Ex-senator Averil Power appointed Irish Cancer Society chief

Former Fianna Fáil senator Averil Power has been appointed chief executive of the Irish Cancer Society.

Ms Power ran unsuccessfully for a Dáil seat in the Dublin Bay North constituency at the general election last year. She was appointed as chief executive of the Asthma Society in the wake of the election.

Ms Power is a former president of Trinity College Dublin Students' Union and was a Fianna Fáil senator between 2011 and 2015. She became an independent senator, citing differences over the handling of the same-sex marriage referendum as her reason for leaving the party. She has a degree in business, including nonprofit management from Trinity College Dublin and a diploma in law from the Kings Inns.

Other former Fianna Fáil politicians who have gone on to work in the charity sector include Barry Andrews, former chief executive of Goal, and Peter Power, executive director of Unicef.

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The cancer charity has played a leading role in the development of the Government’s recently published National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026.

Current chief executive John McCormack previously announced his intention to step down in December 2017 and the charity said Ms Power was selected as a replacement “following an open and very competitive process overseen by PWC”.

Ms Power has been chief executive of the Asthma Society of Ireland since 2016.