company / Our People

Irish Management Team

Padraic Rhatigan

CHAIRMAN AND GROUP MANAGING DIRECTOR

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In July 1981, Padraic Rhatigan became the second-generation leader of JJ Rhatigan & Company. Following in the footsteps of his father, John J Rhatigan, Padraic became Managing Director of the company. Since then, he has led the group to success with a move into the development field in the 1990s, and continued expansion into new sectors and new regions with offices throughout Ireland and the UK. As Chairman and Group Managing Director Padraic continues to lead setting the values and standards of the company.

Ger Ronayne

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

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Ger joined the company in 1998 as a Senior Engineer and within six months had become a Project Manager. In 2000, he was promoted to Contracts Manager and in 2006 he progressed to Regional Director responsible for operations in the Regions in Ireland and the UK. He has since become Chief Executive Officer and in addition to the overall success of the company, Ger is responsible for leading the development and execution of long-term business strategies in Ireland and the UK.

Gerry Kelly

GROUP CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

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As a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Gerry has overall responsibility for the finance function of the Rhatigan Group. Before joining the company in 1992, Gerry worked at GE Capital Woodchester HQ in Dublin.

Sean Rhatigan

Corporate Services Director

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Sean joined JJ Rhatigan & Company in 1989 as a Purchasing/Plant Manager. As the Company progressed, the department expanded Sean led a team responsible for sourcing all materials and plant as well as monitoring projects from enquiry and quotation to invoicing. Sean’s recent appointment as Corporate Services Director mean’s that he is responsible for the Corporate Support and Central Services for the business. Sean ensures that the functions of Business Support, HSQE, Supply Chain, Business Development and Marketing achieve their intended outcomes as well as deliver efficient and effective services to the other functions within the business. As a member of the Senior Management Team Sean works collaboratively with this Team to prepare budgets and to develop plans to achieve strategic business goals.

Lorna Tyrrell

Chief Financial Officer

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Lorna is the Chief Financial Officer of JJ Rhatigan, where she leads the finance function for both JJR Ireland and the UK. Lorna is also a member of the Senior Leadership Team and works alongside the Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. She works closely with the Group Chief Financial Officer on governance, strategy and overall business performance as part of the JJ Rhatigan Group.

Niall Higgins

CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER

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Niall has over 18 years’ experience in the Construction Industry in both the UK and Ireland. He joined JJ Rhatigan & Company in 2003 after completing his Degree in Construction Management at Galway Mayo Institute of Technology. Since then, he has worked on a wide variety of projects and sectors and has progressed from Project Manager to Contracts Manager, Regional Manager to Regional Director. Niall has recently been appointed to Chief Operations Officer and as such is responsible for overseeing the operations and procedures of the company.

Francis Mulry

CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER

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Francis joined J J Rhatigan & Company in 1997. He worked as a Project Quantity Surveyor on a number of projects, to include education, public access buildings, industrial, medical commercial, residential, hotel and leisure. During the Millennium years, having proved his ability and commercial know-how, Francis was promoted to Contracts Manager then Commercial Manager and is now a Commercial Director and has played a major role in all Rhatigan development works undertaken. Francis has been instrumental in the development of JJ Rhatigan & Company into one of Ireland’s largest contractors. He is experienced in all types of building contracts from Traditional to Design and Build Contracts and delivers a value for money ethos for our clients, ensuring client budgets are always to the fore without compromising quality.

Deirdre Bennett

Chief People Officer

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Deirdre is a seasoned HR professional with over 20 years’ experience reporting at boardroom level in a wide range of industries including financial services, pharmaceutical and aviation. She holds a MsC in Human Resources from Napier College, Edinburgh, certified in Strategic Workforce Planning – Human Capital Institute and is a member the Chartered Institute of Personal Management.  Deirdre brings a wealth of expertise and knowledge to the role, playing a critical part in shaping the company culture and ensuring that our employees are engaged, supported and empowered to succeed. Her focus is to provide strategic and operational HR support to the business in a variety of areas such as employee engagement and development, talent management, change management and business transformation.

