VITA BOARD
Vita’s Board is committed to maintaining the highest standard of governance and is collectively responsible for ensuring delivery of Vita’s mission, setting its strategic direction, and upholding its vision and core values.
Vita’s Board meets regularly and is advised by a series of subcommittees which are chaired by board members.
Vita’s Code of Conduct for Directors
Learn more about Vita’s Governance, Accountability & Transparency
Ronan McCabe is a senior investment professional with over twenty years of global treasury and investment management experience with a passion for sustainability and the role that investments can play.
He currently works for an investment management firm based in Dublin. He was previously the Head of Portfolio Management Pacific with Mercer Investments as well as Global Chair of Equity Portfolio Management Team. He subsequently became Chief Investments Officer for Mercer New Zealand where he led the integration of sustainability into its investment process as well as the business’ commitments to Net Zero across all of its investment portfolios.
Prior to moving to the Pacific, McCabe worked as a Senior Investment Manager for the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), the Irish SWF that sits inside the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA). McCabe was also a member of the NTMA’s Market and Liquidity Risk Committee.
McCabe joined the ISIF from a global asset management firm where he was a senior member of the Portfolio Construction team that took unique approach to investment management. Prior to this, he was a Portfolio Manager at a boutique credit investment firm. He started his career working for one of Germany’s largest banks where he was a Treasury dealer and subsequently ran a Trading Book.
McCabe has a BA in Physics from Trinity College Dublin and a MSc in Financial and Industrial Mathematics from Dublin City University. He is a CFA and CAIA Charterholder, and a former President of the CFA Society Ireland.
He is the current Adjunct Lecturer in Investments & Sustainability for the M.Sc in Law and Finance at TCD. He has also lectured in Treasury Management and Fixed Income Portfolio Management for the Masters in Finance courses at both TCD and NUI Galway. In addition, he has been a member of various global committees and task forces for CFA Institute with a focus on Curriculum and Examination.
Niall M. Kelly is a self-employed Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland and an Associate of The Irish Tax Institute (with a Bachelor of Commerce, Masters of Business Administration, and Business Related Postgraduates, amongst other qualifications).
Niall has worked in varied and dynamic environments, with commercial international organisations (and related indigenous / foreign subsidiaries – MNC, PLC, LIC), ‘big 4 practice’, ‘non-profit’ / ‘not for profit’, SME’s and ‘Startups’; organisations such as Arthur Andersen (in Ireland and in the U.K), Kerry Group plc., eircom plc., Vodafone Ireland Ltd., The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, etc.
Niall has broad experience in the Non-Profit / Not-for-Profit sector, on a ‘paid’ basis (self-employed’ / ‘employed’), on a voluntary basis as a Board Member / Chair / Executive Committee member of Chartered Accountants Managers, and also in terms of related personal and academic pursuits.
Dr Lance O’Brien, MA, PhD, MBA, is Head of Strategy & International Relations at Teagasc. He is a member of the Teagasc Senior Management Team and works on the development of Teagasc organisational policies and strategies, its relationships with international organisations, as well as leading its international agricultural development programme.
Sarah is an accomplished corporate affairs leader with over 15 years of diverse experience in strategic communications, media relations, reputation management and employee engagement. Sarah has worked in communications agencies in Dublin and London and as Head of Corporate Affairs in Vodafone and Head of External Communications in Aer Lingus.
Sarah has proven success in creating and executing local and global communications, marketing, content and public affairs campaigns for leading brands, organisations, and charities.
Sarah holds a BSc in Government and Public Policy from UCC, a MSc in International Politics from Bristol University and a Diploma in Sustainable Business from Glasgow Caledonian University.
Richard Lynch is an accomplished commercial manager with over 30 years of extensive international experience across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Holding a Bachelor of Science degree from University College Cork and a Master of Science degree from Dublin Institute of Technology, Richard has specialized in the study of cooperatives and their profound impact on farming communities.
Richard’s career has been marked by senior roles in both multinational and local companies, including the New Zealand Dairy Board and Kerry Group plc. His current role in an indigenous Irish cooperative underscores his deep commitment to leveraging his commercial acumen for the benefit of local enterprises.
Beyond his professional endeavors, Richard is dedicated to community service, contributing his expertise voluntarily to local and regional organizations in education and sports. His leadership roles as Chairperson and committee member have been instrumental in driving impactful initiatives over the years.