Niamh Hodnett has been appointed as a Commissioner to the Commission of Communications Regulation (ComReg), after an open competition run by publicjobs.
Ms Hodnett is currently the Online Safety Commissioner at Coimisiún na Meán, having been appointed in 2023 when the Coimisiún was set up.
She is a qualified solicitor and has previously worked at ComReg, at law firms in both Ireland and Brussels, and in a variety of in-house legal and regulatory roles including Chief Legal and Regulatory Officer at the National Lottery and Head of Regulatory Affairs at 3 Ireland.
She has also co-authored books on European Law and Irish Regulatory Law.
Niamh Hodnett said it was a privilege to have been Ireland’s first Online Safety Commissioner and to have played a part in the establishment of Coimisiún na Meán, including growing the organisation from 40 staff at inception to over 300 today.
“We have put in place the regulatory building blocks of the Online Safety Framework, ending the era of tech self-regulation,” she said.
“We have also worked hard to make people aware of their rights online through our campaigns and resources for primary and secondary schools. I look forward to seeing Coimisiún na Meán’s continuing success and to our regular engagement through the Digital Regulators Group,” she added.
Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport Patrick O’Donovan said that as Ireland’s first online safety commissioner, Niamh had a vital role to play in bringing self-regulation of platforms to an end in leading on the application of Ireland’s first online safety code.
“Through her work in Coimisiún na Meán Niamh has contributed enormously to making the Internet a safer place for everyone, but in particular our children,” the Minister said.
“She will bring considerable experience to her new role, in particular in designing, enforcing and managing compliance with regulatory obligations at both an Irish and EU level,” he said.
“This will be invaluable experience as she joins ComReg, where she will be regulating an industry of increasing importance to our economy, as we see a growing reliance on electronic communications services. I am reassured that Niamh will be able to continue in public service and I congratulate her on her continued success,” he added.
Jeremy Godfrey, Executive Chair at Coimisiún na Meán, said that Ms Hodnett played an instrumental role in implementing Ireland’s Online Safety Framework.
“In particular, her leadership in developing our Online Safety Code has been essential in ensuring that there are binding rules in place for how online platforms keep people in Ireland, and across Europe, safe online,” he said.
Coimisiún na Meán said the Public Appointments Service will run the recruitment process for Niamh’s successor as Commissioner. Pending the appointment of a replacement, the duties of the Online Safety Commissioner will be discharged by the Chairperson.
