Mr Bill Nolan
CBM Ireland Board Member
Bill Nolan joined the CBM Board in November 2011 and currently sits on the Overseas Programme and the Audit, Finance & Risk Sub Committees. Previously he was a member of the staff of the Department of Foreign Affairs. Among his foreign postings, three were in Africa: Tanzania, 1989-1992; Lesotho, 2001-05; Zambia, 2005-09. All of Bill's African postings were at Head of Mission level; the latter two as Ambassador. In each, Bill's main responsibility related to the disbursement and safe accounting of Irish Aid funding. The annual Irish Aid budget in Lesotho was approximately $10m; in Zambia it was close to $30m.
Bill's principal duties as Head of Mission in Africa included the following; oversight of the management of such large sums; ensuring disbursement and usage of the funds in accordance with standard donor/recipient agreements in the host country; regular detailed reporting to HQ (including Parliament) of all Irish Aid programmes and activities.
Among many international conferences Bill attended as an Irish delegation member were: the UN Economic and Social Committee (ECOSOC) in both New York and Geneva; the UN Conference on Science and Technology for Development (UNCSTED) in Vienna (1979); the UNIDO Plenary Conference in New Delhi (1980); all EU Summit meetings and Foreign Affairs Ministerial Councils in the period 1982-86 during postings at the Irish permanent representation in Brussels.
During Bill's assignment at the Irish Embassy in Paris, 1991-1994, he was the Irish delegate to the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD. As an Observer Delegate, Bill also attended several AU, SADC and COMESA conferences and summits during his postings in Lesotho and Zambia, 2001-09.
During his most recent home postings, Bill was based at the British-Irish Joint Secretariat in Belfast between 1996 and 2001; and lastly at the North South Ministerial Council Joint Secretariat in Armagh from September 2009 until retirement from the Department of Foreign Affairs in February 2011.
Bill holds a BA Degree (UCD) and an M.Ed Degree (Trinity College Dublin).
