Dr Dan P.N. Tierney

Founder (Retired), Industry Research & Development Group

Dr Dan Tierney is the recently retired Chairman of Bimeda Holdings Plc, an Irish based veterinary pharmaceuticals manufacturer and distributor with operations in North America and Europe.

Before establishing Bimeda Holdings Plc (formerly known as Cross Vetpharm Holdings Plc) Dr Tierney was a founding Director of the Arrow Oil Company in 1962 (later to become JET Petroleum). He has held posts as Director with the Irish National Petroleum Corporation (1979-1984) and EOLAS (1992-1993).

Dr Tierney Founded the Industry Research and Development Group. He served two terms as Chairman of the National Standards Authority of Ireland (1997-2007), a position created following the NSAI’s establishment as an autonomous national standards body. He also served on the Board of Eirgrid Plc (the new Transmission System Operator company set up by the Irish Government).

He served as Chairman of the Government-appointed Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (STIAC) which produced the Tierney Report that formed the basis of the 1996 Government White Paper.

In 1996-97 he was asked by the Government to Chair the special Task Force set up following the closure of the Packard Electric plant in Tallaght with the resultant loss of 700 jobs. The Task Force was extremely successful in its endeavours and the measures initiated by the Task Force resulted in the majority of the workforce finding new employment and the factory being re-opened under new management.

Dr Tierney was the Irish representative on the board of IRDAC (Industry Research & Development Advisory Council) in Brussels (1992-95); a member of the European Science & Technology Assembly (ESTA), Brussels (1993-96).

Although retired from the day to day operations of his pharmaceutical business, Dan continues to have extensive business interests and is currently particularly involved with projects in the renewable energy area – Green Biofuels Ireland Limited – a refinery producing biodiesel – located in Wexford.

Research continues to interest Dr Tierney and in 2016 he bought the Daithi O’Murchu Marine Research Station located in Bantry, West Cork, now renamed Bantry Marine Research Station. BMRS is a marine biotechnology company focused on delivery of sustainable marine bio-based products and processes that include micro and macroalgal cultivation and the extraction and quantification of their bioactive compounds. BMRS production activities include hatchery production of cleaner fish for the salmon industry and sea urchins for human consumption. BMRS is unique in that it holds the only multi-specie aquaculture research licence in Ireland, coupled with a HPRA animal experimentation licence.

Dr Tierney is originally from Limerick and currently lives in Dublin. He is married to Maura (nee Roche) and has four children. He was educated at Crescent College, Limerick.