In March 2023, at the end of the financial period, the IBCB Board comprised of fourteen Directors in total, with the majority being non-bank. In addition to the Chair and CEO, there were seven non-bank Directors drawn from across Irish society. Three Directors represented the interests of Consumers, two others represented other bank customers – most notably SMEs and Farmers. There is a Director drawn from the Financial Services Union, acting as a voice for staff and a Director who is a leading academic with expertise in corporate governance and culture. In addition to these seven Directors, each of the member banks of the IBCB were represented on the Board by Senior Executives from each respective institution, all of whom, at a minimum, reported to the CEO. This senior representation ensured that the IBCB had direct access at the highest level in our member banks. The diverse representation on the Board ensured diversity of thought and perspective.
Since the end of reporting period the Board has had some changes:
Philip and Ger were both Directors on the Board since the inception of the IBCB. Lavinia joined the board shortly after the inception in September 2019. Elizabeth replaced Ulster Bank CEO Jane Howard on our Board in September 2021. Jim O’Keeffe replaced Robert Mulhall on our Board in July 2022. The Chairman and fellow Directors on the Board would like to thank each of them for their contributions to the Board and various working groups established by the IBCB which they were involved in. Full details for all Directors are set out on the following pages.
In line with good Corporate Governance practice, the Board are supported in the execution of their duties by a Board Audit and Risk Committee (BARC) and a Remuneration Committee (RemCo). Competition Law Guidance is provided via a dedicated Competition Lawyer at relevant Board meetings.
Throughout the reporting period, the Board held nine Board meetings, both scheduled and out of course, with three Audit and Risk Committee meetings and one Remuneration Committee meeting.
Topical updates and relevant Company Law matters are covered by the Board’s Company Secretary. Given the diverse nature of the Board, with some members drawn from the banking industry, and the majority coming from outside, education on relevant topics relating to the overall banking sector is an ongoing area of focus. Over the last year, speakers at our Board meetings have included Colm Kincaid, Director of Consumer Protection from the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI), Michael McGrath, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (currently the Minister of Finance), Brian Hayes, CEO, Banking and Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI), and Dr. Martin McAleese, the patron of the IBCB. Going forward, in addition to training, the Board intend to invite other stakeholder representatives to speak at Board meetings, to ensure a wide range of views on the sector are sought and listened to.
Chairman of the Irish Banking Culture Board (IBCB), member of the Remuneration Committee
John Hedigan was born in Dublin. He attended Belvedere College, Trinity College Dublin and Kings Inns. In Trinity, with other students, he re-founded the college branch of Amnesty International. He sat on the National Executive of Amnesty chaired then by Sean McBride SC and in company with Mary Robinson. In the later 1970s he was National Coordinator of Amnesty’s Campaign against Torture.John was called to the bar in 1976 and had a wide-ranging practice as a barrister. He became a Senior Counsel in 1990. In 1998 he was elected a Judge of the European Court of Human Rights. He served on that court until 2007 when he was appointed a Judge of The High Court and returned to Ireland. On the High Court he worked in Judicial Review, presided over the jury list and finally worked on the Commercial Court. In 2016 he was appointed to The Court of Appeal where he sat on both the civil and the criminal side. He retired from the bench in October 2018 having reached the compulsory retirement age. Mr. Justice Hedigan is an honorary bencher of Kings Inns, is Judge in residence in DCU and is a member of the Judicial Council of the International Association of Law Schools. He is Chair of the National Archives Advisory Council. He was appointed as Chair of The Irish Banking Culture Board in January 2019.
CEO of Irish Banking Culture Board (IBCB)
Marion was appointed as CEO of the Irish Backing Culture Board (IBCB) in March 2020, having previously been Acting CEO leading the establishment of the IBCB in 2019.
Marion previously worked with Bank of Ireland for 13 years across a range of senior leadership roles in Strategy, Regulatory Compliance, Operational Risk, Internal Audit and Recovery & Resolution planning.
Prior to joining BOI, Marion worked with PwC Dublin for 7 years within the FS Regulatory advisory practice, and prior to that spent 4 years working in Brussels with both the European Savings Banks Group and the European Commission.
Marion is a Certified Bank Director (Institute of Banking), a LCOI from the Compliance Institute and holds a Masters in European Economic and Public Affairs and a BA in Economics and German both from UCD.
Marion completed a Professional Diploma in Leading Cultural Change and Ethical Behaviour in Financial Services (IoB) in February 2020 and Diplomas in Leading Sustainable Corporations and in Fintech in 2021, both with the Oxford Saïd Business School.
Director of Corporate Affairs, Ulster Bank
Elizabeth has responsibility for the development and implantation of the bank wide Corporate Affairs Strategy including internal and external stakeholder management.Prior to joining UBI Dac Elizabeth was Head of Corporate Affairs at Irish Water during the very challenging start up phase and prior to that was Director of Project Communications at RPS Group.
