DR garrett curran

CHAIR

Garrett is an adviser and investor specialising in financial services, technology and real estate. He is Managing Director at Equilibria Capital in Madrid, Spain, an asset management company focused on managing investment funds and separate accounts for private and institutional clients, and currently holds several Board positions. Previously, he was CEO of Credit Suisse in the UK and the bank’s Chief Client Officer in EMEA, whilst also managing and supervising their Global Markets EMEA client business, with responsibilities spanning strategy, operational management, supervision, culture and senior client relationships.

Originally from Belfast, Garrett attended St Malachy's College. He holds an MA in Law from St Catharine’s College, Cambridge University where he was a member of the College’s Campaign Advisory Group and was recently elected as a Fellow Commoner of the College. Garrett is a patron of the CRIS Cancer Foundation, and, through the Curran Family Foundation, Garrett and his wife Natalia, support a number of charities spanning education (with a focus on social mobility) and medical research (with a focus on funding paediatric research and treatment).

Garrett was awarded an Honorary Degree by Queen’s University Belfast in December 2023, in recognition of his services to business, commerce and education. 

Tessa Breslin

VICE-CHAIR

Tessa graduated from Queen’s with a First Class Honours degree in Psychology (1998) and a Master's degree in Occupational Psychology (1999). She is a member of the Board and the Global Leadership Team of YSC Consulting.  Based in New York, Tessa leads YSC’s North American business and has broad, international expertise in leadership strategy, executive assessment and coaching, and talent development. She is a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society, an ICF accredited coach, and has served on the Board of a Liberal Arts University in the USA for seven years.

Originally from Derry, married, and with three young children, Tessa has maintained strong connections with Queen's and Northern Ireland through the Queen's Alumni Association in the US and as an active supporter of Irish arts and culture. 

Georgina Copty (Gina)

Georgina was born and raised in Jerusalem, which has had a strong influence on her academic and vocational pursuits. Having graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs and Philosophy from Gordon College, Massachusetts (1996), she went on to work for Human Rights Watch, Middle East Division, in Washington DC. She later obtained an MBA from University of Cape Town (2000), before settling in Belfast.

Since then, she has served as Honorary Secretary on the Interfaith Working Group, which is part of the Commission for Christian Unity and Dialogue (2011-2021), and on the Executive for Irish Council of Churches (2020-present). Georgina obtained a Graduate Diploma in Theology from Union Theological College 2016-2017.  In 2018, she and her husband set up the Olive Tree Fund to administer a wide range of philanthropic activities, most notably funding a three-year training programme with Concern Worldwide for refugee women’s business initiatives in the Middle East. The couple have also set up the Copty scholarship at Queen’s University to benefit a Palestinian postgraduate student. She lives in Belfast with her husband, Chris, and four children.

John O'Donoghue

John graduated from Queen's in 1981. He has had a thirty-five year career in financial services on Wall Street, primarily at three firms; Schroders 1983-2000 (Partner), Credit Suisse 2000-2005 (Global Equity Operating Committee) and Cowen 2005-2012 (Head of Global Equities). During his tenure at Cowen, he was instrumental in setting up an office in Belfast, working closely with the Invest NI team.  That office currently employs fifty people.

From 2013 - 2023, John ran a very well regarded research firm OTR Global, which then had a successful exit to private equity in 2023. John is currently a director at a boutique investment bank in Washington DC called Height Capital and he remains very active with NI businesses. 

A native of Newcastle, Co Down, John has maintained a very close connection with home and with his Alma Mater. He served as the first President of the Queen's Alumni Association in the USA, and since 2013 has been President of the Friends of The Queen's University of Belfast Inc. and is an active member of the Northern Ireland diaspora. 

DR Stephen Prenter, Mbe

Stephen graduated from Queen’s in Economics in 1975 and has spent a notable career as a Chartered Accountant and business adviser. After 14 years with KPMG, he established and became founding partner of BDO Northern Ireland in 1989 and led that firm through a prolonged period of growth for 20 years, serving on the UK Executive Board of BDO International.

He has been Chair of the Ulster Society Chartered Accountants, Chair of Investment Belfast, Chair of Grand Opera House Belfast and non-executive director at Haldane Shiells Group. In 2018 he was awarded an MBE for services to Business, the Arts and Education. He is currently non-executive Chair at Whiterock Capital.

Stephen was appointed Honorary Treasurer at Queen’s 2006-2012, becoming Pro-Chancellor in 2012 and serving as Chair of Senate, the governing body, for five years from 2016 to 2020.

