Communities Minister has extended the appointments
of the Governor and two Members of the Management Committee of
the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (AOP) with effect from 1
March 2026 to 31 August 2026.
Governor Greg Cox and Members and Eugene Rooney have all
served their first term from 1 March 2021 to 28 February 2026.
AOP is a statutory body as set out in The Armagh Observatory and
Planetarium (Northern Ireland) Order 1995. It is overseen by a
Board of Governors, with the Board having delegated primary
responsibility for the governance and management of the
organisation to a Management Committee. AOP is sponsored by the
Department for Communities (DfC).
Armagh Observatory was established in 1790, with it being the
oldest scientific institution in Northern Ireland and the longest
continuously operating astronomical research facility in the
United Kingdom and Ireland. Armagh Planetarium is the oldest
operating Planetarium in the UK and Ireland, having been in
operation for more than 50 years as the public face of space and
astronomy in Northern Ireland.
Notes to editors:
1. These positions attract no remuneration, however there is a
provision for out-of-pocket expenses.
2. These appointments have been made in accordance with the
Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland's (CPA
NI) Code of Practice. All appointments are made on merit and
political activity plays no part in the selection process.
However, CPA NI requires the political activity of appointees to
be published. Any relevant details are provided in the below
biographies.
3. Biographical Details:
Mr Cox is a solicitor and the Chief Executive of a law firm based
across England and Wales. He has extensive experience of
financial management, governance experience, capital raising and
restructuring in a highly regulated sector. He brings added value
to AOP with his distinctive combination of legal expertise and
commercial management skills. Outside of his professional life,
he has a lifelong interest in space exploration. He holds no
other public appointments and has not undertaken any political
activity in the past five years.
Mr Kennedy is a retired Civil Servant where he worked in the
Departments of Infrastructure and Finance, in which he gained 20
years' experience relating to complex financial transactions and
sponsorship responsibilities for Arm's Length Bodies. He is a
Chartered Accountant and has prior private sector experience,
including establishing his own accountancy practice which covered
areas such as corporate governance, internal audit and risk
management. Paul is a Board Member of Northern Ireland Fire and
Rescue Service (NIFRS) where he is Chair of the Audit Risk and
Governance Committee. He is a past Chair of the Ulster Society of
the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland and a previous
Council Member of the Institute. He has not undertaken any
political activity in the past five years.
Mr Rooney is a former Senior Civil Servant who has held a variety
of senior positions in a number of Government Departments.
He has extensive experience of governance and financial and
performance management working with Departmental Arm's-Length
Bodies in economic development, health and education. His most
recent roles were in the Department for the Economy with
responsibilities for economic strategy, skills, further
education, apprenticeships, youth training and tourism. He has
also previously worked in the Departments of Health, Finance and
Education, as well as the Office of the First Minister and Deputy
First Minister. He holds no other public appointments and has not
undertaken any political activity in the past five years.
