THE Royal Dublin Society (RDS) has appointed Liam Kavanagh as its interim chief executive following the departure of former chief executive Geraldine Ruane last month.

Ruane departed the organisation unexpectedly after just shy of three years in the role. She was the first female CEO of the RDS in its almost 300-year history.

Kavanagh’s appointment was confirmed by an RDS spokeswoman who told The Irish Field he would “assist the board of management in the recruitment of a new chief executive and work with the board/senior management team during this transition phase.”

Mr Kavanagh is a Chartered Director and former Chief Executive of The Irish Times group of companies.

Ruane declined to comment on her departure to The Irish Field and the RDS did not respond to a request for comment at the time but subsequently confirmed she had stepped down “after her very successful tenure” as chief executive since 2021.

“The board of the RDS wishes to express their particular gratitude to Geraldine for her successful stewardship of a number of key capital and strategic business projects,” their statement read.

These included securing additional funding for the Anglesea Stand redevelopment project and overseeing the purchase of St Mary’s Church, Anglesea Road.

Earlier this month, the RDS was granted planning permission to build the new Anglesea Stand which will be capable of accommodating 6,775 people as part of a €50 million project due to start in August 2024. The St Mary’s Church site, which sits on an acre at the corner of Anglesea and Simmonscourt Roads, was purchased for approximately €4 million.