Alliance Française Dublin’s new President

From left to right, Fabienne Clérot, Director, Michelle Noone, President of the Board

For the past 5 years, Michelle Noone has been a member of the Alliance Française Dublin (AFD) Board and Chairperson of the Governance Sub-Committee. On 1 November 2021, she was elected President of the Alliance Française Dublin. She is the first woman to hold this position since the Alliance was founded in Dublin in 1960. She brings a wealth and breadth of experience from her career in both the public and private sectors.
She tells us more about her role within AFD and the tandem she forms with Director Fabienne Clérot.

“I am proud and honoured to take up the role of President of AFD, an organisation best known for promoting French culture as a French Language and Cultural Centre and also providing a space for intercultural exchanges between Ireland and the cultures of the French-speaking world. I am grateful to the former President, Pat Cox for his leadership during his time as Chairperson. I look forward to working closely with all our members and stakeholders, our experienced and dedicated voluntary Board of Directors, our committed Director, Fabienne Clerot and the AFD team to continue to develop and promote French language and culture in Ireland.

The AFD Council currently has 9 members. All members of the Council are voluntary and represent specific areas of expertise on the Board (Education, Marketing, Finance, European Affairs & HR). Members are elected at the Annual General Meeting with 1 AGM every year and 6 Board Meetings. The role of the Board is advisory and Board members are responsible for the strategic oversight and future direction and planning of the organisation. We work with Fabienne Clérot, the Executive Director of the Alliance, on the broader, long term view, but at the same time remain sensitive to short term issues. As President, my role is the leadership and orderly operation of the Board and Board meetings.

AFD is both a cultural institution and a Charity. AFD is a unique experience in the heart of Dublin, a personal touch, a French experience, a little bit of France. Over the next years, we hope to achieve the following: develop a hybrid learning model suitable for all needs, provide a great cultural and cross-cultural experience, be the home of francophilie in the vibrant capital of Ireland.”

More about our President
Michelle Noone is currently the Head of Senior & Executive Recruitment at the Public Appointments Service, an organisation who manage appointments across the civil and public sector. Michelle started her career with Pricewaterhouse Coopers in Paris and later Australia. After 8 years, she returned home to Dublin to join a French engineering company, Semaly Ireland. She subsequently spent 14 years with KPMG and joined the public sector 7 years ago. Michelle has a BA in Anthropology and speaks fluent French.