Professor Martina Lawless appointed as next ESRI Director

The Council of the Economic and Social Research Institute is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Martina Lawless as the next Director of the ESRI. Professor Lawless will succeed Professor Alan Barrett in June when Professor Barrett’s ten-year term ends. The appointment follows an extensive search and a rigorous selection process, supported by PwC Executive Search.

Martina Lawless joined the ESRI in 2015 and is currently a Research Professor. Prior to joining the ESRI, Martina worked as a research economist in the Central Bank of Ireland for ten years. She holds a doctorate in Economics from Trinity College Dublin. Martina is currently a member of the National Statistics Board and was a member of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council. Her research has focused primarily on firm-level dynamics, covering a range of topics such as job turnover, exporting, wage setting and foreign direct investment.

Commenting on her appointment, Professor Lawless said: “I am very proud to have been appointed Director of the ESRI. The Institute plays a central role in our country in providing independent and rigorous evidence to inform policy decisions. I look forward to leading and further developing this role in the coming years. I would like to pay tribute to the wonderful work of my predecessor in the role, Professor Alan Barrett, in his leadership of the Institute over the past ten years and am delighted that he will continue to play a central role in the work of the ESRI.”

The Chair of the Council of the ESRI Mr. Seán O’Driscoll said: “The ESRI is an enormously important agency in Ireland. Through its work over sixty years, policymakers have been provided with high-quality, independent and objective analysis which has facilitated evidence-informed policy and better outcomes for Ireland’s citizens. The Council is delighted to be appointing Martina Lawless to lead the ESRI in the coming years. Professor Lawless’s skills, experience and values align perfectly with the role, and we wish her every success”.