The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) has announced Celene Craig as its new chief executive.
It follows an independent recruitment process and has been approved by the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD.
Ms Craig has been deputy chief executive of the BAI since it was established in 2009 and had also worked for its predecessors, the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) and the Independent Radio and Television Commission (IRTC).
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.”
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.”
In addition to the transition of the BAI into a new Media Commission, Ms Craig will oversee the implementation of the European Audiovisual Media Services Directive.
