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A first class honours, first place in class Science (Microbiology and Biochemistry) graduate of University College Dublin, Prof Niamh Brennan qualified as a chartered accountant with KPMG, holds a PhD from the University of Warwick and more recently qualified as a Chartered Director with the Institute of Directors (London).
With over 100 highly cited publications, Prof Brennan has published on Financial Reporting, Corporate Governance and Forensic Accounting in international peer-reviewed publications. One of her papers was awarded the British Accounting Review 2010 Best Paper Award. Prof Brennan has served as Chair of the Accounting group and Associate Dean for Research at the School of Business, UCD. She has also held visiting positions at the University of Sydney, the University of South Australia and the University of Canterbury at Christchurch, New Zealand.
Having established the Centre for Corporate Governance at UCD in 2002, Prof Brennan has led the discourse in Ireland and internationally on corporate governance. She is a regular TV, radio and newspaper contributor. The Centre has provided executive and professional training to 1,000s of Irish company directors. Niamh leads a team of doctoral students at the Centre who are researching a variety of topics including Combined Code non-compliance explanations, investment fund boards, family businesses, whistleblowing and clinical governance.
She is currently Chairman of the Dublin Docklands Development Authority and has held non-executive directorships with the Health Service Executive, Ulster Bank, Co-operation Ireland, Coillte (Irish state forestry company) and Lifetime Assurance (Bank of Ireland's life assurance arm). She served for seven years on the audit committee of the Department of Agriculture and Food and is former chairman and member of the Audit Committee of UCD. Contributing to the work of two professional bodies, Prof Brennan is Chairman of the Committee on Professional Conduct of the Society of Actuaries in Ireland and is a Member of the Disciplinary Committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland. In 2002 she was appointed by the Minister for Finance to chair the Commission on Financial Management and Control Systems in the Health Services and in 1999 she was appointed by the Minister for Trade Enterprise and Employment as vice-chairman of the Review Group on Auditing. Prof Brennan has also completed financial reporting and corporate governance consulting assignments for some of Ireland's leading organisations and has served as an expert witness in cases involving financial reporting and corporate governance issues.
