John McGrillen will be new Tourism NI chief

The board of Tourism Northern Ireland has appointed John McGrillen as its new chief executive with effect from July.

Mr. McGrillen will replace Alan Clarke, who retired from the post in the autumn and in the meantime, David Thomson will continue as interim chief executive.

A former board member of the tourist board, Mr. McGrillen is currently director of development at Belfast City Council, where his responsibilities include urban development, tourism, economic and international development and the management of Belfast Waterfront and the Ulster Hall. He was previously chief executive of Down District Council.

Commenting on the appointment, Tourism NI chairman Terence Brannigan said that he felt the new chief executive would bring with him “great knowledge and expertise” in the field:

“I am confident that the experience, skills and qualifications he demonstrated during the recruitment and selection exercise will be a huge asset to Tourism NI as we move forward and build on the success of recent years,” added Mr. Brannigan.

“John’s expertise will also be invaluable in the context of the Review of Public Administration as we foster even greater collaboration with local authorities across Northern Ireland to deliver a dynamic, exciting and job-sustaining tourism industry that benefits all regions.”

During his early career John worked for Short Brothers and the Industrial Development Board, the forerunner to Invest NI, before being appointed chief executive of NI-CO, a Belfast-based international development consultancy.

John is a graduate in mechanical engineering from Queen’s University Belfast. He also holds an MSc in engineering computation and an MBA in international business.