Robert Watt is Secretary General of the Department of Health in Ireland. Robert is leading the Irish Health Service through an unprecedented period of expansion and reform in implementing the Government’s Slaintecare programme. This involves integration and reform of governance, cross sectoral delivery and managing complex stakeholders including negotiations with Trade Unions and other Representative bodies. Notable reforms to date include Enhanced Community Care, the new Public Only Consultant Contract, new rostering and work patterns, reformed clinical pathways and enhanced affordability measures. Robert spent ten years as Secretary General in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. With the Department of Finance, he managed the annual budget and estimates process. During this period Robert was one of the principal advisers to the Government on economic, budgetary and financial policy issues.  He was centrally involved in the management of the Troika Programme. Robert is an economist and has over 3 decades experience in both the public and private sectors. He has worked in several roles within the Department of Finance, numerous external economic consultancy roles including assignments for the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. He has been a member of numerous boards including the board of the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) and the Economic Management Council (EMC). He is currently a board member of the Football Association of Ireland (FAI).