Government body Enterprise Ireland requested authorization for a €300,000 remuneration plan for their incoming CEO
Enterprise Ireland CEO Salary Approved at €300,000 Amidst Rising Executive Pay in Ireland
In a move that reflects the evolving market conditions and competitive salary levels within the sector, Enterprise Ireland has successfully secured the approval of a salary increase for their CEO. The pay level for the post had risen to around €235,000 as part of pay restoration for the public sector, but Enterprise Ireland initially requested a pay package worth €300,000 to attract high-caliber candidates, including CEOs from the private sector.
The proposed salary of €300,000 was considered a substantial increase and had little chance of being approved. However, Enterprise Ireland's justification that the increase was necessary to align the CEO’s remuneration with expectations for such a key state agency head was deemed valid.
The initial attempts to get approval for this increase faced warnings that there was little chance of it being accepted, indicating scrutiny and resistance from oversight bodies or government authorities concerned about public sector pay restraint. The Department of Enterprise required a robust business case for raising the salary beyond the agreed level of around €230,000 per year.
Despite the initial skepticism, the salary was eventually approved at the requested €300,000 level. This approval likely arose from Enterprise Ireland's insistence on the raise reflecting attempts to match competitive salary levels within the sector and possibly to stem talent loss to private sector competitors.
This occurrence took place amid a general environment of rising executive pay in Ireland in 2025. Some top executives in Irish companies saw hikes of over 30%, with median CEO pay rising 16% to €2.53 million, driven by strong market performance and company earnings.
The CEO role in Enterprise Ireland is critical to the growth of the Irish economy and ensures effective leadership, direction, governance, client service delivery, and internal transformation of the agency. Jenny Melia, who was later named as the new CEO of Enterprise Ireland, will be taking on this crucial role at the approved salary of €300,000.
In summary, Enterprise Ireland sought to raise the CEO salary by over €70,000 to €300,000. Initial approvals were met with skepticism or resistance due to public pay concerns. However, the increase was ultimately approved at the requested €300,000 level, likely based on market competitiveness and retention rationale. This occurred amid a general environment of rising executive pay in Ireland in 2025.
Finance implications were considered as Enterprise Ireland sought to align the CEO's remuneration with expectations for a key state agency head. The increased salary of €300,000 was justified to ensure the agency could attract high-business caliber candidates.
