NI Women’s Award for Mid and East Antrim Council chief

Anne Donaghy won CEO of the Year at the ceremony in the Wellington Park Hotel, Belfast.

The awards celebrate the achievements of female entrepreneurs, business women, professionals, civil servants, charity workers and others.

Ms Donaghy said: “I absolutely love my job as chief executive of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council.

It is a challenging, and complex role but I get a real buzz from what I do every day.

“It is my privilege to lead up such a great council, which is so high-performing across many areas.

“I have been a chief executive for 12 years, and in that time I have met so many inspiring people and had the opportunity to work with the public, private and community sector.”

Speaking at the ceremony, Ms Donaghy shared how honoured she felt to have the opportunity to have a real and positive impact in people’s day to day lives.

She thanked the organisers for their support and paid tribute to them for recognising the vital role of female leadership in Northern Ireland

“For me, the secret to being a successful chief executive is to build trust, confidence and an appreciation between elected members (your board) and the senior leadership of an organisation, as well as staff committed to delivery on the ground.”