About

Grainne McLaughlin has a formidable track record in private practice, as an in-house counsel and in the public and private sectors. McLaughlin trained with William Fry and worked in their corporate department before moving in-house to UPC Ireland (now Virgin Media Ireland). While there she held a number of roles, including vice president of legal services. However she was also a senior legal consultant to the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment. In 2018, she joined the team at Coillte. The company is owned by the state and operates via three distinct businesses: a core commercial forestry business, a land solutions business and a wood panel manufacturing business. In the words of a nominator, ‘her experience means she is well-attuned to the demands of not only working for a state-owned company, but one that is also placed in a regulated sector. She has established a sterling reputation for her smooth handling of issues in corporate finance, regulation, IP, compliance and dispute resolution, alongside her very effective leadership skills’. She is focused on stakeholder management and introduced the concept of “partnering” with law firms to deliver projects rather than seeing them purely as a supplier of services. She identifies that, ‘Coillte had a high performing legal team when I arrived so I very much focused on the value add as well as culture and values in my current role. I had been through a similar experience in my past role and I was able to bring a new way of thinking and engaging’.