Engineer and Entrepreneur Dr Edmond Harty has been inaugurated as the 131^st President of Engineers Ireland at the professional membership body’s AGM, held on Thursday, 1 June 2023.

Established in 1835, Engineers Ireland is the trusted voice of the engineering profession across the Island of Ireland and further afield, with branches in Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand. The professional membership body currently represents over 25,000 engineers of all disciplines.

In addition to a number of non-executive roles, Dr Harty is the Founder of Innovalogix, an investment and consultancy firm focusing on strategy, product development, engineering and customer success. The company derives its name from a combination of innovation and logic.Previously Dr Harty was the CEO and largest shareholder of Dairymaster, a world-leading dairy innovation and technology company that he built and led over a 22-year period.

Engineering and Entrepreneurship

Dr Harty was awarded a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Limerick, and a PhD in Biosystems Engineering from University College Dublin (UCD). He has also studied at some of the world’s leading universities, including Stanford University, California and IMD, Switzerland. His entrepreneurial endeavours have delivered a strong track record of innovation and product development, having filed over 130 patent applications, and commercialising technologies across the globe.

 “It’s an absolute honour and privilege to be appointed as President of Engineers Ireland, an organisation which I have been a member of since my college days. I would like to thank our outgoing President John Power for his outstanding work and commitment to the institution and our members,” commented Dr Edmond Harty, President of Engineers Ireland.

“I am an engineer first and foremost. My engineering background has enabled me to build a fantastic career, travel the world, develop new products, and achieve things I could have never imagined.  Being an engineer means that you have a logical disposition, you always want to do things better and these characteristics also happen to be important in business. Engineers are natural problem solvers, leaders, and innovators,” Dr Harty added.

Looking to ahead to his term as President, Dr Harty said: “I hope to be a role model for others in my capacity as President, making the great work we do more visible and inspiring others to choose a career in engineering. I want to highlight the importance of engineering in our daily lives to the general public and to broaden the reach of our professional membership to cover both urban and rural communities.”

Congratulating Dr Harty, Damien Owens, Director General of Engineers Ireland, said: “Dr Harty is an accomplished engineer, entrepreneur, and businessperson. He has achieved considerable success in both industry and academia and has received numerous awards throughout his career, including the EY Entrepreneur of the Year for Ireland. He has also represented Ireland on the world stage as a finalist at the EY World Entrepreneur of the Year.

“Dr Harty’s commitment to creating value in the marketplace and fostering a spirit of innovation remains steadfast.  We are truly honoured to have a person of Edmond’s calibre leading our organisation over the next year as President and I wish him every success.”

In addition to his role as President of Engineers Ireland, Dr Harty holds key positions on several organisational boards. He serves as Governor and non-Executive Director of The Irish Times Trust, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Agritech Centre of Excellence, non-Executive Director of Irish Manufacturing Research focused on digitalisation in manufacturing, and Adjunct Full Professor at the UCD School of Biosystems and Food Engineering.

Vice-President Appointment

Also inaugurated to the role of Vice-President at the professional membership body’s AGM was John Jordan, Managing Director of Wirtgen Ireland Ltd, a subsidiary of the German premium equipment manufacturer specialising in road construction equipment and plant for the mining and processing of minerals. He joins Laura Burke, Director General of the Environmental Protection Agency, as Vice President of the  professional membership body.

John is a Civil Engineering graduate of Ulster University, holds an MSc in Technology Management from University College Dublin, and is a Fellow of Engineers Ireland. He also holds an ACCA Certified Diploma in Accounting and Finance and is a Member of the Institute of Quarring. John has served as Chairperson of the Engineers Ireland’s Finance, Audit and Risk Committee since 2018 and has played an active role on Engineers Ireland’s Council and Executive Board during his tenure. John is also a member of the Midlands Region Committee and was previously Chair of the region in 2011 and 2018.

Commenting on his inauguration to Vice-President, John Jordan commented: “I am honoured to be elected as Vice-President of Engineers Ireland. As Vice President, I look forward to working with President, Dr Edmond Harty, fellow Vice President Laura Burke, and the wider membership to leverage the talent of our engineering community and to support and nurture our growing membership.”

For more information, visit: www.engineersireland.ie