Since June 2005 Fergus Finlay has been Chief Executive of Barnardos, Ireland's largest children's charity. For around twenty years prior to that he was employed as Senior Adviser to the Labour Party, serving in three Governments and working for the Party in opposition. He was one of the drafters of the Downing Street Declaration and was centrally involved in the election of President Mary Robinson in 1990, together with other political events of the period. He also served for three years as a Director of Wilson Hartnell Public Relations.

Fergus Finlay is the author of four best-selling books. He has founded a number of organisations that campaign for the rights of people with disabilities, and Chairperson of Special Olympics Ireland for four years. He is currently Chair of Volunteering Ireland. He broadcasts regularly on radio and television, and contributes a weekly column to the Irish Examiner.