Sir Bruce Robinson

Bruce graduated from Queens in 1972 with an Honours degree in Economics. He qualified as a chartered accountant and then worked in Tanzania, teaching as a VSO and on a major USAID funded development project.

Back in Belfast he worked in economic development for 20 years including 5 years as Chief Executive of IDB. In this role he worked very closely with a wide range of US investors in Northern Ireland. He held permanent secretary positions in several civil service departments including the Office of the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) and was head of the NI Civil Service. He worked closely with Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness for 4 years. While in these roles he led a very major programme of civil service reform. He was knighted in 2011.

Since retiring Bruce has been appointed by the Irish Government as chair of one of its major civil service reform projects. He also serves on the Advisory Board of KPMG Northern Ireland.

Among his charitable interests Bruce is Chairman of the Lyric Theatre, a trustee of the Irish American Partnership and a trustee of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.

DR Ed Vernon

Edward (Ed) graduated from Queen's in 1981 with a BSc in Electrical & Electronic Engineering and in 1982 with an MSc in Electronic Engineering, following which he worked in Queen’s Wolfson Unit. He co-founded B.I.C. Systems which became a leading technology business and was acquired by BT plc.  

Ed is a former Invest NI board member, former Belfast Harbour Commissioner, former Asset Management Advisor to the N Ireland Executive and former Chair of the Riddel Hall Founders’ Club at Queen’s. He is a Strategic Advisor to BT and a business investor.

Ed was awarded an OBE for services to economic development in 2012 and awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Queen’s University in 2013 for services to business and commerce.

Professor Sir Ian Greer

Sir Ian has been President and Vice-Chancellor of Queen’s University Belfast since August 2018. He is the Chief Executive Officer of the University reporting to the Senate responsible for the executive leadership of the Institution. Sir Ian is the Chair of the University Management Board and is the line manager for the leadership team.

Sir Ian has extensive experience of university innovation driving regional economic growth.  This includes cross-sector developments both in Northern Ireland and England, and specifically the Belfast Region City Deal Innovation Pillar, driving innovation in key sectors for the local economy, such as health innovation, data science & analytics, and advanced manufacturing. He is passionate about the importance of social responsibility and inclusion to the University’s mission, particularly widening participation, diversity & inclusion and civic engagement. 

He is a past President of Universities Ireland, promoting collaboration across the island, a member of the British Council’s Education Advisory Group, Founder of both the Health Innovation Research Alliance, Northern Ireland (HIRANI) and the Northern Health Science Alliance, and non-executive Director of Dubai Academic Health Corporation. He is a Deputy Lieutenant of the County Borough of Belfast.

He is a medical graduate of the University of Glasgow, with his research and clinical career in obstetrics & gynaecology. He was made a Knight Bachelor in the King’s Birthday Honours 2023 for services to education and the economy.

Dr Ryan Feeney

Dr Feeney is a member of the University Management Board with lead responsibility for Administration and External Affairs and has oversight of the following Directorates: The Chancellery, Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility, Alumni Engagement and Philanthropy and Strategic Communications. As Registrar he is also the Secretary to both the University’s Senate and Academic Council and is responsible for central institutional coordination reporting to President and Vice-Chancellor.

Prior to this appointment as Vice-President, he was Director of Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility at Queen’s and before that Director of Strategic Communication and Engagement at the Police Service of Northern Ireland. He was previously Head of Public Engagement at Queen’s University and was a Visiting Professor at Ulster University in Governance and Public Policy. Dr Feeney also served as an independent member of the Northern Ireland Policing Board from 2011-2018, where he was the lead member for Human Rights and Professional Standards. 

He has organised and curated six major international conferences, including the 20th and 25th Anniversary events at Queen’s marking the anniversaries of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.

Dr Feeney is a graduate of St Mary's University College and postgraduate in Law from Queen’s. He has a Doctorate in Governance, specialising in political science and public policy from the Institute of Public Administration, National University of Ireland. 

Patrick Anderson

• Paddy Anderson is Vice-President and Chief Finance and Resources Officer at Queen’s University Belfast.  He has responsibility for the directorates of; Finance,  Estates, Digital and Information Services and Strategy and Planning.

He is also Co-Sponsor of the Belfast Region City Deal Programme.  Paddy serves as a member of the University’s Management Board.

A Chartered Accountant with a PLC background, Paddy was previously Group Chief Financial Officer at Translink and has an extensive range of experience at Board level in both the private and public sectors.  Paddy is a Board member of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry and is a member of the Bank of England’s Decision Maker Panel.  He is also a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland and the Institute of Directors.