Sarah O’Donohoe

Director of Human Resources

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Sarah, as an experienced HR professional, brings her people skills and 17 years’ experience in personnel management to her role as Director of Human Resources.  In this role Sarah supports and works in collaboration with the CPO to ensure the HR programmes and initiatives are effective, efficient and aligned to the overall business objectives of the company. She is responsible for ensuring that the company and its sub-contractors are fully compliant with all Employment Law and Legislation and she has extensive knowledge of dispute resolution. Sarah’s main objective is to improve the HR processes within JJ Rhatigan and to implement strategies in recruitment, employee retention, employee satisfaction and succession planning.

Kevin Boyle

Contracts Director

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Kevin has built up considerable experience in the Construction Industry over the past 31 years.  Working at a senior level in construction, he has extensive experience as Contracts Director in all sectors having worked in the UK, Ireland, the Middle-East and Asia.  His strengths lie in his systematic approach, attention to detail and efficiency in relation to meeting deadlines to arrive at completion stage with a high-quality standard building within programme timelines

Pat Coyle

Contracts Director

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Pat joined JJ Rhatigan & Company in November 2000 as a Project Manager following approximately 10 years working in the UK construction industry. Pat has a wide range of  construction experience including education, healthcare, commercial, hotel, student accommodation and civil engineering projects from tender stage through to the commissioning, handover and operational stages of traditional, design and build and PPP projects.  He brings strong operational leadership and an in-depth construction knowledge working collaboratively with all project stakeholders to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Sean Cummins

Contracts Director

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Sean graduated from the University of Limerick in 1993 and has over 25 years’ experience in the construction industry having worked up through the ranks from foreman through Site Manager, Project Manager, Contracts Manager, to Construction Director in 2012. He has successfully delivered medium to large-scale projects across all sectors of the industry with a firm emphasis on safety, quality, cost and programme. He has worked with most forms of building contract during that time.

Sean is a direct and effective communicator with strong planning, organisational, and negotiating skills and has fostered a collaborative approach to projects where possible; this has helped build lasting relationships with clients, design teams, and the supply chain. He is familiar with all aspects of managing construction operations having worked at senior leadership level since 2005 and contributes to various business functions with particular focus on efficiency and innovation.

Padraig Gavigan

Contracts Director

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Padraig is an experienced engineering professional having worked for over 20 years in the construction and development sector. Padraig recently joined JJ Rhatigan bringing with him a proven ability to lead, challenge and motivate teams. Through vision and foresight, he has developed and executed long-term strategies delivering objectives to meet all stakeholders’ requirements over major public and private projects.

Niall Hanley

Contracts Director

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Chartered Engineer Niall has spent more than half of his two-decades long career with JJ Rhatigan and has over 21 years’ experience in the construction industry, both in Ireland and the UK.  He has a proven track record in both Project & Contract Management working in a wide range of sectors including Residential, Healthcare, Pharmaceutical, and Commercial sectors. Niall has a valuable balance of Design and Construction management experience on both new build and fit-out projects.

Eamonn Hassett

Contracts Director

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Eamonn brings over 39 years of international experience in the construction industry and has leadership expertise in all aspects of construction projects with particular emphasis on quality, budget, procurement, programming and safety. He has a proven track record working with project management consultants and contractors on a variety of projects including clean rooms, laboratories, academic buildings, M&E fit-outs, hotels, shopping centres, industrial, and residential projects.

Bernard Bartley

Estimating Director

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Bernard has more than two decades of experience across a range of construction activities in Ireland, the UK and Australia, from PQS and development, right through to main contracting. He returned to Ireland in 2022 having held the role of Commercial and Estimating Manager in JJ Rhatigan UK since 2017 where he was responsible for financial control and oversaw the procurement and estimating departments. As an Estimating Director with a strategic outlook, Bernard aims to optimise value at every opportunity for our clients and stakeholders.

 

 

Damian Clifford

Commercial Director

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Damian joined JJ Rhatigan & Company in April 2015 and has over 18 years’ experience of working as a Quantity Surveyor in both Ireland and Australia.  He has a proven track record in providing Quantity Surveying services and managing site and office-based teams in procurement, estimating and project delivery.  He has experience on a wide range of projects such as Education, Protected Structures and Conservation, Manufacturing facilities, Hotels, Retail, Residential, Commercial and Fit-out projects, as well as Pharmaceutical and Civil Engineering projects.

