UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has appointed Marie-Thérèse McGivern as Trustee and Chair of the Northern Ireland Committee for The National Lottery Heritage Fund Board.
The first term of UK Prime Minister Andy Burnhan is already starting to shape the lottery sector, with the Northern Ireland Committee for The National Lottery Heritage Fund Board now having a newly-appointed Chair in the face of Marie-Thérèse McGivern.
Dr McGivern, who has also been made a Trustee of the Board, will step into her role on 30 December 2026, taking the place of Mukesh Sharma OBE DL, with the handover of the chairmanship being done directly.
Between 2009 and 2020, Dr McGivern was the Principal and Chief Executive of the Belfast Metropolitan College.
The incumbent Chair also served as the Director of Development at the Belfast City Council in 1999, taking charge of the capital’s economic development, tourism, culture, urban regeneration, and neighbourhood services.
This experience will prove invaluable as she takes on the National Lottery Heritage Fund Board Chair duties, which makes her responsible for allocating the heritage grants in Northern Ireland and approve applications for grants worth more than £5m.
She will be remunerated £20,749 per annum across her three-year tenure.
The beginning of her tenure comes amid a campaign for a major change in the lottery industry in Northern Ireland, where at present only the National Lottery is able to operate.
However, some local politicians are calling for an expansion of the local industry by allowing the Postcode Lottery to operate there. The Postcode Lottery is only able to operate in England, Scotland and Wales.
The Postocode Lottery has also cited polling data which suggests the majority of Northern Irish people would like to see its business expanded there.
