Appointments to the Northern Ireland Public Health Agency

The Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt, has announced the appointment of three Non-Executive (Lay) Directors to the Public Health Agency (PHA) and an extension to the term of an existing Non-Executive Director appointment.

Tom Wright, Michael Gibbs and Patricia Kelly have been appointed as Non-Executive (Lay) Directors. All three appointments commenced on 1 April 2026 and will end on a date not later than 31 March 2030. John Patrick Clayton's extension to his term as a Non-Executive (Trade Union Representative) Director commenced on 10 April 2026 and will end on a date not later than 9 October 2026.

Non-Executive Directors attract remuneration of £10,556 per annum with a time commitment of 5 days per month. 

These appointments and extension are made in accordance with the Code of Practice issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland.

The PHA is a multi-disciplinary, regional body within the Health and Social Care system. It works closely with the Department of Health, local health and social care, and other partners to improve and protect the health of population. The PHA's purpose is to: 

• Protect public health;
• Improve health and social wellbeing of people in Northern Ireland;
• Reduce health inequalities; and
• Collaborate on health service planning and delivery.

The PHA works with individuals, communities, and organisations across all sectors to achieve these goals.

The PHA was established under Section 12 (1) of the Health and Social Care (Reform) Act (Northern Ireland) 2009. The PHA Executive Board comprises the Chief Executive, PHA, and three other Executive Board Members: the Director of Public Health, the Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions, and the Director of Finance and Corporate Services. The Board of the PHA comprises a Non-Executive Chair and seven Non-Executive Directors, (three lay, two local government representatives, one trade union representative and one member with a finance background).

Notes to editors:

1. Mr Tom Wright retired from the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service as Acting Deputy Chief Fire Officer after a career spanning 33 years.  He has significant in-depth experience as  a Non-Executive Director having been previously appointed to the boards of both the Health & Safety Executive NI and the Agri-Food & Biosciences Institute. He brings with him a strong  background of financial governance and corporate risk management from his time as Chair of both bodies' Audit & Risk Assurance Committees. Tom graduated from Ulster University with an MBA and has successfully completed the Critical Leadership Development Programme at Queens University. He currently holds no other public appointments.
2. Mr Michael Gibbs is a senior consultant, board member and former healthcare executive with substantial experience in leadership, governance, organisational transformation and conflict management. He is Managing Director of MG Consultants, supporting organisations across healthcare, humanitarian, faith-based and corporate sectors. Michael has held senior  executive roles in the NHS and international health systems, with responsibility for strategy, performance, service improvement and operational delivery. He is also an international mediator helping organisations strengthen communication, manage complexity and build effective, inclusive cultures. He has also served in trustee and board roles in the charitable sector, including Diabetes UK, contributing expertise in governance, equity and organisational effectiveness.  
3. Ms Patricia Kelly has worked as a lawyer, having been called to the Northern Ireland Bar, and has an LLM in Human Rights Law. She retired as Director of the Children's Law Centre    in  August 2025 having established the Charity in 1997.  She has extensive experience on boards in the voluntary sector and on government funded bodies. She currently sits as the Legally Qualified Commissioner on the Board of the Charity Commission NI which carries a time commitment of 2 days per month and attracts a remuneration of £3,823 per annum plus reasonable expenses. Additional work is paid at a daily rate of £604.
4. Mr John Patrick Clayton is Head of Bargaining and Representation for the trade union UNISON in Northern Ireland. John Patrick graduated in Law from Queen's University Belfast in 2007. He is a qualified barrister who has previously practised both at the Northern Ireland Bar and at the Bar of Ireland. Prior to joining UNISON, he worked in policy roles for the Committee on the Administration of Justice and Children's Law Centre, with a focus on the development of policy to promote human rights and equality of opportunity. John Patrick is currently vice-Chair of the Northern Ireland Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. Previously, he has been a member of the Executive of the voluntary organisation NIACRO. 
5. Appointments to the PHA are made by the Health Minister.
6. All appointments are made on merit, and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland requires the political activity of appointees to be published. All the appointees have declared that they have not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.