Dr Bill McGinnis CBE, DL

Bill McGinnis was appointed as the Northern Ireland Adviser on Employment and Skills in October 2008. He has been Chair of the McAvoy Group Limited (off-site building solutions) since 2000.

Bill began his business career in export marketing with Sperrin Metal Products, the County Londonderry based manufacturer of racking, shelving, and storage systems. He represented Sperrin Metal in the Arabian Gulf and subsequently held a number of the most senior posts in the company, including Chairman and Managing Director. During his career with Sperrin, the Company won three Queens Awards for Export Achievement, the DTI Export Award for Small Businesses and the Netherlands-UK Award for Enterprise.

Bill has been a board member for a number of public and private organisations including, Invest Northern Ireland, the National Employment Panel and the Sector Skills Development Agency. He is a former president of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce. He was awarded an OBE in 1997 and a CBE in the 2004 for his services to Northern Ireland Industry. In 2005 he was honoured as Marketer of the Year at the Chartered Institute of Marketing Awards. In 2008, he received and honorary doctorate from the University of Ulster. Bill holds an MSC from the University of Ulster.