Brian Fitzgerald

Brian Fitzgerald is one of the most experienced healthcare executives in the country. For more than three decades he has run some of Ireland's largest hospitals, public and private, including St James's, Beacon Hospital in Sandyford, and St Vincent's Private, and he is now Group Chief Executive Officer of Charter Medical Group.

As Chief Executive of St Vincent's Private Hospital from 2022 to 2026 (holding the dual role of Chief Financial Officer for his first eighteen months), he oversaw the transition of the hospital's ownership back to the parent group from the tax-based investors who had financed its development, and the refinancing of its €100 million debt with AIB and Bank of Ireland. He opened a new private emergency department, oversaw the introduction of robotic surgery, expanded cardiology and surgical capacity, implemented the first managed equipment service agreement in the Republic of Ireland with Siemens to renew radiology and other critical infrastructure, and introduced AI technology across hospital operations alongside an upgrade of the patient administration system and the replacement of the PACS/RIS radiology system in partnership with AGFA.

Before St Vincent's he spent seven years as Deputy CEO and Executive Director of Beacon Hospital. At St James's Hospital he led an organisation of 4,500 staff: appointed Chief Financial Officer of the country's biggest hospital at 29, he became Chief Executive in 2012, and during his time as CFO and then CEO the hospital ran a surplus for fourteen consecutive years. He began his healthcare career in the hospital's accounts department.

His public service includes membership of the Department of Health's Patient Safety Advisory Council since 2020, the Sláintecare Implementation Advisory Council (2018–2021) and the Sláintecare Advisory Group on Regional Health Authorities (2021–2024). He served on the National Paediatric Development Board responsible for the design, build and equipping of the new National Children's Hospital, chairing its Audit Committee, and was Chairperson of the Private Hospitals Association (2023–2025) and of the Irish National Haemophilia Council (2019–2025).

He lectured at Trinity College Dublin for seventeen years on its MSc programme in health system management, latterly as Adjunct Associate Professor, holds an MBA from UCD Smurfit School, is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland, and is a member (Dip Grad) of the Institute of Directors in Ireland.