IoD members, Padraic White and Dr Patricia Smith, have both recently obtained designation as Chartered Directors, having successfully completed the Institute of Directors in Ireland (IoD) Chartered Director Programme.
Over 550 participants have undertaken the Chartered Director Programme to date, which is now in its seventh year in Ireland. Having obtained a Certificate and Diploma in Company Direction, both candidates went on to become fully accredited Chartered Directors.
Padraic White
Padraic White is Chairman of a number of SMEs including Certification Europe Ltd, Arigna Fuels, Collins McNicholas Recruitment & HR Ltd and is a Director of corporates such as Willis Risk Services (Ireland) Ltd and UTV Ireland Ltd. He has a special interest in encouraging indigenous start-ups which is manifested in his role as Chairman of the Kernel Capital - Bank of Ireland Seed and Early Stage Investment Fund. His public interest roles include Chairman of the Louth Economic Forum and of the Leitrim Tourism Amenity Development Forum and Director of the Waterford Viking Triangle Board.
Padraic is a former Managing Director of the Industrial Development Authority of Ireland (IDA –Ireland) and was the inaugural Chairman of the Railway Procurement Agency [2002-2007] which was responsible for the construction, launch and operation of the LUAS light rail services in Dublin.
Dr Patricia Smith
Dr Patricia Smith has been Group CEO of Bio-Medical Research Limited (BMR), an international medical and consumer electronics device company, for the past 12 years. During this time she led an extensive turnaround of the Slendertone consumer division through restructuring, raising finance, opening new international markets in Europe, Asia and the US, establishing distributor contracts, M&A activity and new technology development. She returned the Neurotech prescription medical device business to profitability in Europe, established a growing Neurotech division in the USA, and opened a new division, BMR Health, to commercialise new prescription and consumer medical incontinence devices. She also led the disposal of the Neurotech orthopaedic and pain business unit.
Patricia graduated from Nottingham University Medical School in 1981 pursuing a career in hospital cardiology before entering the pharmaceutical industry where she held a variety of international and local senior management positions. She then established a UK consultancy undertaking due diligence projects for venture capital and private equity healthcare investments. Patricia has held non-executive director positions for early stage pharmaceutical development companies XTL Bio and Paratek and is a member of the board of the Irish Medical Devices Association.