DARD Permanent Secretary - Mr Gerry Lavery

Mr Lavery has been promoted to Permanent Secretary to cover the transfer of Dr McKibbin to DRD, with effect from 19 August 2010.

 

Mr Gerry Lavery has been a civil servant for 35 years, serving previously in the Departments of Manpower Services and Economic Development, the Northern Ireland Office, and the Training and Employment Agency.  He joined DARD as a Senior Civil Servant in 1995, and took up the post of Senior Finance Director in 2003.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Malcolm McKibbin was appointed as the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Agriculture and Rural Development in May 2007.  As of 19 August 2010, Dr McKibbin has transferred on a temporary basis to the post of Permanent Secretary in the Department for Regional Development (DRD).

Dr McKibbin graduated from Southampton University in 1978 with an honours degree in Civil Engineering and joined the Department of the Environment. Further academic studies at the University of Ulster resulted in the award of a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1987 and a Master of Business Administration degree in 1991.

Prior to his appointment as the DARD Permanent Secretary he spent much of his career working throughout NI in Roads Service and was its Chief Executive for 5 years. He has also held senior posts in the Department of Finance and Personnel where he was the Deputy Secretary in charge of the Central Procurement Division and in the Department of Regional Development where he led the development of the Regional Transportation Strategy.