Mr. O’Brien has served as a member of the Evofem Biosciences board of directors since January 2018. He is a Chartered Director (C.Dir) of the Institute of Directors UK and Ireland.
Mr. O’Brien served as the Director General of Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE), an organization responsible for the provision of health and personal social services for the residents of Ireland, from July 2012 to May 2018. Prior to his role as Director General, Mr. O’Brien was the Chief Operating Officer of the Department of Health’s Special Delivery Unit and a member of the Department’s Management Board. Mr. O’Brien previously served as Director of Clinical Strategy and Programs in the HSE and Chief Executive Officer of the National Treatment Purchase Fund.
Mr. O’Brien served as Chief Advisor to the HSE on the implementation of the National Cancer Control Strategy, Project Director for the National Plan for Radiation Oncology, and is a former Chairman of the National Cancer Registry Board.
Mr. O’Brien was the founding Chief Executive Officer of the National Cancer Screening Service from 2007 to May 2011, Director of BreastCheck, CervicalCheck, and an Associate and Interim Director of the National Cancer Control Programme.
Prior to joining the HSE, Mr. O’Brien served as Chief Executive of the Irish Family Planning Association and as the Chief Executive of the UK Family Planning Association.
Mr. O’Brien has significant experience of leadership roles in regulated sectors.
He is Board Chair at both Lotus Care (a registered provider of residential, care services for children with disabilities) and Voltson Limited (the holding company for AllView Healthcare, DermView, and OptaView). Mr. O’Brien is also a member of the Board of Lifeline Ambulance Service, Bartra Health, and Health Navigator (UK)
In the non-profit sector Mr. O’Brien serves as Chair of Safetynet Primary Care, a provider of medical services, including “street medicine,” to disadvantaged and marginalized persons. In May 2025 he was appointed Chair of one of Ireland’s leading homelessness charities, the Peter McVerry Trust. Additionally, Mr. O’Brien was appointed by the Government of Ireland as a member of the Policing and Community Safety Authority in April 2025.
Mr. O’Brien holds a Master of Sciences in Management Practice from Trinity College, University of Dublin. He is Adjunct Assistant Professor in Health Strategy and Management at Trinity College Dublin.