Irish Times appoints Paul Mulvaney as group managing director

Mr Mulvaney joins the media company from ESB

Paul Mulvaney: new group managing director of The Irish Times DAC. Photograph: Chris Bellew/Fennell Photography
Paul Mulvaney: new group managing director of The Irish Times DAC. Photograph: Chris Bellew/Fennell Photography

ESB executive Paul Mulvaney has been appointed as group managing director of The Irish Times DAC by the board of the company.

Mr Mulvaney is joining the publisher of The Irish Times and the Irish Examiner from ESB, where he is a member of the ESB executive management team and executive director of customer delivery for ESB Networks.

He succeeds Liam Kavanagh, who is retiring after more than 20 years at the media group and 11 years at the helm.

Mr Mulvaney joined the ESB in 1985 and has held a number of senior management roles at the utility company.

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He previously held the positions of executive director – innovation, programme manager of corporate change, managing director of ESB’s ecars, and head of distribution and customer service.

A mechanical engineering graduate and fellow of the Institute of Directors (UK), he was named Chartered Director of the Year in 2020.

Mr Mulvaney's appointment, announced on Wednesday by chairman of the board Dan Flinter, is effective from December 1st.

Operating profit

The group, which employs about 800 people and is owned by the Irish Times Trust, recently reported an operating profit of €8.3 million before exceptional costs in 2020, more than double the €3.8 million figure recorded the previous year.

As of the end of 2020, it had a total of 126,656 digital and home delivery subscribers, up from 89,688 a year earlier.

As well as The Irish Times and Irish Examiner, the group owns Cork daily the Echo, six weekly regional titles, majority stakes in radio stations WLR and Beat 102-103 and a minority stake in Cork’s Red FM, while its subsidiaries include the property business MyHome.ie.

Laura Slattery

Laura Slattery

Laura Slattery is an Irish Times journalist writing about media, advertising and other business topics