CEO Maritime Area Regulatory Authority
Laura Brien has recently been appointed as CEO of the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA). MARA is a new state agency that was established on 17th July 2023 and it will have a key role to play in the new streamlined consenting system to support development in the Irish maritime area.
Laura has over 25 years experience in the area of regulation across a number of industries, in particular the energy sector. Prior to appointment as CEO of MARA, Laura was Chief Executive/Registrar of the Health Insurance Authority.
She was previously a Director at the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) (2014-2020), where she held various roles covering responsibility for Energy Markets, Water, and Compliance. She was a member of the Bureau of the OECD Network of Economic Regulators. Prior to joining the CRU, she was senior economic advisor to ComReg, the Irish telecommunications regulator, from 2012 to 2014.
Earlier in her career she worked advising utilities, governments and regulators in the energy sector in the US, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Areas of work included introduction of private sector investment, development of renewable energy projects, financing and regulation.
She holds a Commerce degree and a Diploma in Corporate Governance from University College Dublin, Ireland and an M.Phil in Economics from Oxford University, UK.