Emer Higgins is the Minister of State with responsibility for Public Procurement, Digitalisation and eGovernment. She was elected TD for Dublin Mid West at the 2020 General Election and successfully re-elected in 2024. Emer previously served as Minister with responsibility for Business, Employment and Retail.

In her capacity as a Minister in the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Delivery and Digitalisation, Emer is committed to making public procurement more transparent and easier for SMEs to access, and to making more public services available online.

During her time as Minister in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Emer chaired the Retail Forum and Labour Economic Employment Activity Forum Sub-group and was responsible for bodies including the Health and Safety Authority, Workplace Relations Commission and Labour Court.

As a backbench TD, Emer introduced the Irish Corporate Governance (Gender Balance) Bill, which aims to ensure Irish companies achieve significant gender balance on their boards, fostering a more inclusive business environment.

Prior to her election as a TD, Emer served as Councillor in South Dublin County Council for 9 years.

Emer is a strong advocate for women in education and business and her work across various Oireachtas Committees; Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Disability Matters, Public Petitions, and Special Committees; Assisted Dying and International Surrogacy, reflects her wide-ranging commitment to equality.

Previously, Minister Higgins worked as Chief of Staff for PayPal’s Customer Service division in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and now uses her national voice to bring over a decade of corporate expertise to her Government Department.

Anne Stewart is Assistant Secretary for Public Procurement Policy, Service Delivery & Digitalisation at the Office of Government Procurement (OGP). She leads the development of government procurement policy, client service delivery, and digital transformation, ensuring public procurement is efficient, transparent, and aligned with strategic priorities. Anne’s work focuses on policy development, stakeholder engagement, and digital innovation, integrating key areas such as climate action, SME access, and responsible business practices to drive better procurement outcomes.

Sharon has been involved in public procurement since November 2001 and has been the Head of Construction and Procurement Delivery for the NI Civil Service since 2021. In her current role, Sharon has responsibility for helping the NI Executive procure the goods, services and works needed to deliver public services and develop public procurement policy which underpins procurement practice in Northern Ireland.

Sharon is an advocate for the professionalism of public procurement and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply. She was awarded a CBE in the 2025 New Years Honours List for her services to public procurement and has commented that the Honour reflects the work carried out by the NI Public Sector procurement profession particularly during the supply chain disruptions over the last 5 years.

Siobhan Dunphy is the Assistant National Director of Strategic Sourcing and Contracting for Procurement within the Health Service Executive (HSE). The HSE provides all of Ireland's public health services in hospitals and communities across the country and is the largest purchaser of goods and services in the State. With over 30 years of experience in the Health Sector, Siobhan has worked across both community and acute hospital services and is leading an ambitious programme of work for HSE Procurement with a €5.2bn annual spend.

Siobhan was previously responsible for managing a multi-million euro portfolio of expenditure incorporating Facilities Management across the Irish Health Sector. Having a keen interest in change management and transformation, she progressed change across a range of function areas including introducing new technologies and the integration of business functions following the rationalisation of activities in the Health Sector. She was also responsible for developing the model to implement “One Voice” for the health strategy, designed to reduce costs and achieve better value for money while maintaining excellent service for the public sector.

A firm advocate for digital innovation Siobhan set up and implemented a new portfolio of Digital Health and Innovation within Strategic Sourcing and Contracting, as part of the suite of portfolios for HSE-led categories, signifying the importance of driving digital transformation within the HSE. She also holds a strong passion for sustainability and is committed to promoting environmentally responsible practices in procurement processes. Siobhan places significant value on the power of collaboration and fosters strong partnerships with internal and external stakeholders such as engagement with suppliers, trade organisations and HSE funded agencies.

As Assistant National Director within HSE Procurement, Siobhan is part of the Procurement Leadership Team. She is committed to enhancing procurement services, delivering greater value for money, driving improved compliance with procurement regulations and enhancing the ongoing transformation of the health service to support the successful realisation of the Sláintecare vision.