Aideen McGinley is permanent secretary of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure in Northern Ireland, responsible for cultural and linguistic diversity, arts, sports, museums, libraries, ordinance survey, public records, and inland waterways and fisheries. She worked in local government for 25 years and was formerly chief executive of the Fermanagh District Council. She was also a member of a number of NGOs at the local and U.K. level.