Shirley Coulter

Shirley Coulter is Chief Executive of The Bar of Ireland, a role she has held since February 2026. She is an experienced leader in governance, strategy, policy development and organisational transformation, with over 20 years’ experience across professional bodies in the legal, healthcare, construction, land and property sectors. 

Before taking up her current role, Shirley was Chief Executive Officer of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland and previously held senior roles at The Bar of Ireland and the Irish Medical Organisation. Shirley is an Institute of Directors accredited Chartered Director with wide ranging board experience including as a board member of state body Tailte Eireann (2023-2026) and a number of voluntary boards.

Shirley holds an MA from the School of Law & Government, Dublin City University and a BA International having studied in University College Dublin and Université Libre de Bruxelles.