Elizabeth has a passion for organisational culture and brings a wealth of experience from a range of organisations (NGO, private and public sector) and industries to her current role.
*Ulster Bank are no longer members of the IBCB Board as of 31st March 2023 and therefore Elizabeth is no longer a director on the Board.
Former Chief Executive, Citizens Information Board
Angela Black, who was Chief Executive of Citizens Information Board from 2014 to 2021, now retired, has been involved in the provision of information, money advice and advocacy through citizensinformation.ie, and funding a network, including CIS and MABS, across more than 200 locations in Ireland.
Over her career, she has been engaged in customer service through her roles in public libraries, library administration and consumer financial services in the Department of Finance and European Commission. She represented Ireland’s EU negotiations on e-money, consumer credit, insurance and financial markets legal instruments. Her librarianship, ICT and banking risk qualifications have been put into practice in several senior public service roles. This included European Commission work in Brussels from 2007-2011 on distance marketing, bank fees, switching, quality of investment advice and credit/APRC issues. She also chaired European Parliament negotiations, reaching agreement on the Mortgage Credit Directive during Ireland’s last EU Presidency. She is a member of the Board of the Legal Services Regulatory Authority and the Social Finance Foundation.
BCL, MBS (Banking & Finance), BL, PhD, FTCD Deputy Chair of IBCB and Chair of Audit Committee
Blanaid holds the McCann FitzGerald Chair in Corporate Law at Trinity College Dublin. Her research interests include corporate law, ethics, corporate governance, financial services law and takeover law and she has published extensively in these areas.
Blanaid is the Irish representative on the OECD Corporate Governance Committee. She is a member of ESMA’s Takeover Bids Network. She also serves as a Vice President of the Academic Board of the European Banking Institute in Frankfurt. Blanaid works with the Irish Takeover Panel and was a member of the Irish Central Bank Commission (2010-2018). Previously, she was also a member of ESMA’s Securities and Markets Stakeholder Group (2018-2020), the European Commission’s Informal Expert Group on Company Law (2014-2018) and Reflection Group on the Future of EU Company Law (2010-2011).
Padraic Kissane Financial Services
Padraic has over 30 years’ experience in the Financial Services Industry with extensive knowledge and experience in all areas of Financial Services. A member of ‘Brokers Ireland’, Padraic Kissane Financial Services is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.
Padraic is one of the foremost experts on Tracker Matters in Ireland and has been heavily involved in what has become known as ‘The Tracker Debacle’. He was the first to recognise the enormity of the problem through his investigation work on behalf of customers. Padraic has worked tirelessly to get the matter properly investigated. Padraic has appeared on many media forums as well as having made presentations to the Oireachtas Finance Committee on a number of occasions in relation to the Tracker Investigation.
JOIN DATE MAY 2019
CHRO and Director of Corporate Development PTSB, Chair of Remuneration Committee
Ger is an experienced Commercial Leader who has held a number of senior Commercial and Customer roles prior to his appointment as HR Director in 2017.
In 2020, Ger’s role was expanded to include ‘Corporate Development’ which brings the strategic disciplines of, Customer Marketing, Brand, Corporate Affairs, Sustainability and Communications together with Talent Development, Employee Experience and Culture Evolution. The newly created HR and Corporate Development Function leads the embedding of the Bank’s purpose; to build trust by making a difference in the lives of customers, colleagues and communities, every day. Ger also has Executive accountability for two PTSB Board sub-committees, namely, Nominations, Culture & Ethics Committee and Remuneration Committee.
*Ger resigned from the Board in June 2023. Eamonn Crowley, Chief Executive Officer, PTSB is now the PTSB representative on the Board.
Chief Operations Officer, KBC Bank Ireland
Lavinia was appointed Chief Operations Officer at KBC Bank Ireland in September 2019. Prior to this, Lavinia acted as Senior Vice President of Information and Technology at SMBC Aviation Capital, one of the world’s largest aircraft leasing companies.
Before joining SMBC in 2014, Lavinia held various senior Technology and Operations positions in Friends First Group, Fujitsu Consulting and AIB. Lavinia is actively involved in the technology industry in Ireland, serving as a member for the Technology Ireland ICT SkillNet Innovation Forum Expert Group, Committee Member of the NSAI Blockchain International Standards Committee as well as Blockchain Ireland, and former Chair of the Cloud Computing Working Group of the Irish Internet Association.
*Lavinia resigned from the Board in March 2023. Fergal O’Riagain, Director of Products, KBC Bank Ireland was the KBC Bank Ireland representative on the Board from April – September 2023.
General Secretary, Financial Services Union
John is the General Secretary of the Financial Services Union with members across Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the UK in the Finance sector. John joined the Financial Services Union in September 2019 having worked in the organisation 20 years previously.
