Coimisiún na Meán has been established further to the provisions of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022 (“OSMR Act 2022”).The OSMR Act 2022 was enacted on 10 December 2022. The OSMR Act 2022 amended the Broadcasting Act 2009 to establish Coimisiún na Meán and dissolve the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (“BAI”)…
In addition to undertaking the functions of the BAI as the regulator for broadcasting in Ireland, Coimisiún na Meán is to establish a regulatory framework for online safety, update the regulation of television broadcasting and audiovisual on-demand services, and transpose the revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive into Irish law.
An Coimisiún is led by an Executive Chair and three Commissioners, further details can be found below.
Jeremy Godfrey
Executive Chairperson
Jeremy Godfrey has over 30 years of regulatory, government and business experience in the communications, technology and online sectors, in Ireland and Hong Kong.
Jeremy was Chairperson of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC). Previously he served eight years as a Commissioner and Chairperson of the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg). During that time, he also served as Chair and vice-Chair of BEREC, the coordinating body for EU telecoms regulators. In Hong Kong, he served as Government Chief Information Officer, as a management consultant and as a senior executive in the telecommunications sector.
Jeremy has been involved in regulatory developments such as the EU’s Digital Services Act, the Digital Markets Act, and the Open Internet Regulation. As Hong Kong Government CIO, he had responsibility for the e-government programme and cloud computing strategy, as well as for Internet governance, digital inclusion and promoting online safety. As a consultant, he advised clients about online business strategies and on regulatory issues in the communications, energy, transportation and financial services sectors. While in the telecommunications industry he was involved in the launch of the world’s first commercial online video-on-demand service as well as in many regulatory issues.
Jeremy started his career as a civil servant in the UK government. He holds an MA from Cambridge University, where he studied mathematics.
Niamh Hodnett
Online Safety Commissioner
Niamh Hodnett has extensive experience in designing, enforcing and managing compliance with regulatory obligations in the online and communications fields. Her regulatory expertise spans data protection, cybersecurity, competition, consumer protection and communications regulation.
Her online safety experience includes putting in place a Memorandum of Understanding with An Garda Síochána as well as an Interpol Agreement on blocking access to the Interpol worst of list of child sex abuse material and overseeing implementation. She also has significant experience of putting in place online measures to protect people at risk of gambling addiction online. Niamh has brought criminal prosecutions for regulatory breaches as well as civil enforcement compliance proceedings. She has in-depth litigation experience of appeals and judicial reviews.
Niamh’s most recent role was Chief Legal and Regulatory officer at Premier Lotteries, the operator of the National Lottery. She was previously Head of Regulatory Affairs at the mobile phone company, Three Ireland, a senior legal advisor with the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg), a regulatory lawyer with An Post and a member of the EU, competition & regulatory law teams at Mayer Brown in Brussels and Matheson in Dublin.
Niamh qualified as a solicitor in 1998 and is an expert in regulatory law with extensive knowledge and experience of both Irish and European law. She studied Law and German at UCC and has a master’s in law from Universität Passau in Germany. She has co-authored European Law published by Oxford University Press and Regulatory Law in Ireland published by Tottel. She is also a qualified mediator.
Rónán Ó Domhnaill
Media Development Commissioner
Rónán Ó Domhnaill was an Coimisinéir Teanga for the past 9 years. As language commissioner he has advocated for strengthening language legislation in Ireland and has advised government, political parties, Oireachtas committees and various other stakeholders of the necessity of robust legislation. A revised Official Languages Act which ensures a significant increase in language rights for the public and bestows comprehensive obligations on public bodies regarding the provision of state services in Irish was enacted in December 2021.
Rónán Ó Domhnaill is the chair of the Irish Ombudsman’s Forum, the Irish representative on the executive board of the Ombudsman Association and the former chair of the International Association of Language Commissioners.
Rónán has previously spent sixteen years as a journalist with both TG4 and RTÉ. In 2006, he was appointed as Political Correspondent with Nuacht RTÉ/TG4 and presented numerous political programmes such as The Week in Politics.
He holds a BA from University Galway, a MA in Leadership & Strategy from the Institute of Public Administration and a Professional Diploma in Corporate Governance.
Celene Craig
Broadcasting Commissioner
Celene Craig was Chief Executive Officer of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI), having taken up the post in June 2021. Prior to this appointment, she held the role of Deputy Chief Executive with the Authority since its establishment in 2009. With over 30 years’ experience in media regulation, she also worked with the BAI’s predecessors, the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) and the Independent Radio and Television Commission (IRTC).
Over the past six years, she has played a senior leadership role in strategic planning for legislative, institutional and structural changes in the Irish and European media regulatory regimes and led the development and formulation of the BAI’s policy position in respect of the future Irish regulatory framework for broadcasting, on demand and online safety. Currently, in her role as BAI Chief Executive, Celene is leading the transition of the BAI into the new statutory Irish media regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, and in planning for the establishment and operationalisation of the regulatory body.
Since 2020, Celene has been a member of the board of the European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services (ERGA), an advisory body to the European Commission. She is one of four principals involved in the establishment of the Irish Digital Regulators Group, and one of four regulators that founded the Global Online Safety Regulators Network in 2022. From 2015-2019, she chaired the European Platform of Regulatory Authorities (EPRA) and is an active participant in a range of national, European, and global fora on legislative and regulatory matters in the audiovisual and online safety fields.
Celene holds a number of qualifications from the King’s Inns, Dublin, including a Barrister-at-Law degree, and from the ACCA (Chartered Association of Certified Accountants).