Nicola Byrne

Nicola Byrne is the CEO of Shine, a national organisation that provides information and support for people affected by mental health difficulties in Ireland. She is also a registered Social Worker with over 25 years of experience in the mental health sector, working in various roles such as practice, policy, research, advocacy, change management, operations, strategy and service delivery.

She is passionate about promoting individual and family recovery, challenging stigma and discrimination, and influencing positive change in mental health policy and practice. Nicola is an experienced leader who strives to make Shine a voice for mental health in Ireland.

Under her leadership, the charity Shine operates frontline services for people with lived experience and their supporters and delivers several important national programmes including the national stigma reduction programme (Shine Green Ribbon, formerly See Change) and Ireland’s national programme for responsible reporting and representation of mental health in the media (Shine Media Programme, formerly Headline).