Neil has been Chief Executive since 2016. He was previously an officer in the Irish Defence Forces, serving in Defence Forces HQ, Lebanon and Cyprus. He managed petroleum distribution operations for 12 years in Ireland for ExxonMobil, Topaz and smaller domestic customers. Neil FTA Ireland as country general manager in 2013, and was instrumental securing the cooperation of in the Department of Enterprise in enforcing the application of EU rules on working time for mobile workers. He managed the co-funding of the DPP-v-Perennial Freight appeal to the Court of Appeal in 2015. This overturned the State’s interpretation of the Finance (Excise Duties) (Vehicles) Act 1952, resulting in a reduction in road tax for articulated vehicles from an average of €3,500 per annum to €500.
Since joining ISME, Neil has been especially active on the issues of insurance costs for small business, the introduction of a perjury act to tackle white collar crime, and the need for a comprehensive reform of Irish indigenous industrial policy.