FORMER NATIONAL LOTTERY CEO Dermot Griffin has been appointed as the first CEO of the body that will oversee the long-awaited auto-enrolment pension scheme for workers.

The scheme, which will see almost 800,000 workers gain access to a pension for the first time, was due to kick in on 30 September 2025. 

In April, the Government confirmed that the scheme would not come into force until 1 January 2026.

The hold up has been put down to the amount of administration that is required, and the government’s desire to launch it in alignment with other projects.

Today, Social Protection Minister Dara Calleary announced the appointment of key personnel to the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority (NAERSA), including that of CEO.

The Department said this is a “critical step forward in ensuring that NAERSA is established, staffed and prepared” in time for 1 January.

NAERSA will administer the auto-enrolment scheme and handle the bulk of the administration of the scheme by determining eligibility for auto-enrolment and enrolling eligible employees. 

Following an extensive recruitment process, Calleary named the first CEO as Dermot Griffin.

He’s a chartered accountant who previously served as the CEO of the National Lottery from 2005 to 2019. 

Griffin said he is delighted to have been named as the first CEO and added: “This is a hugely important moment for Ireland, and I feel a great deal of pride to be the person in charge of getting NAERSA on its feet.”

Elsewhere, Roma Burke will be the first Chair of NAERSA.  

She has previously served as the Chair of the Pensions Council and was a member of the Pensions Commission and led its Technical Subcommittee.

Minister Calleary has also named six other Board members and remarked that he is “confident in their ability to deliver for Ireland”.

Among those to join the Board is Patricia King, former general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.

Current Congress general secretary Owen Reidy congratulated King and described her as “one of the most experienced and skilled representatives of workers in the country”.

“Having worked alongside Patricia over many years, I can think of no better worker representative to have on the board,” said Reidy.

King has waived the €12,600 annual fee and will not be taking the travel and subsistence allowances she is eligible for.

How will the scheme work?

The scheme will see employees contribute into a pension pot, with their contributions matched by their employer, as well as a further top-up from the State.

So, if an employee were to pay in €3 to their pension pot, their employer must match their contribution and put in €3, while the State provides a €1 top-up.

For every €3 an employee puts in, they will end up with €7 in their pension pot.

All employees who are not already in an occupational pension scheme, and are aged between 23 and 60 and earning over €20,000 across all of their employments, will be automatically enrolled under the new legislation.