O'Donovan declines to 'get into the weeds' about exact salary for new An Post CEO
Vivienne Clarke
Media Minister Patrick O’Donovan has said that prudence was important when it comes to the salaries for senior staff in semi-State companies.
The Minister was responding to a report that he is in dispute with the board of An Post over pay for its new chief executive and key elements of its development strategy.
The board had proposed a salary rate of about €360,000 per year for the next chief executive of An Post, who will take over from David McRedmond in the coming weeks.
The Irish Times reported last month that An Post was lining up Fergal Leamy, the former head of Coillte and Glen Dimplex, to become its next chief executive.
O’Donovan told Newstalk Breakfast with Anton Savage that the Government had to be very conscious of the demands that will be placed on it with regard to pay.
“Ireland is not immune from geopolitical conflicts that are around the world. And our economy is a small, open economy. And we have to be very conscious of the fact that there are risks on the horizon that none of us know how they're going to impact on the economy.
“So prudence is always important. But it's also important to make sure that in a strong, open economy, you have strong public sector companies, of which An Post is one."
O’Donovan declined “to get into the weeds” about the exact rate of salary for the new CEO of An Post, but said he had a very good meeting with the chairman of An Post “and there was no row whatsoever".
“I have a very good relationship with Kieran Mulvey, and we had a very good discussion about a lot of things that's going on in the organisation. But we have laid out, together with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, what we believe is an adequate salary for the new incoming CEO.
“We obviously are in a situation where the board of An Post are trying to make an appointment, and hopefully that appointment will be made shortly.
"So I don't think it would be appropriate for me, while they are finishing out discussions with a candidate, and obviously they would be sensitive to the board.
"And once the board have made an appointment, which I think will be made fairly soon, everything will become apparent then with regard to salaries, remunerations, total packages and everything else.”
