RTÉ commercial director Geraldine O’Leary to take early retirement with immediate effect
Of Ie Director Sam Her Retirement Boal/rollingnews Has Picture: O’leary Announced Mercial Geraldine
RTÉ director of commercial Geraldine O’Leary has announced she is to take early retirement with immediate effect.
It comes as RTÉ's new director general Kevin Bakhurst announced a new interim leadership team, saying the previous executive board had been stood down.
Ms O'Leary was one of the RTÉ executives who have been grilled before three Oireachtas committees in past two weeks.
RTÉ has been reeling since it emerged last month it under-reported the salary paid to star presenter Ryan Tubridy and failed to disclose €345,000 of additional payments to him between 2017 and 2022.
Ms O'Leary's departure from RTÉ follows the news that director of strategy Rory Coveney resigned on Sunday. Mr Coveney, brother of Cabinet Minister Simon Coveney, oversaw the flop production of which lost €2.2m in revenue.
Ms O’Leary said: “My career at RTÉ is a great source of pride and honour to me.
“Bringing my retirement forward by a number of weeks is not something I had anticipated.
“However, I recognise that a fresh leadership team, starting today, is vital as Kevin Bakhurst sets out to renew RTÉ, and I have agreed to facilitate that.”
She added: “Over more than 40 years in the advertising industry, I have acted with integrity and my positive reputation has been hard-earned. I truly hope that this will be my legacy.”
Ms O’Leary first joined RTÉ in 1997 as manager of television sales and was promoted to director, sales and marketing in 1999. She was appointed Group Head of Commercial RTÉ in January 2018 and was responsible for leading all of the divisional and cross-divisional commercial staff and operations at RTÉ.
Mr Bakhurst thanked Ms O'Leary "for her huge contribution to RTÉ over many years".
"Geraldine has guided our commercial team through significant change and many challenges. She has brought in substantial commercial revenue over the years to help deliver high-quality programmes and serve our audiences. Geraldine is much liked and admired by both our commercial partners and her colleagues at RTÉ. And she is rightly recognised as a trailblazer in what was a tough and male-dominated industry.”
Meanwhile, Mr Bakhurst announced a series of changes in response to what he described as the “shameful” revelations that have emerged in recent weeks.
As well as announcing a new interim leadership board, Mr Bakhurst said a financial review would also take place, and all significant decisions would now "be agreed by the whole of the Interim Leadership Team and a record of discussions leading to these decisions will be compiled".
Mr Bakhurst will also establish a register of interests for staff and contractors, something that was "long overdue".
The new director-general said he would also oversee a “culture change” at the broadcaster. He said he was initiating a review of roles, grades, pay and gender equality. He also pledged to improve communications with staff and enhance their input in decision-making.