Executive Committee

Chairperson - Gaby Smyth
Gaby joined Amnesty International in May 1995, and was co-opted as Treasurer in early 2002. He previously served as Chairperson when he was elected in 2003. He is the principal of an accountancy practice based in Dublin, which specialises in the film, music and theatre sectors, together with many not-for-profit organisations. He is also a board member of Dublin Theatre Festival, Dublin International Film Festival and he is the chairman of Screen Producers Ireland.

Vice Chairperson - Dr Ray Murphy
Dr Murphy is a senior lecturer at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, NUI Galway. He is also on the faculty of the Pearson Peacekeeping Center, the International Institute for Criminal Investigations and the International Institute of Humanitarian Law at San Remo, Italy. He is a former Captain in the Irish Defence Forces and twice served in Lebanon with the UN in the 1980s.

Secretary - Zlata Filipovic
Zlata became renowned internationally when her teenage diary, published in 1993 and chronicling life in war-torn Sarajevo, was an instant bestseller. It has since been translated into thirty-six languages. She holds a BA in Human Sciences from Oxford University and an M.Phil in International Peace Studies from Trinity College Dublin. She has spoken extensively at schools and universities around the world about her experiences and has worked with the Anne Frank House, the UN and UNICEF.

Youth & Student - Ciarán Ó Carroll
Ciarán is the coordinator of the Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories Group, a founder member of the Amnesty Youth Action Team and former campaigns officer for the NUI Maynooth Amnesty International society. He is a PhD student at NUI Maynooth and a member of its Governing Authority.

Jennifer Caldwell
Jennifer is the head of the Commercial Department of Maples and Calder, Dublin. She qualified as a solicitor in the UK in 1980 and in Ireland in 1982. Prior to joining Maples and Calder, she was the Managing Partner of Binchys Solicitors, with whom Maples and Calder merged in January 2006. Before that she was a partner in the commercial department of Baileys Shaw and Gillett, London.

Eimhín Walsh
Eimhín has been a member of Amnesty International Ireland since 16 and before that was an activist with our Student and Youth Network. He founded the St Patrick’s Human Rights Youth Group, our first community-based (rather than school-based) youth group. Éimhín has been co-ordinator of the group for three years and was elected to the Student and Youth Committee as Vice-Chair in 2004. He is currently studying biblical & theological studies at Trinity College Dublin.

Dr Roja Fazaeli
Dr Fazaeli is the lecturer in Islamic Studies at the School of Religions and Theology, Trinity College Dublin (TCD). She also lectures on human rights at the Irish School Ecumenics, TCD. She served previously on the executive boards of the Irish Refugee Council and UNIFEM Ireland. Roja is also the Scholars at Risk representative to TCD and the co-ordinator of Amnesty International Ireland’s Iran Group.

Staff representative – Dr Shari McDaid
Dr McDaid joined the staff of Amnesty International Ireland in 2008 as policy officer for the mental health campaign. She was previously policy officer at the National Disability Authority and prior to that policy and administration manager at Schizophrenia Ireland. Dr McDaid received her doctorate in 2008 from the Equality Studies Centre at UCD, with a thesis entitled Power, Empowerment and User Involvement in the Public Mental Health Services in Ireland.

Alternate staff representative – Pippa Woolnough
Pippa Woolnough joined Amnesty International Ireland’s communications team in January 2009, and became communications officer.