Extension of Appointments of the Governor and Members to the Management Committee of the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium
Date published:
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons 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 Paul Kennedy 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 Greg Cox
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 Paul Kennedy
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 Eugene Rooney
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.
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