Irish Residential Properties REIT (I-RES) has appointed Eddie Byrne as chief executive officer designate, with effect from 8 April 2024. He will succeed Margaret Sweeney as CEO and executive director of the board with effect from 1 May 2024.
Byrne, who has more than 20 years’ experience at an executive level in the real estate sector, was most recently joint managing partner at Quintain Developments Ireland.
Prior to that, he was managing director at Hudson Advisors Ireland and chief portfolio officer at Netherlands-based Propertize.
Hugh Scott-Barrett, chair of I-RES, said: “I am pleased to announce that Eddie will join I-RES as our next CEO. Eddie has an extensive track record across Irish and international real estate, including most recently in the Irish residential sector, and has significant experience in building teams, interacting with local authorities, raising capital, executing transactions, and developing strategic initiatives.
“Eddie’s experience will be a significant and complementary addition as we continue our previously announced strategic review which is considering all strategic options available to maximise value for shareholders.
“On behalf of the board, I would like to sincerely thank Margaret for her immense contribution as CEO of I-RES for the last six and a half years. Under Margaret’s leadership, I-RES delivered a significant transformation in scale, growing its portfolio by over 60% to circa 4,000 units, put in place new long-term funding structures, and successfully internalised the management of the business.”
Byrne added: “I am delighted to have been appointed as the next CEO of I-RES, a company which is the leading provider of high quality private residential rental accommodation in Ireland. The real estate sector is going through a period of unprecedented change, making this a very exciting time to be joining the business.
“I look forward to working with Hugh and the board in exploring value creation opportunities for shareholders as part of the strategic review, and I am excited to work with the I-RES team, its partners, and all stakeholders to develop and realise those opportunities.”