John has extensive senior management practice incorporating areas including Human Resource Management, Industrial Relations and Operations with over 30 years’ experience in Ireland, Europe and the Middle East in the Communication, Finance, Aviation and Health Sectors. A qualified mediator, John also holds a Masters in Management Practice and qualifications in Industrial Relations and Social Studies.
John has a background in delivering change and holds a unique perspective having worked in both representative and managerial roles. He is committed to delivering cultural change in banking on behalf of all stakeholders.
John is a keen follower of all sport and in particular Tipperary hurling and Munster rugby.
Managing Director, AIB Retail Banking
Jim has worked across many aspects of Retail Banking, including leadership roles in IT, direct channels, mortgages and BZWBK (now Santander) in Poland.
He was appointed Head of Financial Solutions Group in 2015 with responsibility for developing a strategy to support customers in financial difficulty, which resulted in a significant reduction in NPEs. He was Chief Customer & Strategic Affairs Officer from November 2018 to November 2019, when he was appointed Managing Director of Retail Banking.
*Jim joined the Board following the resignation of Robert Mulhall from the Board in July 2022. Jim resigned from the Board in June 2023 and a replacement board member representative for AIB will be proposed to the board for approval in September.
Solicitor, Chairperson of the Property Services Appeals Board, member of the Audit Committee
Philip is a member of the Law Society of Ireland with experience specialising in Banking and Security and commercial lending and debt advisory.
Philip was appointed by the Minister for Justice and Equality as Chairperson of the Irish Legal Aid Board for five-year term in 2016 and was appointed by the Minister for Justice and Equality as Chairperson of the Property Services Appeals Board for a term of 4-years, from May 2020. Philip has a long standing and consistent commitment to access to justice issues and to principles of fairness from the consumer perspective. Philip’s qualifications include BCL (Hons) University College Cork (UCC) and LLB (Hons) University College Cork (UCC).
*Philip resigned from the Board in August 2023 due to his appointment by the Government as a Judge of the District Court.
Council Member of the Small Firms Association (SFA) and Managing Director of Shellcove (AMC)
Sue O’Neill is a Council Member of the Small Firms Association and Managing Director of Shellcove, an Association Management Company (AMC), which she founded in 2004.
The company helps associations that need to stay relevant, grow membership and benefit from innovative technologies to achieve strategic goals. Offering two primary models, Shellcove acts as a headquarters or provides outsourced services which deliver scalability of staff or services.
Sue is also a board member of Microfinance Ireland. She holds an MBA from Dublin City University, an IPA Certificate in Governance, a Diploma in both Digital Marketing and Print Management and is a graduate of the IMI Business Development Programme.
Treasurer, Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA)
Martin Stapleton is a Dairy farmer based in Limerick. Initially involved with Macra from 1997-2001, he joined IFA in 2002. In 2020, he was appointed Association Treasurer of the IFA. Until 2019, he was Chair of IFA’s National Farm Business committee. Martin also sits on both the Advisory Board of the Property Registration Authority and the Advisory Group on Small Business.
The Farm Business committee’s roles included developing IFA’s annual pre-budget submission; developed taxation policy proposals for farm businesses; as well as identified measures necessary to support farm investment. Access to credit and the cost of credit are also relevant issues that were dealt with by liaising with the banking sector on behalf of the Association. During his term as Chair, Martin had further developed the IFA’s Debt Support Team, a service for members who have Non-Performing Loans or who are encountering serious credit difficulties.
Group Chief of Staff, Bank of Ireland
Oliver Wall joined Bank of Ireland as Group Chief of Staff in 2017 taking on additional responsibility as Head of Corporate Affairs in 2019.
Oliver previously held a range of roles in both the public and private sectors, including working in the Department of The Taoiseach during Ireland’s 2013 Presidency of the Council of the EU. Oliver joined Bank of Ireland from HSBC where he was Head of External Affairs UK and Europe. Prior to this, Oliver was Regional Head of Political Engagement, Europe for HSBC. Oliver is a graduate of NUI Galway.
Patron of the Irish Banking Culture Board
Dr Martin McAleese holds an honours B.Sc. degree in physics from the Queen’s University of Belfast and B.A., M.A. and B.Dent.Sc. degrees from Trinity College Dublin.He worked for many years as financial controller and company secretary with a number of Aer Lingus subsidiary companies before qualifying as a dentist and becoming a partner in a large dental practice in Northern Ireland. He is a former independent member of Seanad Eireann. Martin is currently Chancellor and Chair of the Governing Authority of Dublin City University, Chair of the PwC Ireland Public Interest Body, a trustee of the Edwards MacLiammoir Gate Theatre Trust and joint Patron of the 30% Club with his wife Professor Mary McAleese, former President of Ireland.
