Anne is executive manager of the Events Department in Dublin City Council
Anne Graham - Civil Engineer with Dublin City Council
Career Snapshot
Anne is executive manager of the Events Department in Dublin City Council. This new department encourages and manages events in the city centre outdoor public spaces. It is a broad role, that may involve:
- Procuring new events for the city centre
- Supporting an event financially
- Ensuring that it is run safely
She has worked in the Dublin local authorities as a civil engineer, including the drainage and roads departments. In roads, she was involved in the design of the Dublin Port Tunnel. In 2000 she moved into a managerial role in the city council and worked in the department responsible for corporate policy and business planning.
Anne was then appointed project manager for redeveloping Dublin’s O’Connell Street area. She says: “This role included the management of construction of the Spire and the new street design, as well as the promotion of development in tax-designated sites. I have worked on other urban regeneration projects such as the Heuston Station area and the Markets area of the city.”
Background Info
Anne is from Dublin and went to school in St. Louis High School, Rathmines.
Education
- Degrees B.E. (Civil), UCD, 1985
- M.Eng.Sc. (Transportation Engineering), UCD, 1996
- MBA (Local Government), DCU, 2003
What’s so brilliant about your job?
“What I like most about my job is the variety of work that it entails. Every day is different and the opportunity for continual change and learning is always there. I like meeting people from all walks of life and I particularly enjoy making the city centre an attractive and enjoyable place to be. As a senior manager, I also like being in a position to influence the development of the city council and the decisions in relation to my own department.”
What do you like least about your job?
“There is nothing that I particularly dislike about my work. The hardest part is public consultation because of the number of stakeholders involved with local authorities.”
How do you spend a typical day?
“Given that my department is new, I have a lot of staff meetings to develop policy and give direction in decisions on the use of public spaces. I have consultation meetings with other statutory agencies and event production companies before events. I also meet other public agencies in the city that are providing events to develop partnerships with them.”
Does you work require a lot of equipment?
“No just a computer and a phone.”
Are you a science/engineering/technology nerd?
“No, as an engineer in a local authority I tend to know a bit about a lot of different aspects of civil engineering without becoming an expert in any particular area. Although I’m not working in an engineering field now, I still keep up to date on new developments through my membership of the Institution of Engineers of Ireland. Outside of work, I’m kept busy with family life and my interest in the arts, particularly film and literature.”
Did science/engineering/technology give you a buzz at school?
“I enjoyed maths and chemistry at school, as well as languages. I chose engineering as a career because I liked the idea of doing something interesting and challenging and felt that I could learn languages at any time. I also felt that I would be more employable with an engineering degree.”
What has been the highlight of your career to date?
“The transformation of O’Connell Street has been the highlight so far. I’m very proud of the role I played in bringing the Spire project to a conclusion and in starting the street works. It was a challenging project which was very much in the public eye, but the Spire has become an emblem of the city.”
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