TIPPERARY native Denis Duggan begins his role as CEO of Horse Sport Ireland next Tuesday, January 4th.

With a strong background in agriculture and business, Duggan takes up the role in HSI after five years as CEO of Macra na Feirme. Under his tenure, the rural youth association tripled its surplus to €345,760 from €115,649 and its membership topped 10,000 for the first time in decades.

The organisation’s annual report for 2019 show that Macra reaped a bumper year as it celebrated its 75th anniversary with income up by 33% from €2.02 million to €2.68 million.

Duggan holds an MBA from the National University Galway and previously worked with Shannon Development for six years, followed by a post as Senior Regional Development Executive with Enterprise Ireland, developing new agri-business start-ups. He was also involved in the Innovation Arena.

“The foundations are in place with the current strategic plan to embark on a period of exciting development and growth across equestrian sports and breeding,” Duggan said when his appointment was announced. “I look forward to leading the organisation on this journey as we embrace the challenges ahead and to working with all our partners and stakeholders on bringing our ambitious plans to fruition.”

Joe Reynolds, who has held the role of Acting CEO since September 2020, will now revert to his role as chairman.