Rosemary Steen

Rosemary Steen began her role as Director of the Residential Tenancies Board on 2 September 2024. She joins the RTB from the Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI), where she served as chief executive, taking charge of an agency managing Ireland's rental sector regulation and dispute resolution.

Steen brings significant public and private sector leadership experience to the RTB. Before DCCI, she served on the leadership team of EirGrid as an Executive Director for 6 years, where she was responsible for regulation, customers, and public affairs. Her team at EirGrid won the NALA Overall National Plain English Award for its 'Have your say' document and EirGrid received the Irish Planning Institute's Participation and Engagement Award for transformational infrastructure planning.

Steen holds a Masters in Business Studies from UCD, a BA mod from Trinity College Dublin, and a Diploma in Legal Studies from DIT. She has had wide-ranging business experience including senior positions with global companies such as Vodafone and Shell, and served as Director of the Irish Textiles Federation with IBEC, where she served on the National Economic and Social Council. As Chairperson of the Middletown Centre for Autism, Steen brought experience from her founding role and previous board experience with AsIAm.

Career History

• Director, Residential Tenancies Board (September 2024–present)
• Chief Executive Officer, Design & Crafts Council Ireland (2020–2024)
• Executive Director, EirGrid (2014–2020) — responsible for regulation, customers, and public affairs
• Head of Corporate Affairs, Vodafone Ireland (2006–2012)
• Head of External Affairs and Marketing, Shell Ireland (2001–2006)
• Assistant Director of Energy, Trade and Industrial Policy, IBEC (1995–2001)

What Rosemary Steen could bring to the Residential Tenancies Board: Steen's appointment comes at a critical moment for the RTB, which faces significant challenges including dispute processing delays and technological gaps. Her track record suggests she excels in complex regulatory environments during periods of organizational change. Her expertise at EirGrid involved leading stakeholder engagement and public affairs strategy in a heavily regulated utility sector, experience directly transferable to managing landlord-tenant relations in Ireland's rental market. Her focus on participatory approaches and communication could help rebuild trust in the RTB's dispute resolution processes.