Members of the Authority

Patricia Byron currently holds a number of private and public sector INED roles which includes  her position as Chairperson of the Health Insurance Authority. In her earlier executive career she held senior executive positions in the Insurance industry moving to the public sector when she was appointed as the first CEO of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board. Patricia was the first female president of the Insurance Institute, is a graduate of UCD and a Chartered insurer. She has recently completed her term on the governing Board of the Central Bank of Ireland. 

Dr. John Evans has over 20 years’ experience in the area of competition and regulation. He is currently the Digital Services Commissioner at Comisiún na Meán, where his responsibilities include leading on the enforcement and implementation of the Digital Services Coordinator’s functions within Coimisiún na Meán, developing the procedures necessary to implement the Digital Services Act, and representing the Irish Digital Services Coordinator as a member of the European Board of Digital Services.

Prior to joining Comisiún na Meán, John worked as Director of Strategy and Economics at ComReg, the Irish communications regular, and in various roles at the Irish Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (and previously the Irish Competition Authority), most recently as the Director of Civil Competition Law Enforcement.

John holds a PhD in Economics from UCD, Ireland.

Caroline is a highly accomplished senior actuary with over 34 years’ experience in a wide variety of general insurance roles at both UK and European level, serving as the Head of Actuarial Function for a major International Insurance Company. Caroline’s professional career has given her a deep understanding of the insurance business and the associated risks.

Damien is a lawyer admitted to the bar in both Ireland and New York. He is a seasoned legal advisor and corporate executive with significant senior level experience across the financial sector and health insurance sector. He holds degrees from the Queen’s University of Belfast, National University of Ireland, University of Dublin (Trinity College), King’s Inns and University of Oxford. 

John is a senior actuary and health economist. He completed his undergraduate studies in Trinity College Dublin and his postgraduate studies in Georgetown University, Washington DC. He has extensively researched on many health insurance reform topics and has active research and teaching links with both the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and the Institute of Public Administration in Dublin.

He has over 25 years experience working in the health insurance industry. Furthermore, he has advised over 20 countries on health financing reform topics in many diverse parts of the world, including the reform of their health insurance sector.

Michael is a Civil Engineer, Chartered Management Accountant and holds an MBA from UCC. He has significant board experience in diverse roles including finance, business planning, regulatory affairs and healthcare.

Michael is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. He has over 20 years of commercial experience and holds an MBA from UCD Smurfit Business School. He has worked with a number of large regulated companies in Ireland and internationally to ensure they meet all legislative and licensing obligations. In his current role as Finance Director, he is responsible for a wide number of commercial issues for group companies on the island of Ireland operating as part of a publicly quoted international group and for ensuring that effective corporate governance practices are followed.