PR and public affairs agency MKC Communications has appointed former senior government adviser Ciarán Conlon as Director of Strategy and Public Policy with the firm. He is also joining the board of the company.

Conlon was most recently Special Adviser to minister Richard Bruton at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation for the five year term of the last government. He was instrumental in the creation and development of the Action Plan for Jobs.

Prior to 2011, Conlon was Communications Director for Fine Gael and acted as spokesperson for the party and party leader Enda Kenny. He is credited with developing the ‘5 Point Plan’ campaign platform and messaging structure.

Tim Kinsella, MKC’s managing director, commented: MKC Communications said: “Ciarán has over twenty years’ experience in strategic development, leadership and management in the private and public sectors, at both national and international levels, and he has contributed at the highest levels to national economic development, enterprise and innovation.

“I’m confident he will make a major contribution to the growth and development of our company, providing high-level strategic advice to our clients across a wide range of industry sectors.”

In Association with

Conlon commented: “After many years in Government, working with and supporting the efforts of Irish industries, large and small, and entrepreneurs, this is a fantastic opportunity to work with such a respected company as MKC Communications. I look forward to using all my experience to further develop and grow the business, with a specific focus on strategic advisory services and corporate communications.”

Conlon has a Master’s degree in Economics from UCD and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Geography from NUI Maynooth.

Meanwhile Stephen O’Byrnes (67) has quit his directorship role at the company, where the other two principals are Tim Kinsella and Laurie Mannix. O’Byrnes, a onetime leading light in the Progressive Democrats, resigned as a director on September 2. He owned one of the four shares in the company, which was bought back by the company on the same day. The company had a net worth of €908,000 in December 2014, including €623,000 in cash.

Kinsella said that O’Byrnes will continue in his current role with the firm.

Photo: Ciaran Conlon (left) and Tim Kinsella