Karen Charnley

Karen Charnley joined Age Action as Chief Executive in October 2026, providing strategic leadership for the organisation and working with colleagues and Age Action’s Board to improve the lives of older people and promote positive ageing across Ireland.

Prior to joining Age Action, Karen was Chief Executive Officer of the All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care (AIIHPC), where she led a unique collaboration of 27 member organisations, including universities, hospices, health and social care organisations and charities. During her time at AIIHPC, Karen led the development and delivery of the Institute’s strategic priorities across policy, research, education, practice, public awareness and engagement with people with lived experience.

Karen has extensive leadership and management experience across the public, voluntary and community sectors, including housing, economic development, offender management, health and social care. She previously worked as a Programme Manager with AIIHPC, where she led the development of the Palliative Hub, an online portal for information and resources on palliative care, and supported delivery of the Institute’s education programme.

Karen has a BA in Politics and MA in EU Politics both from the University of Liverpool. Karen is passionate about tackling inequality, strengthening services and ensuring that the voices and experiences of people are central to the development of policy and practice.