The Wheel has Appointed Pat Watt as CEO
The Board of The Wheel is delighted to announce the appointment of Pat Watt as Chief Executive Officer of The Wheel, with effect from July 2026.
Pat is a seasoned Chief Executive and senior business leader with over 25 years’ experience delivering organisational transformation, commercial growth, and operational excellence across the financial services, retail, logistics, and nonprofit sectors.
He is currently Chief Executive Officer of the NSPCA, Ireland’s largest animal welfare charity, where he leads a nationwide organisation of over 170 staff and 500 volunteers. Since his appointment in 2023, he has driven significant organisational transformation, including leading the merger of Ireland’s two largest animal welfare charities to form a unified national body. He has strengthened governance, restructured the leadership team, and implemented a multi-year strategy focused on sustainable income growth, enhanced fundraising capability, transformed infrastructure and improved service delivery.
Prior to this, Pat served as Director of Distribution at An Post Retail, where he was responsible for the strategic and operational leadership of a national network of over 900 post offices and 1,600 affiliated retail outlets. He led a major transformation programme that modernised the network, enhanced sales capability, and improved commercial performance.
Earlier in his career, he held senior executive roles with McKesson Ireland, including Managing Director of the Lloyds Pharmacy network, where he oversaw retail and wholesale revenues exceeding €1.2 billion and led a workforce of approximately 1,100 employees. He also spent over a decade with Bank of Ireland in a range of senior leadership positions, including Chief Operating Officer of the Wealth Management division, where he led strategic transformation and operational restructuring at scale.
Pat has also served as a Trustee Director with the Irish Association of Youth Orchestras (IAYO) and has fundraised for several charities, including the Irish Heart Foundation and Aware.
Pat holds an MSc in Business Administration from Trinity College Dublin and has completed executive education programmes at leading international institutions, including London Business School and Vlerick. He is a member of the Institute of Directors and a Fellow of the Sales Institute of Ireland.
The Board is confident that Pat's depth of leadership experience, his track record of transformation in complex organisations, and his personal commitment to the sector make him exceptionally well placed to lead The Wheel.