ONE DAY AFTER a High Court judge appealed for women to be appointed as examiners and liquidators, the first female examiner in Ireland has been appointed.

Up until today, no female examiners had been appointed since the examinership system was set up in 1990.

Earlier today, the first female examiner in Ireland was appointed in the Circuit Court in Trim, Co Meath when Sarah Jane O’Keefe, an insolvency practitioner with Baker Tilly in Dublin, was appointed interim examiner to the Eastern Seaboard bar, restaurant and bakery in Drogheda.

Examinership is a protection process introduced in Ireland in 1990 to rescue companies in financial difficulty. There have been over 1,000 men appointed as examiners since, but no women up until now.

On Monday, Mr Justice Robert Haughton, who manages the Commercial Court list in the High Court, called for female examiners to be appointed. The Irish Times reported that Judge Haughton said “a prize” awaits the first law firm that would nominated a female examiner.

At today’s proceedings, the Eastern Seaboard were represented in Court by Barry Lyons solicitor and Ross Gorman BL for the appointment.

Sarah Jane O’Keefe joined Baker Tilly five years ago and has progressed to become an experienced insolvency practitioner within the company. She was previously shortlisted for ‘Accountant of the Year 2018’ at the Irish Early Career Award.