Ger Condon

Commercial Director

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Gerard joined JJ Rhatigan Company 2019 as Commercial Director. He has over 37 years’ experience in the Construction Industry, working across all sectors. Experienced across all sectors of the industry, Ger serves as the key point of contact for commercial matters, assuming a hands-on role within the project delivery team.

Enda Fanning

Commercial Director

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With over 23 years’ in the industry, Enda has the experience, a strong commercial acumen, coupled with exceptional analytical skills. He has worked on a broad range of projects including Student Accommodation, Residential, Educational, Hotel and Leisure, Medical, Health, Mixed us developments and Fit-out Projects. Enda ensures that all projects are approached and undertaken with a focus on both value for money for the client as well as the company’s profit margins. A Chartered Quantity Surveyor by training, he completed a Masters in Construction Contract Law in 2010.

Martin McKinley

Commercial Director

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Chartered Surveyor Martin has been part of the JJ Rhatigan team since 2017. Martin is a member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors since 2005 and also sits on the panel to access member joining. As a Commercial Director, Martin ensure that all projects are approached and undertaken with a great emphasis on both value for money for the client whilst simultaneously being mindful of the company’s profit margins.

Enda O’Connor

Commercial Director

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Enda joined JJ Rhatigan & Company as a Senior Quantity Surveyor and has 25 years’ experience in the industry. Enda has played a major role in growing the turnover of the Dublin office and has implemented and upgraded various reporting and cost control mechanisms which streamline the surveying function in the region. Enda ensures that all projects are approached and undertaken with a great emphasis on both value for money for the client whilst simultaneously being mindful of the company’s profit margins. He currently manages a team of Surveyors of various levels from Intermediate level up to senior level in a Regional Office which continues to expand and increase its turnover.

Thomas Stenson

Commercial Director

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Thomas has almost a decade of experience in construction and has worked with JJ Rhatigan & Company since 2014. While initially based in the UK, Thomas has experience in the US and now works on projects across Ireland. A Quantity Surveyor by training, he completed a Masters in Construction Contract Law in 2020.

Tony McCauley

PPP Director

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Tony is a construction professional highly skilled in the establishment of best practice management systems, management of diverse teams, contract drafting/negotiations, dispute resolution & strategic procurement. Tony recently joined JJ Rhatigan & Company bringing more than 25 years management experience including 20 years reporting at boardroom level. He has a proven track record working with public and private sector clients, pre and post contract stage. He also has comprehensive experience of establishing new Joint Ventures and winning first business as well as dispute resolution through negotiation, ADR and litigation.

Emmet Hynes

Health and Safety Director

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Emmet has worked with JJ Rhatigan & Company for almost two decades, ensuring strategic best practice and daily compliance with health and safety across the Group. As the Health & Safety Director & PSCS Coordinator, Emmet has seen the company’s safety department grow and strengthen as the company has expanded.

Our Culture

JJ Rhatigan & Company is built on the idea of setting standards in everything we do. That guiding principle influences our five pillars, which act as the driving forces for everyone involved with our business and ensure that our people can be truly proud of the results they deliver to our clients.

Our aim has always been to remain true to the family run business principles upon which JJ Rhatigan & Company was founded. We are proud that our culture is something that makes our employees want to stay with us, and our clients want to keep coming to us with their business, so that we can build for a better future together. Learn more about our company values here

The quality and dedication of our people is the key to our success.

JJ Rhatigan & Company operates a business that values and rewards our employees. We place a strong emphasis on Continuous Professional Development, providing on-going mentoring, encouraging collaboration, and exposing employees to a breadth of experience across varying sectors and projects. We are proud of our ability to retain staff and several of our senior management team have been with the company for over 20 years!

We believe that investing in our people is crucial to our success, and that of our clients, with a skilled, capable, bright team leading us to aspire to greater achievements.

Regardless at whatever stage you join us in your career, from the first footsteps to career changes and advancements, we’ll be with you every step of the way. Coaching, shaping and enhancing your true potential – it’s the JJ Rhatigan way, the best from the best!