Alison McCullagh
Chief Executive, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Northern Ireland
Alison McCullagh took up post as Chief Executive of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council on 1 February 2020; from December 2014, she had been the Council’s Director of Regeneration and Planning. Prior to this, Alison had been Omagh District Council’s Head of Development, she has also worked in higher education and in the voluntary and community sector.
She is a graduate of Queen’s University Belfast, the Federal Executive Institute, Charlottesville, Virginia, and also studied at Boston College.
Alison has led a number of strategic capital and partnership projects within the Council district and on a cross border basis and has a particular interest in community led regeneration and wider place shaping initiatives.
She was Vice Chair of Solace NI June 2024-2026 and is currently Solace NI Chair for June 2026-2028.
Alison is also the current Co-Chair of the Northern Ireland Emergency Preparedness Group (NIEPG).
10:00–11:00
Main Plenary
Women across local government are challenging long standing norms, reshaping organisational cultures, and redefining what leadership looks like. This panel brings together three senior female leaders to explore both the systemic barriers that still shape career progression and the powerful role authenticity plays in overcoming them. Through candid reflections on navigating political challenge, leading through complexity, and building confidence in spaces not designed with them in mind, panellists will share practical strategies and personal insights. The session will examine how allyship, inclusive cultures, and values driven leadership can create genuinely equitable pathways - and what it will take to ensure more women can lead boldly and authentically across the sector.
