The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) has announced Celene Craig as its new chief executive in place of Michael O’Keeffe who has retired from the post. The BAI said Craig’s appointment follows a competitive independent recruitment process and has been approved by the Minister for the Media and deputy Green Party leader Catherine Martin TD.
Craig has 30 years’ experience in media regulation. She held the role of deputy chief executive of the BAI since its launch in 2009. She was responsible for the formulation and review of various broadcasting/media-related policies and for advising on the implementation of legislative and policy changes in the audiovisual field, at national and European levels.
More recently, she led the development of BAI policy on the implementation of the revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive and on the future regulation of harmful content on online platforms. Prior to that, she worked with the BAI’s predecessors, the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) and the Independent Radio & Television Commission (IRTC).
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She is a member of the board of the European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services (ERGA), which is an advisory body to the European Commission. She previously chaired the European Platform of Regulatory Authorities (EPRA) and has participated in national and European fora dealing with audiovisual legislative and regulatory matters.
BAI chairperson designate Mary Curtis said the coming period will see the transposition and implementation of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) and the sub-summation of the BAI into a new Media Commission. In the run-up, Craig will help manage the transition of the authority to the commission and deliver the BAI’s strategic priorities.
