Board of Directors

Christopher Brooke (Chairman)

Christopher Brooke has been involved in the security industry for many years, ten of which were spent as a security advisor with the Royal Office in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. In 1990, he returned to Northern Ireland to develop Galgorm Castle Estate. The estate includes a championship golf complex, which has hosted 10 European Tour events, among them the Northern Ireland Open, the ISPS Handa World Invitational and the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open. Galgorm also comprises a garden centre, business park and a conference and events facility which together with the Golf complex attract more than 400,000 visitors a year. Christopher's other interests include the development of tourist accommodation and associated facilities on the Ashbrooke and Colebrooke estates. He is a Deputy Lieutenant for County Antrim and a Vice President of the RNLI.

Karen Sugrue Hennessy
(Vice Chair)

Karen Sugrue Hennessy is the CEO of Real Leaf Farm, an agri-tech company pioneering sustainable hydroponic farming in Ireland and the UK. A Chartered Accountant and Chartered Director, she combines commercial expertise with a deep commitment to ESG and sustainability-led growth. Karen previously led the Design & Crafts Council Ireland for nearly a decade, supporting sectoral development, export growth and industry innovation. Earlier, she spent nine years at Glanbia plc, where she was instrumental in building its nutritional portfolio through the company’s first acquisitions in the sector. She currently serves on the board of the Port of Waterford, chairing both the Green Committee and Audit & Risk Committee, and supports the port’s transition to low-carbon logistics. Previous board roles include Chair of Showcase Ireland, Vice-President of the Bureau of European Design Associations and board member of Kilkenny and Carlow ETB (Education and Training Board). Karen holds an MBA from UCD Smurfit and recently completed the Business Sustainability Management programme at the University of Cambridge.

Des Annett

Des Annett is an experienced finance leader and is currently the Director of Finance at CIE Tours, a premier tour operator bringing visitors to Ireland for over 90 years. With over 20 years’ experience in tourism, he combines deep industry knowledge with expertise in commercial, operational and technological projects. He has served on several industry boards, most recently as President of the Inbound Tourism Operators Association (ITOA). Before joining the tourism industry, Des worked as a technology solution consultant. He holds an MBA from UCD Smurfit School, a BA in Accounting and Finance and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). Des has also completed executive programmes at Cornell University and Cambridge. Passionate about community-based tourism, he envisions a future where technology and sustainability drive a resilient and responsible tourism industry.

Ruth Andrews

Ruth Andrews has worked in Irish tourism for over 36 years. She commenced her career with some of Ireland’s then largest hotel chains – the Doyle Hotel and Great Southern Hotel Groups. She then established her own tourism marketing/sales consultancy service, providing marketing communications, coaching and mentoring, as well as business development expertise, to a wide range of Irish tourism industry businesses. Ruth was Chief Executive of the ITOA (Incoming Tour Operators Association) from 2006 until 2023. In 2017, she was appointed Special Advisor to AVEA (Association of Visitor Experiences and Attractions), to establish the association; she continued to support its executive function until 2023. She was Chairperson of ITIC, the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation for three years, from 2019. In May 2020, Ruth was appointed Chairperson of the Tourism Recovery Taskforce (TRT), to oversee the development of a comprehensive recovery to identify priority aims, key enablers and market opportunities to drive the sector’s recovery from the devastating impact of COVID-19 for the period 2020-2023. In November 2023, she was appointed Chairperson of Fáilte Ireland (the National Tourism Development Authority).  

Katy Best

Katy Best is the Chief Commercial Officer at Belfast City Airport and is responsible for all revenue streams and tourism-related activity at the airport. She is the current Deputy Chair of the Economy Minister’s Tourism Partnership Board (TPB) in Northern Ireland. Recently, she was the Northern Ireland representative on the board of VisitBritain, a position she held for seven years. Katy has previously co-chaired Tourism Ireland’s GB Strategy Review and has been a member of the Tourism Ireland Central Marketing Partnership Group. Within tourism, Katy has also been a board member of Tourism Northern Ireland, The Metropolitan Arts Centre and Tall Ships Ltd.

