The 130th President of Engineers Ireland has been officially inaugurated at an AGM last week.

John Power will take over from Professor Orla Feely, Vice President for Research, Innovation and Impact at University College Dublin as President of the institution for the 2022/2023 session.

A graduate of engineering from University College Dublin, Mr Power has completed 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, Mr Power 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.

Mr Power is also a former Director General of Engineers Ireland (2007 – 2015) where he greatly enhanced the profile of the profession by highlighting the contribution of engineering to the quality of all our lives. As an advocate for Registered Professional Titles, Mr Power promoted the title of Chartered Engineer and was instrumental in the inclusion of the CEng title in the revised building regulations. During his tenure, Mr Power was also fundamental in raising the reputation of Irish engineering qualifications internationally and the requirement for a Master's degree or equivalent, to secure the title of Chartered Engineer.

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Now practicing as an Executive Coach, Mr Power deploys his broad career experience supporting others. He graduated with his Executive Coaching qualification from the UCD Smurfit Business School in 2016 and is an accredited Senior Executive Coach with the European Mentoring and Coaching Council. Mr Power became a Fellow of Engineers Ireland in 1985 and was inaugurated as Vice President of Engineers Ireland in June 2020. He serves as a Trustee of the Arup Charitable Trust and is a member of the Engineers Ireland Benevolent Fund committee. He is also Past President of the UCD Engineering Graduates Association.

Commenting on his inauguration as President of Engineers Ireland, Mr Power said: "I am deeply honoured to become President of Engineers Ireland and to represent our diverse  and creative community of over 25,000 member-engineers. As President, I look forward to working with and for our engineering community who are critical to developing creative and sustainable solutions to benefit society and to support economic growth and development."

Also inaugurated to the role of Vice-President at the professional membership body's AGM was Laura Burke, Director General of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Appointed to the role of Director General of the EPA in 2011, Ms Burke has served as a Director within the organisation since 2004. She is also the Chair of the European Environment Agency (EEA) Management Board. 

Ms Burke is a graduate chemical engineer of University College Dublin, holds an MSc from Trinity College, Dublin, is a Fellow of the Institute of Engineers of Ireland and is a Chartered Director. In 2016, Ms Burke was awarded the UCD Engineering Graduates Association (EGA) Distinguished Graduate Award.

Commenting on her inauguration to Vice-President, Ms Burke added: "I am honoured to be elected as Vice-President of Engineers Ireland. Engineers play a critical role in delivering innovative sustainable solutions to current and emerging societal issues such as Climate Change, and as Vice President, I look forward to working with President John Power and the wider membership to leverage the talent of our engineering community."