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Mari Hurley’s resignation as RTE chief financial officer is a ‘significant loss’, media The minister said.
instant messaging It was confirmed that Ms Hurley will leave in the spring, completing an 18-month tenure at the broadcaster.
Ms Hurley was appointed chief financial officer in the summer of 2024, following a series of financial scandals at RTE that led to the resignation of director Dee Forbes and the departure of its highest-paid presenter, Ryan Tubridy.
She served as Chief Financial Officer of AA Ireland, Lotto Operators Premier Lotteries Ireland, Hostelworld Group plc and Sherry FitzGerald Group.
Arts and Media Minister Patrick O’Donovan praised Ms Hurley for uncovering the broadcaster’s financial problems.
“I’m very disappointed to hear that Mary Hurley is leaving because she has done a very, very good job and I know she has done a very good job against the backdrop of a fairly difficult financial situation within the company,” he told RTE radio.
“For example, my department asked her – accompanied by the Arts Council – to inspect the organization’s accounts.
“It was from her work that we learned about, for example, the art issues around RTE, the supplementary payment to widows and other financial issues that I had previously been able to raise with the government.”
Ms Hurley to join real estate giant irish Residential Property Real Estate Investment Trust, it was reported on Friday.
O’Donovan said he wished her well and said people leave leadership positions at public companies for a variety of reasons.
He said she “saw” problems that others didn’t, so “she will be a huge loss”.
“I know Mary Hurley has accomplished tremendous things in terms of financial transparency in a very short period of time,” he said.
“She discovered something that had been lying dormant for years and brought it to the government’s attention.”
In a statement, Ms Hurley wished her colleagues success “as they continue the significant transformation program RTE is undertaking”.
“RTE continues to play a vital role as a public service media organization for Irish audiences,” she said.
“A lot of the work I did during my time at RTE was an important part of achieving better governance across the organization.”
RTE director Kevin Bakhurst paid tribute to her contribution during a “challenging time” for the broadcaster and said her work had helped the broadcaster “get back on a financially sustainable path”.
“Mali has been meticulous in dealing with legacy issues and we have established a strong governance framework for the future, for which we are grateful,” he said.
“I would like to extend my best wishes to Mari in her new role.”