DCU Alumni Awardee Sinéad McPhillips

Sinéad McPhillips is Secretary General of Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, a role she took up  in October 2025, the first woman to hold this post.

Sinéad entered the public service as a school leaver beginning as an Executive Officer in her current department in 1986. She has also worked in the Department of Energy and as a researcher with the Association for Criminal Justice Research and Development.

Returning to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, she served in a range of roles before being appointed as the Department’s Chief Economist in 2015. From 2017 to 2023 she was Assistant Secretary General leading Ireland’s agri-food strategy and sectoral development for the meat, dairy and drinks sectors.  In 2024, she became head of EU, UK and International Affairs, leading on policy negotiations at EU level, engaging with the UK and Northern Ireland on agri-food issues, and managing the Department’s overseas representation network. 

Sinéad is an enthusiastic life-long learner. After completing a Bachelor’s degree while working full-time, she qualified with a Masters degree in Economics from UCD in 1995. Having worked on agriculture-related development cooperation throughout her career, she completed her DCU dissertation on how progress can be made in realising the right to food in international law.

As Secretary General, Sinéad’s objectives include supporting her 4,000 colleagues to deliver through operational excellence and innovation, building on shared values of teamwork and inclusion, and supporting Ireland’s agri-food and fisheries sector to become more resilient and sustainable - economically, environmentally and socially.

LLM Masters in International Human Rights Law, 2025