Colin Kennedy, chief executive of Maplewood Estates Limited and chairman of Jordan’s Gift, has been appointed as deputy chief commissioner for a three-year term.

He is currently a member of the Review Tribunal for Northern Ireland, the Appeals Tribunal, the Solicitors Complaints Committee and the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, and also chairs the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland’s audit and risk committee.

His former roles include chief executive of Lenken Healthcare Limited and The Mary Peters Trust, and chairman of the Northern Ireland Football League.

The two new commissioners are Kevin Doherty and Kristel Miller, both appointed for a three-year term.

Mr Doherty held the position as CEO of Rural Support and is a part-time senior lecturer in management and leadership at North West Regional College.

He formerly held the position of director of services and chief executive officer of Disability Action NI and has experience as a board member of the Participation, Practice and Rights Project (PPR) and former chair of the Department for Communities’ active living disability strategy.

Ms Miller holds the position of professor of entrepreneurship and small business development at Ulster University and is a director of Innovation Ulster Limited.

She is the principal investigator and director of EPIC Futures NI which is a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)-funded policy innovation partnership exploring how to enhance fair and inclusive employment.

She currently serves as a member of the NI Skills Council skills equality, diversity and inclusion (SEDI) subgroup, and as an expert reviewer for the European Commission and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

Alongside the new appointments, Lisa Caldwell and Stephen Mathews have been reappointed for a further three-year term as commissioners, and Neil Anderson’s appointment as deputy chief commissioner has been extended for six months.