James Grieve welcomed as new RSUA President

James Grieve was welcomed as the 58th president of the RSUA at the Annual General Meeting on Friday 29 May 2026.

The AGM was held in the recently opened Bedford Hotel in Belfast. The 40 members who were in attendance got the opportunity to tour the former insurance building turned hotel. They were guided by Damien Teague, Head of Property Development at Martin Property Group and Mike Gatt, General Manager of the Bedford Hotel.

Following the tour, the current RSUA president John Lavery handed over the reins to President-elect James Grieve, who will take over the presidency until 2028.

Outcome of Council Elections:

We extend our thanks to the following people who stood down from RSUA Council in 2026:

• Kari Simpson
• Hana Stolcova
• Jenny Cromie
• Colin Shaw
• Micheál Murphy, 2025-2026 Associate Member Representative
• Iliyana Lyubomirova, QUB Student Representative
• Eva McCool, UU Student Representative

There were eight seats available on RSUA Council in 2026 for chartered members. Eight nominations were received, therefore there was no election. The following five chartered members were re-elected to Council:

• Roisin McCann
• Olivia Laughlin
• Sarah Brady
• Feargal Harron
• Joanne Hassan

Three chartered members were elected to Council for the first time:

• Mark Breslin
• Rachel Murphy
• Peter Minnis

Seven of the seats will be for a three-year term and one will be for a one-year term to replace a Council member who resigned in 2026.

By random draw Roisin McCann was allocated a one-year term on Council. The remaining seven members were allocated a three-year term.

• Associate Member Representative: There were one nomination for the Associate Member Representativeon Council in 2026. The Associate Member Representative is confirmed as Dáithi MacLáimhin. Dáithi will serve a one-year term on Council.
• University Representatives: Rory Caithness will remain as the Ulster University Representative for one year and Gul Kacmaz Erk will continue to be the Queen’s University Representative for one year.
• Student Representatives: The QUB & UU Student Representatives will be confirmed in due course.
• RIAI Observer: Anna Meehan will be remain as the RIAI Observer for one year.