06 Dec Limerick Twenty Thirty confirms Chairman Conn Murray to step away from role at year end
Limerick Twenty Thirty confirms Chairman Conn Murray to step away from role at year end
Limerick Twenty Thirty Designated Activity Company (LTT) can confirm that its chairman Conn Murray and founding board member Stewart Harrington are to step down from their roles at year end.
Mr Murray, as Chief Executive of Limerick City and County Council, established LTT as a special purpose vehicle of the local authority in 2016, to acquire and transform disused sites in the city into catalysts for physical, economic and social regeneration of Limerick.
Having retired as Chief Executive of the local authority in 2019, he accepted the call to take over from LTT founding Chairman Denis Brosnan a year later and maintained the organisation’s upward trajectory as it continued to plan and build out projects of scale in the city, most notably commencement of the Opera Square project and master-planning of Cleeves Riverside Quarter.
Announcing his decision to retire from the role, Mr Murray said that he is stepping away entirely from public service after 45 years and believes it is time for the next phase of Limerick’s development to proceed.
“I am so proud of what has been achieved in Limerick over the past decade and a half, since we found ourselves in a perfect storm of global economic collapse, disproportionate job losses here in Limerick and significant social disadvantage. Limerick Twenty Thirty is a corner stone of the plan we created to help us move from that onto a new era of economic and social gain. It has come a long way under David Conway and his team. In a few short years, as projects such as Opera Square and Cleeves Riverside Quarter are completed, its impact on the city and region will stand out even more.
“The key to everything we achieved and what we will see coming to fruition over the coming years has been built on collaboration and partnership. It’s something Limerick is now known for, and many other cities and regions are seeking to replicate what we’ve done and how we’ve done it. As I step off the stage here, my one wish is that we continue that spirit of collaboration long into the future.”
Commenting on Mr Murray’s decision, LTT CEO David Conway said, “Conn’s impact on not just Limerick Twenty Thirty but the wider city and county has been enormous. He oversaw the amalgamations of our city and county councils, which was a huge turning point for Limerick. He had the innovation and courage to establish development companies like Limerick Twenty Thirty and Innovate Limerick, all geared at finding creative ways to energise the economic regeneration of the city centre.
“Critically also, Conn had had an innate ability to listen, find consensus and bring people with him on the journey, being willing also to compromise his own position in doing so. That’s a big reason also why he was such a great choice as Chairman for us and he will be sorely missed.”
Regarding Stewart Harrington’s resignation, Mr Conway said, “Stewart has been a huge support to us at board level. He has vast experience across a variety of areas of the industry and brought invaluable insights and clarity to the LTT board across all of its responsibilities. Like Conn, he was also a great team player, hugely supportive and his guidance, and his commitment in terms of his intent and time, have been enormously beneficial to us over the years.”