KFO announces new CEO
14th December 2023
Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation (KFO) has confirmed that Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) director of economic and strategic services Dominic Rihan has been appointed as its new CEO. He succeeds Seán O’Donoghue, who is due to retire at the end of this month.
Chairman of the KFO board Ciarán Doherty said: “Mr Rihan has 34 years’ experience in working at the coalface in crucial issues relating to fisheries. He is respected not just nationally, but at a European and international level, and we have no doubt that he will be a driving force as well as a strategic leader as the KFO embarks on a new chapter.
“We have many challenges to overcome, the most important of which is reclaiming stocks and quota which have been taken from us. We look forward to Dominic picking up where his predecessor left off. We have lobbied tirelessly on burden-sharing post-Brexit, and this work continues apace. It is imperative that all EU coastal states share the impact of fish lost due to the British withdrawal equally and fairly.”
In his 34 years with BIM, Dominic Rihan has worked in the fields of gear technology, stakeholder engagement and policy support and advice. He also spent five years working in the European Commission as a seconded national expert in DG MARE, dealing with the implementation of the CFP. He is the current chair of the European Commission’s Scientific and Technical Committee for Fisheries.
Dominic Rihan said: “I’m extremely excited and enthused about this appointment. Having observed the status and profile of the KFO up close for many years, it’s an organisation which represents members in a highly professional and effective way in an industry which is simultaneously complex and challenging.
“I hope to use my experience for the betterment of the sector and look forward to building on the tireless work of my predecessor in representing the members of the KFO. I’d like to thank my colleagues in Bord Iascaigh Mhara for their unwavering support for the last 34 years, and look forward to embracing this new chapter in 2024.”
Mr Rihan will take up his new position in early 2024.
This story was taken from the latest issue of Fishing News. For more up-to-date and in-depth reports on the UK and Irish commercial fishing sector, subscribe to Fishing News here or buy the latest single issue for just £3.30 here.
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