Harry Connolly

Harry Connolly is the Director of Fáilte Feirste Thiar, a tourism development agency focused on building sustainable tourism in West Belfast. With a background in youth, sport and community development, Harry has long been committed to local regeneration and social impact initiatives. He has held several key roles, including Vice Chair of the West Belfast District Policing & Community Safety Partnership and board member of Visit Belfast, helping shape the city’s tourism strategy. Harry also chairs Féile an Phobail, Ireland’s largest community arts festival, which integrates culture, arts, sport, politics and identity into a unique celebration. As a co-founder of Áras Uí Chonghaile (James Connolly Visitor Centre), Harry led the project from inception to launch in 2019, securing major funding and building strategic links with the US trade union movement. He also served on the Department for Communities Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG), contributing to community wealth-building initiatives. In his role with the Casement Park Community Engagement and Benefits Forum, he advoc

Laura McCorry

Laura McCorry is an experienced leader in tourism, culture and visitor engagement. She joined Tourism Northern Ireland as Chief Executive in September 2025, bringing with her over two decades of experience in heritage management, destination development and strategic investment promotion. During her previous role as Head of Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, a position she held with Historic Royal Palaces for seven years, she oversaw a period of significant development and growth for the estate. Having successfully led the venue through landmark moments, including royal and diplomatic engagements, historic events and large-scale public engagement initiatives, she was awarded an MBE in 2023. Previously, Laura held senior leadership positions at National Museums Northern Ireland and Tourism NI, as well as in inward investment roles for Invest NI and the North England Inward Investment Agency in the US. She is a former member of the Tourism Partnership Board. Passionate about sustainable, inclusive tourism, Laura is committed to delivering the Northern Ireland Tourism Vision & Action Plan – growing the tourism economy in a way which benefits visitors, communities and businesses alike.

John McGrillen

John McGrillen has over 30 years’ experience in a variety of senior leadership roles across the public sector in Northern Ireland, most recently with Tourism NI where he was the Chief Executive for over a decade before stepping down in July 2025. The focus of his career has been primarily in economic development and local government. Prior to his appointment to Tourism NI, he was Director of Development at Belfast City Council, where he was responsible for economic development, regeneration and tourism within the city. From 1999 to 2010, he was Chief Executive at Down District Council. He holds an MBA in International Business and has extensive experience of working overseas with Northern Ireland’s inward investment agency and subsequently as Chief Executive of NI-CO, an international development consultancy based in Belfast. He has held a number of Non-Executive roles, including Director of the former Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Governor at Belfast Metropolitan College, as well as Director of the Titanic Maritime Trust and the Down Business Centre. 

Stephen McNally

Stephen McNally has over 40 years’ experience in the hotel industry. He studied at the Rockwell Hotel and Catering School in Co Tipperary. He also has extensive international experience, having worked with Ramada Hotels in both the UK and Germany; and he completed the Ramada Hotel Management Development Programme, before joining Jurys Hotel Group PLC in 1989. During 17 years at Jurys (which subsequently became Jurys Doyle plc.), he managed the company’s hotels in both Ireland and the UK and ultimately headed up operations for the entire group, including its properties in the USA. In August 2007, he became director and Deputy Chief Executive of Dalata Hotel Group. Best known for the Clayton and Maldron brands, the company has extensive hotel operations in both Ireland and the UK. He was appointed President of the Irish Hotels Federation in 2014. He is also a non-executive director of the St Patrick’s Festival. In 2022, Stephen retired from Dalata Hotel Group and subsequently set up his new company, SERLS Hospitality Ltd.

Pat O’Leary

Pat O’Leary is a senior executive with over 40 years’ experience in the international port equipment industry. An electronics engineering graduate from DIT (Dublin Institute of Technology), Pat spent his entire career with the Swiss-based Liebherr Group, ultimately serving as Managing Director of its 4,000-strong global Maritime Division from 2006. His tenure saw transformative growth in turnover and the development of major infrastructure projects worldwide. Recognised for his strategic vision and ability to build global networks, Pat has played a pivotal role in delivering multimillion-euro projects in more than 60 countries.

Since retiring from Liebherr, Pat has turned his focus to the tourism sector and currently serves as the Chair of the Kerry Tourism Industry Federation. He also holds various board and advisory positions, including roles with PEMA (the Port Equipment Manufacturers’ Association), Net Feasa, the MTU (Munster Technological University) Tralee Foundation Board and was a member of Ireland’s Tourism Recovery Taskforce. He is also involved in several other public-private initiatives.

Kathryn Thomson

Kathryn Thomson has been Chief Executive of National Museums NI since March 2016. Immediately prior to that, Kathryn spent 11 years as the Chief Operating Officer at Tourism NI. Kathryn holds a B.Com. (Hons) degree in Business Studies from the University of Edinburgh, completed her accountancy training at PwC and has a professional qualification as a chartered accountant with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). In addition, Kathryn holds a public appointment as a Director of the Strategic Investment Board. She is Chair of the Strand Arts Centre and is also a director and trustee on the board of Grand Opera House Belfast and Culture Perth and Kinross.