Validated Expert info
Expert can perform Ad hoc expertise missions at network and programme level in relation to:
1. The design and delivery of (transnational) exchange and learning activities
2. Thematic expertise:
> Local economy
3. Methods and tools for integrated and participatory approaches:
> Integrated and participatory design of strategies
> Monitoring and evaluation for effective implementation
Summary
Gail McGibbon has spent the better part of 20 years making towns and cities work better for the people who live and trade in them.
As CEO of Sligo Business Improvement District and formerly Ireland's first Town Centre Manager, she has built a reputation as someone who gets things done: on the ground, across sectors and often with limited resources.
Her background spans business development, destination management, EU-funded programmes and national policy. Previously, Gail was the CEO of Chambers of Commerce and for one of Ireland’s leading inbound tour operators. What sets Gail apart is her ability to move fluidly between (for example) presenting to a seminar room in Brussels and having a conversation with a shopkeeper in the West of Ireland.
She understands how policy is made and - more usefully - how it lands.
In terms terms of experience, Gail:
- Operated as ULG Coordinator for Sligo's participation in the URBACT Cities@Heart network, coordinating Sligo's participation in a transnational partnership of 10 EU cities and developing shared frameworks for measuring urban performance
- Contributed to Ireland's Town Centre First Policy and Night-Time Economy Taskforce
- Secured to date over €5 million in funding for urban-based projects
- Had her work cited as best practice in multiple EU programmes and presented to European, Chinese and South Korean cities
- Serves as a Senior Assessor for the Purple Flag and is an International Review Panel Member (Purple Flag is the International Award for Excellence in the Evening and Night Time Economy)
- Is a Fellow of the Institute of Place Management
In 2025 she received the Inspirational Leader Award from the Association of Town and City Management (ATCM) UK & Ireland - the first Irish person to do so.