Paul Farrell – Hibernia College CEO

Hibernia College has announced that David Carpenter has retired from his role as Chief Executive Officer of the College after almost a decade of distinguished service to the College. David had indicated his intention to retire in late 2023 after which the Hibernia College Board of Directors initiated a comprehensive process to select a new CEO. Hibernia College also announced that Mr. Paul Farrell has been appointed to the new role of CEO of the enlarged Hibernia Colleges Group.

Serving in the CEO position since 2015, David has overseen a transformation in the life, work and reputation of the College, evidenced in significant growth in overall student numbers and in the emergence of Hibernia College as the largest provider of Primary teachers in Ireland. During this period David has also made a significant impact on the College through modernising services and infrastructure while operating through a global pandemic.

David has also overseen an expansion in the number and variety of degree courses which the College now offers. Of major significance for the future, is its offer of a BSc (Hons) in General Nursing degree course for which their first and second intake of students are pursuing academic and out-placement studies with leading hospitals.

Commenting, David said: “At a time when Ireland is crying out for nurses, when demand for student places is greater than the capacity of traditional centres of learning to accommodate them, and when health authorities rely significantly on the recruitment of nurses from developing countries as well as high-cost agency staff, our decision to expand into nursing corresponds with the needs of the Irish healthcare system and the broader needs of Irish society”.

David thanked colleagues at Hibernia College for what he said was: “the hugely productive and enjoyable time we have spent together since my appointment in 2015 and for the many shared experiences that I will look back upon with pride and pleasure – not least the manner in which we rallied together in establishing methods and procedures that proved successful in steering us through the impact of Covid-19”.

Mr. David Moffitt, Chairperson Hibernia Colleges Group said: “On behalf of everyone in Hibernia College, we wish David every success in whatever path he chooses to follow post his retirement. During his time with us, David has been a leader who has fulfilled our ambitions to grow Hibernia Colleges Group, both organically and through further acquisitions”.

“His leadership and his contribution is reflected in the emergence of Hibernia College into a leading career-oriented education provider with an emphasis on innovative high-quality courses that are widely accessible and professionally accredited, and in the establishment of Hibernia Colleges Group, a newly created corporate entity comprising the three colleges, Hibernia College, Accountancy School and Institute of Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy (IICP)”.

In announcing the appointment of Paul Farrell to the new role of CEO of the enlarged Hibernia Colleges Group, Mr. Moffitt added “ We have been seeking to hire a leader who will fulfil our ambitions to grow Hibernia Colleges Group, both organically and through further acquisitions, into a leading career-oriented education provider, both nationally and internationally, with an emphasis on innovative high-quality courses that are widely accessible and professionally accredited and we are confident that Paul will leverage his deep experience to help accelerate and further grow our business.”

Prior to taking up his new position, Paul was Managing Director of Virgin Media Television. Before that, he was Director of Strategy & Marketing with Davy Group and, previous to that, he held other commercial roles with IPG Mediabrands, Irish Times, O2 and Worldcom. His first role in the field of education was as Sales & Marketing Manager at Carlow RTC.