Lucy Nugent

Lucy Nugent is the Chief Executive Officer of Children’s Health Ireland (CHI), appointed to the role in January 2025 following a distinguished career spanning frontline clinical care, acute hospital leadership, and national health service governance. As CEO, she leads Ireland’s paediatric healthcare system during a transformative period that includes the continued integration of paediatric services and the forthcoming opening of the new National Children’s Hospital. Her leadership is recognised for its strategic clarity, commitment to quality improvement, and strong focus on patient‑centred care.

Before joining CHI, Lucy served as Chief Executive Officer of Tallaght University Hospital (TUH) from 2019, one of the country’s major academic teaching hospitals. She originally joined TUH in 2014 as Chief Operations Officer and was subsequently promoted to Deputy CEO in 2016, where she played a pivotal role in operational performance, workforce leadership, and patient‑flow innovation. Her earlier career in the Health Service Executive (HSE) included serving as Head of Quality Assurance and Risk Management in the Acute Hospitals Division.

Lucy brings exceptional paediatric experience to her role, having spent over a decade at Children’s University Hospital Temple Street as Clinical and Patient Services Manager, preceded by extensive clinical work as both a Registered Children’s Nurse and a Registered General Nurse. Her academic background includes a BSc, MSc, a Diploma in Quality Improvement and Leadership from the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, and completion of the Advanced Management Programme at IESE Business School in Barcelona.