DCU Alumni Awardee Oonagh McPhillips

Oonagh McPhillips is Secretary General of the Department of Justice, the first woman in this role in the department’s 100+ year history.  As its most senior civil servant, she leads an organisation of more than 4,000 people with a budget of €2.7 billion at the heart of the wider Justice sector.

Born and reared in Drumcondra, Oonagh began her civil service career directly from school in 1985 in the Department of the Environment before joining the Department of Justice in 1989. She also served as a civilian HR manager in An Garda Síochána and a junior speechwriter in Áras an Uachtaráin. 

Within the Department she has served in most policy areas and as private secretary and press officer to successive Ministers. Immediately prior to becoming Secretary General, she headed up criminal justice and security and was part of the senior team who led the transformation and restructuring of the Department.

Oonagh is passionate about public service and believes in fostering leaders at every level. She herself has benefitted from being a mentee and a mentor, including on DCU’s mentorship programme. She also undertook several executive education programmes, specialising in leadership spending time at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government led Oonagh to undertake a master's degree in DCU. In 2016 Oonagh was awarded an Eisenhower Fellowship in the USA, studying leadership and organisational culture.

Her main goals as Secretary General are strengthening capability and resilience, especially in relation to security, combatting domestic and sexual violence, advancing digital technology, and fostering a positive, effective, inclusive organisational culture. 

MA Political and Public Communication, 2010