Mary held several different Ministerial positions in the Irish Government for 18 years, including Environmental Protection, Industry, Trade, Research & Innovation and Health.
Ever ready to challenge the status quo, Mary’s entire political life has been characterised by a passion for reform, innovation and enterprise. After 17 years in government, Mary had reached the height of her career. She served as Tánaiste for 9 years, became the first woman to lead a political party in Ireland and held many important ministerial portfolios. She was also notably the longest serving female Government minister and TD in the state’s history.
Retired from politics since 2011, Mary is now a business consultant. She is an independent director of several companies. She was appointed Chancellor of the University of Limerick in January 2018, having previously been Chair of Amber (Advanced Materials and Bio-engineering Research Centre) in Trinity College Dublin. Mary is a board member of the Irish Hospice Foundation and of the European Board of Vital Voices. She provides advisory services to companies mainly in the Pharma and Healthcare sectors and fulfils speaking engagements at international conferences.