Karen Ciesielski is the CEO of the IEN. With 20 years of experience in non-profit management, fundraising, communications, advocacy and campaigning, Karen works to promote the interlinked principles of environmental, social and economic sustainability by supporting IEN members. She also serves as the Coordinator of the Environmental Pillar.

Justin is the Chief Operating Officer for the IEN, having joined the organisation in 2010. Previously he worked for KPMG as IT Operations Manager and prior to that in management for a division of Unigate PLC in London. He has extensive experience in planning issues.

Attracta is the Environmental Law Officer of the IEN and also acts as the facilitator for the Environmental Law Implementation Group – a joint initiative with the Irish Government to support the proper transposition and implementation of environmental law, including the further development of eNGOs’ capacity to leverage the law to support their missions.

Ciaran has many years’ experience as a journalist and as a public relations/communications specialist, having worked for the HSE, Samaritans Ireland and the Houses of the Oireachtas, as well as a number of national newspapers. He has a keen interest in environmental protection and advocacy and has worked with Wildlife Rehabilitation Ireland, written for the ThinkorSwim climate action blog and currently is working on a small rewilding/nature restoration project on his own land.

Aoife is the Policy Officer at the IEN. Her work covers the UK Withdrawal agreement as it relates to the environment, as well as broader environmental policy and advocacy work to advance sustainable policy in Ireland on behalf of the NGO sector. She is a public policy analyst and researcher with over thirteen years of experience in economic, social and environmental policy.

As our Local Environmental Development Officer, Catherine is working to increase engagement in the Environmental College of the Public Participation Networks (PPNs). Working with those on the ground for the Irish environmental movement, Catherine works to educate and inspire people in their local communities by providing complimentary training opportunities to environmental representatives.

Aoife is the Campaign Manager for the Fair Seas campaign, which is working to increase the number of protected MPAs in Ireland. The campaign’s vision is that Ireland pioneers ocean protection within the EU by putting in place ambitious legislation by 2025 and highly protecting 10 percent of its EEZ (exclusive economic zone) with a clear pathway for realising at least 30 by 2030. Aoife has over twenty years of experience in communications and project management working in large multinationals, educational institutions, membership bodies, and start-up organisations in Ireland and Australia.

Fintan works to make Irish agriculture and land-use policies more sustainable for nature and people. He has a MSc in Environmental Biology from Utrecht University and a BSc in Environmental Science from NUI Galway. He specialises in Environmental Policy, Advocacy and Planning and has been working within the Irish eNGO sector since 2012, having previously worked for BirdWatch Ireland, An Taisce, SWAN and the Irish Wildlife Trust.

Jack O’Donovan Trá is the Communications Officer at Fair Seas. Jack is blending the art of good comms with marine science to bring the message of ocean protection to a wide audience in an engaging and impactful way. Jack is a marine biologist by training and moved into comms and campaigns in 2018, and has since worked with many large international environmental coalitions and campaigns across Europe. 

Donal is the marine policy officer for the Fair Seas Campaign. With a strong background in marine biology and ecology, Donal also has a wealth of policy experience from the UK, including coordinating a coalition of environmental NGOs focusing on MPA management and implementation.