The national utility has appointed Mr Gleeson to the newly-created role following over two years serving as managing director.
Creating the new role is part of Irish Water's move away from parent group Ervia to become a standalone, publicly owned and regulated utility.
Welcoming the announcement, Ervia Chairman Tony Keohane said: "On behalf of the Ervia Board I congratulate Niall Gleeson on his appointment as CEO. Since joining Irish Water, Niall has made an enormous contribution to our organisation, leading his team in the delivery of Irish Water's many priorities including significant capital investment projects which have created a step change in the provision of safe, clean drinking water and the return of wastewater safely to the environment. Over the last two years, he has also been instrumental in driving Irish Water's safety, sustainability and employee engagement strategies and this year led the organisation in securing the provision of an historic €1.1 billion in capital funding to develop Ireland's critical water and wastewater infrastructure."
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Mr Gleeson will initially report to the Ervia CEO Cathal Marley and, following legal separation of Irish Water from Ervia, will report to the Chair of the standalone Irish Water Board. Prior to joining Irish Water in 2019, Mr Gleeson held a number of senior leadership roles with world-leading infrastructure companies, including Shanahan Engineering, Veolia Ireland and Alstom Ltd. A native of Dublin, he holds a degree in engineering from DIT Bolton St, Dublin.
Speaking about his appointment, Niall Gleeson commented: "I am delighted to be taking up the role of CEO at this exciting time in the evolution of Irish Water as we move towards becoming a standalone, publicly-owned utility. We are now at a real turning point in our history as the organisation responsible for the delivery of Ireland’s water and wastewater services. The work we do every day is essential in order to safeguard the health of our customers, protect the environment and support sustainable housing and development across the country. The size and scale of the challenge is significant but we are committed to continuing to develop a water services utility that will benefit the people of Ireland."
