05 Dec Limerick Twenty Thirty confirms departure of its CEO to take up new post
Limerick Twenty Thirty confirms departure of its CEO to take up new post
Limerick Twenty Thirty DAC (LTT), a special purpose vehicle of Limerick City and County Council, today confirms, with regret, the departure of its CEO David Conway. Mr Conway successfully led the company as a significant growth agent for Limerick since his appointment as its first CEO in 2017.
In that time, Mr Conway has overseen the emergence of LTT from its origins as a development company charged with transforming disused Limerick sites into catalysts of economic growth and social advancement to an organisation today with a capitalized value of €1 billion worth of completed, underway and planned urban renewal and economic projects.
Among the major advancements and achievements by LTT during his tenure were:
- Growing the team from a standing start of one to 14 talented members today driving some of the most iconic commercial projects ever undertaken in Limerick
- Following the renovation of the former Dell factory into a usable space for film by tenants Troy Studios, overseeing the sale of the property to Hackman Capital Partners and Square Mile Capital Management partnership in 2022, enabling Limerick Twenty Thirty to pay down its loan to Limerick City and County Council, which, in turn, could then repurpose the loan for other projects
- Taking the €30m Gardens International building on Henry Street from a stalled commercial office project at early development stage to a multi-award-winning office space in the heart of Limerick
- Advancing the transformational 3.7acre €300m Opera Square project from a dilapidated development through to successful planning application, the largest demolition and enabling works ever undertaken in Limerick, and onto commencement of works this year, with anticipated completion ahead of the Ryder Cup in 2027
- Advancing the €500m Cleeves Riverside Quarter project to a finalised masterplan for the 10acre riverside site, which will move to a planning application early in 2025
- Master-planning the first phase of the 26hectare Mungret Park residential development for 250 units
Commenting on Mr Conway’s departure, Chairman of Limerick Twenty Thirty Conn Murray stated, “This is a bitter-sweet moment for us. While we lose an outstanding CEO of Limerick Twenty Thirty, this is an opportunity for David and one that we fully accept his desire to take on. So, while he will be sorely missed by all, we wish him the very best on his appointment as Louth County Council Chief Executive.
“David brought vision, strategic thinking, decisiveness and a great sense of camaraderie to his role as chief executive of Limerick Twenty Thirty. He also brought great resilience, which is certainly needed when taking on projects of the scale and complexity that we are developing. Our task now is to recruit a replacement that will carry on the role with the same level of enthusiasm, skill and dedication and we will embark on that process pretty much immediately so that the huge momentum already gathered under David’s leadership is maintained.”
David Conway said, “As a native of Limerick, I was really excited by the prospect of taking on this role seven years ago, simply because of the uniqueness of the entity and the ambition around what it was trying to achieve. I depart this role equally excited by the potential that lies ahead for it.
“I’m very proud of what we have delivered so far as a team and very proud, indeed, of that team. We would not have the momentum we have were it not for our board and chairmen, who have shared our vision and worked in a true spirit of partnership. We’ve had robust and honest conversations but ultimately everyone working in Limerick’s best interests.”
Mr Conway continued, “Limerick Twenty Thirty was the first special purpose development entity of its kind established in the country and the very fact that other urban areas are now seeking to replicate the model validates the decision to establish it in the first instance and the progress it has made.
“We are undertaking some of the most significant developments that will happen in Limerick, certainly in the first half of the century. When you look at the ground we have already made, how projects such as the Opera Square and Cleeves Riverside Quarter are going to transform Limerick over the coming years, it’s fair to say that Limerick Twenty Thirty is delivering on its mandate to reinvent the city and county as a vibrant modern and dynamic centre of growth.”