Our Panellists

Sinn Féin MP

Chris Hazzard is the Sinn Féin MP for South Down, having first been elected to Parliament in 2017.

Born in 1984, Chris was educated at Queen’s university of Belfast, where he obtained a PhD in international relations.

He served in the Northern Ireland Assembly between 2012 and 2017, initially as its youngest member, and acted as the Minister of Infrastructure until the Executive’s collapse in January 2017.

MLA (DUP) - North Down

Peter Martin is a Democratic Unionist Party MLA for North Down, taking his seat in July 2024.

He was first elected as a DUP councillor in North Down in 2011, and later served as a Special Adviser to successive Education Ministers (2020–2022).

Professionally, he has worked as a lecturer in leadership, management and economics. Peter is Chair of the NI Assembly Committee for Infrastructure.

(Alliance)- East Belfast

Peter McReynolds is an Alliance Party MLA for Belfast East, elected in 2022.

He previously served on Belfast City Council and was Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast from 2019–2020.

Peter currently serves on the NI Assembly’s Committee for Infrastructure.

MLA (UUP) - East Antrim

John Stewart was elected as an Ulster Unionist Party MLA for East Antrim in 2017 and re-elected in 2022.

He currently serves as spokesperson for Infrastructure & is Deputy Chair of the Committee for Infrastructure and sits on the Public Accounts Committee.

John is also the Ulster Unionist Deputy Chief Whip.

MLA (SDLP) - South Belfast

Matthew O’Toole is an SDLP MLA for South Belfast.

Before entering elected politics, he worked as a civil servant in London at HM Treasury and 10 Downing Street, including during the 2016 Brexit referendum period.

He began his career as a journalist and has written widely for major outlets. Matthew is the SDLP's Leader of the Opposition at Stormont and Chair of the Finance Committee.

NI Skills Council

Kathleen O’Hare OBE is Chair of the Northern Ireland Skills Council and a Member of the Minister Archibald's AI advisory Panel.

She brings extensive leadership experience from her time as Headteacher of two major post-primary schools and from senior roles including Vice-Chair of the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) and Vice-Chair of Belfast Metropolitan College.

Kathleen continues to support skills development internationally through her work as a Leadership Consultant with the British Council. She was awarded an OBE in 2024 for services to education and skills.

Construction Futures

Fionnuala joined the CEF Team in November 2023, bringing over 10 years of experience in onsite operations and pre-construction development across civil infrastructure and building projects in NI and GB.

As Head of Strategic Development, Fionnuala drives strategies for Construction Futures, aligning with the Skills Review and priorities set by the Board and Chief Executive.

Department for the Economy

Graeme Wilkinson is the Director of Skills in the Department for the Economy. He has led the development and Implementation of a new Skills strategy for Northern Ireland in collaboration with the OECD.

He also has policy responsibility for economic inclusion, migration, and the delivery of a suite of short terms skills interventions.

This includes Assured Skills Academies, Skill UP and Step UP. Prior to taking up this post, Graeme led the EU exit preparations as Director of EU Relations in TEO and as Brexit Director in DAERA.

Graeme is a Chartered Accountant and has spent the majority of his career in the Public sector. 

CITB NI

Barry Neilson OBE is Chief Executive of CITB NI (Construction Industry Training Board Northern Ireland).

Barry is a Chartered Civil Engineer and a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers and has a strong background in the Housing Sector having worked with both the Scottish Special Housing Association and NHBC.

In 2023 Barry was awarded an OBE for services to skills development and the construction sector.

Farrans Construction

Rachel Tohill joined Farrans as part of her Civil Engineering apprenticeship in 2021 and has worked on a number of high-profile construction projects in Cork and Belfast, most recently including Belfast Grand Central Station.

She was awarded Apprentice of the Year at the CEF Awards in 2025 and won the Rising Star Award for Civil Engineering Apprenticeships at Ulster University in 2023.

Rachel is a member of the ICE and is in the process of completing her IPD. As she works towards Chartership, Rachel has achieved her CSCS status, STS site supervisor qualification, undertaken first aid and fire warden training and, as part of the utility works taking place at Belfast Grand Central Station she has completed a Guide Dog Awareness training session.