Official operator of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), UK Deposit Management Organisation (UK DMO), has appointed Niamh Lawlor as Chief Financial Officer.
The appointment means that all Board positions for the organisation, which will deliver the DRS in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland, have now been filled.
Lawlor joins UK DMO from Poundstretcher, where she was Chief Financial Officer. She brings more than 25 years of experience in senior financial leadership roles across organisations in the UK and Ireland. Prior to Poundstretcher, she spent over two decades at Tesco, holding a range of senior finance positions spanning retail operations, logistics, infrastructure and online delivery, and served as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Board Director at Tesco Ireland.
During her time in Ireland, Lawlor was part of the executive leadership team during the implementation of Ireland’s DRS, giving her first-hand experience of the complex operational change required to establish a DRS.
Lawlor’s appointment follows a period of significant progress for the DMO, including the appointment of two Independent Non-Executive Directors, the appointment of Russell Davies as Chief Executive, and continued advancement of core delivery work such as the development of Reverse Vending Machine (RVM) specifications as part of the operational blueprint.
Lawlor said: “The DMO has made strong progress in a short space of time, and I’m pleased to be joining at this important next phase. I’m looking forward to working with colleagues to help build the financial foundations needed to support the successful delivery of the scheme.”
John Bason, Chair of UK DMO, said: “Niamh’s appointment is an important step for the organisation. With Board positions now filled and organisational structures in place, we are moving into the next phase of work – finalising scheme design and supporting industry readiness across the UK, to ensure the scheme is practical, fair and works for everyone involved.”
