Karen Charnley joins judging panel for Private Healthcare Awards 2026

Karen Charnley, CEO of the All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care (AIIHPC), has been appointed to the judging panel for the Private Healthcare Awards 2026, bringing senior leadership experience across healthcare, housing, economic development, and offender management to the evaluation process.

Charnley leads an organisation that sits at the centre of palliative care development across the island of Ireland, brokering relationships between 27 member institutions — among them universities, hospices, health and social care organisations, and charities — alongside funders and national stakeholders.

In that role she oversees the delivery of AIIHPC's strategic and business plans across education, research, policy, practice, and service user and carer engagement, while representing the Institute on regional and national fora and contributing directly to palliative care policy discussions at a systemic level.

Her route to the chief executive role ran through the Institute itself, where she previously served as Programme Manager with responsibility for developing the Palliative Hub — giving her an operational as well as strategic understanding of how the organisation's work translates into outcomes for patients, carers, and the wider healthcare system.

That combination of cross-sector leadership experience and deep immersion in one of private healthcare's most demanding care domains positions Charnley to assess entries with an eye for genuine impact, particularly those addressing end-of-life care, integrated service delivery, and patient and family experience.

The Private Healthcare Awards 2026 gala will take place on 2 October 2026 at the Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport. Entries remain open until 3 July 2026.

Visit the official Private Healthcare Awards website to explore categories, review past winners, and submit your entry.