Ireland Benevolent Fund committee. He was inaugurated as Vice-President of Engineers Ireland in June 2020.