Broadcasting Authority of Ireland announces appointment of new Chief Executive.

The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Celene Craig as its new Chief Executive, with immediate effect. Her appointment follows a competitive independent recruitment process and has been approved by the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD.

Ms Craig has 30 years’ experience in media regulation. She held the role of Deputy Chief Executive of the BAI since its establishment in 2009, and prior to that she worked with its predecessors, the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) and the Independent Radio and Television Commission (IRTC).

In her current role as Deputy Chief Executive, Ms Craig has been responsible for the formulation and review of a wide range of broadcasting / media-related policies and for advising on the implementation of legislative and policy changes in the audiovisual field at national and European levels. Most recently, she led the development of the BAI’s policy position on the implementation of the revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive and on the future regulation of harmful content on online platforms.

Ms Craig is a member of the board of the European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services (ERGA), which is an advisory body to the European Commission. She previously chaired the European Platform of Regulatory Authorities (EPRA) and is an active participant in national and European fora on audiovisual legislative and regulatory matters.

BAI Chairperson Designate, Mary Curtis said: “The Authority conducted a thorough recruitment process for this important role, and I am delighted that Ms Craig is the successful candidate.  Her in-depth knowledge and experience of regulation, policy, and media-related legislation, coupled with her strong strategic acumen, communication and leadership skills will serve the organisation well through a time of significant change in the media regulation arena. The coming period will see the transposition and implementation of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) and the subsummation of the BAI into a new Media Commission.  In the meantime, she will work closely with the Authority and the BAI’s Executive team in managing the transition of the BAI to the Media Commission and to deliver the BAI’s strategic priorities, as set out in our Strategy Statement 2021-2023.”

Commenting on her appointment, Ms Craig said: “I am delighted to take up this position at an exciting time for media regulation in Ireland. I look forward to working with my colleagues and those involved in media regulation to continue our current work, while ensuring we build capacity to allow us to meet the challenges and grasp the opportunities that lie ahead as the BAI moves into the Media Commission.”