Catherine Day was the first woman to hold the post of Secretary General of the European Commission.
14 Facts About Catherine Day
2.
In 1979 Day joined the European Commission following an open competition.
3.
Catherine Day started work in the Industry DG of the Commission and then worked in cabinets of Mr Richard Burke, Mr Peter Sutherland and Sir Leon Brittan whom she served as deputy chef de Cabinet.
4.
Catherine Day chaired the Association Committees with candidate countries and was one of the architects of the pre-accession process.
5.
Catherine Day was responsible for policy in the Balkans and wider European including Russia and the NIS.
6.
Catherine Day was deeply involved in developing the Commission's REACH legislation on chemicals and in developing its climate and renewable energy strategies.
7.
Catherine Day led the Commission's work on the European Semester, co-ordinating EU and national economic and social policies.
8.
Catherine Day was succeeded as Secretary General by Mr Alexander Italianer in September 2015.
9.
Catherine Day chaired the Governing Body of University College Cork from 2015 until January 2019.
10.
Catherine Day is on the board of European Movement Ireland and the Institute of International and European Affairs.
11.
Catherine Day is a member of the Royal Irish Academy.
12.
From 2017 - 2019, Catherine Day chaired an independent review group on the role of voluntary organisations in publicly funded health services in Ireland.
13.
In October 2019, Catherine Day was appointed chair of the Irish Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality.
14.
In December 2019 Catherine Day was appointed Chair of the Expert Group on Direct Provision.