Board of Directors

Group Chief Executive appointed in June 2009. An actuary and an employee of Irish Life since 1972, he was appointed a main board director following the merger of Irish Life and Irish Permanent in 1999. He is a director of a number of companies within the group including the associated company Allianz-Irish Life Holdings plc. He is president of the Society of Actuaries in Ireland and is a member of the board of the Irish Stock Exchange.

Group Finance Director. Appointed to the board in March 2009 he has worked within the group in various capacities since 1990 having previously worked with Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers) in Ireland and the UK. A business school graduate of Trinity College Dublin he is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, a Fellow of the Institute of Bankers and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He is a former non-executive director of Alcatel (Ireland) Limited, Software Resources Limited and Crampton Housing Limited and is the long-serving Chairman of Energy Action Limited, a registered charity. He is a director of a number of companies within the group including the associated company Allianz-Irish Life Holdings plc.

Appointed as Chairman of the Board in April 2011. He has had a long and distinguished career in financial services and public service in the UK and elsewhere. He is an experienced chairman, non-executive director and successful financial services general manager with strong people skills and experience of leading large scale change in both the private and public sectors; both directly and through major partnerships. He is a former Managing Director of the UK Post Office, a former Chief Operating Officer of Prudential (UK and Europe) and a former Chief Executive of National Savings and Investments (the Government Agency responsible for raising finance for the UK Government through the retail savings market). He is also a former non executive director of The Office of Fair Trading and the Financial Ombudsman Service. He is currently Chairman of the UK Highways Agency and a non Executive Director of the UK Department of Transport. He is Chairman of Action for ME, the leading UK charity supporting those suffering from ME/CFS and a Governor of the University of Bedfordshire.

Appointed to the board in August 2010 and joined the Risk and Compliance Committee in February 2011. She is a non executive director of the Skipton Building Society in the UK and the UK Financial Services Compensation Scheme. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and has previously been a financial services partner in both PricewaterhouseCoopers and KPMG in London. She brings skills and expertise in accounting and risk management to the board and her experience of UK financial services at board level and in a regulatory environment is of particular benefit to the company.

Appointed to the board in March 2010 and joined the Risk and Compliance Committee on appointment. He was formerly vice president of international operations and director of the international board of Boston Scientific Corporation. He is currently a non-executive director of IDA Ireland and a number of other companies in the medical device/life science sectors. He is also currently chairman of the VHI. Bernard has over 30 years international general management and multifunctional experience in both large and small businesses and has worked in business in the UK, Switzerland and in the USA, including serving on the Board of a US public company and as chairman of their audit committee. He brings to the board an expertise in strategy formulation, change management and organisational development.

Appointed to the board in December 2009 and joined the Audit and Risk and Compliance Committees in February 2010. He joined the Remuneration and Compensation Committee in March 2010. Pat was formerly Group Treasurer and Chief Risk Officer of Allied Irish Bank plc. He retired from the AIB Group in 2002 and is currently a director of AXA Life Europe Limited and J&E Davy. He holds an M.Sc in Economics and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from University College Dublin, and is a Fellow of the Institute of Bankers in Ireland. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries in Ireland and of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries in the UK. Pat’s mix of skills and training in treasury, risk and actuarial matters are of significant benefit to the board and his role as chairman of the Risk & Compliance committee has been of particular benefit to the company over the last year.

Appointed to the board in December 2008 and joined the Remuneration and Compensation Committee in March 2009. In August 2009 he joined the Nomination Committee. He is a former EU Commissioner, Minister for Finance, Minister for Agriculture and Governor of the European Investment Bank. He has served as a non-executive director of Bank of Ireland Group, Jefferson Smurfit Group plc and Ryanair plc and is former Chairman of London City Airport, Green Property plc and eircom plc. He was nominated by the Minister for Finance to join the board under the terms of the Government Guarantee Scheme and brings significant public service and business experience to the deliberations of board. His knowledge and skills in the political and economic areas are of particular benefit to the company.

Appointed to the board in December 2008 and joined the Audit Committee in February 2009. A former Secretary General and Accounting Officer for the Department of Tourism and Trade, then Tourism Sport and Recreation and finally Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, she also served in the Revenue Commissioners and other Government Departments. She led Ireland’s negotiations on the conclusion of the Uruguay round of the GATT and the establishment of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). She has served on a number of State Boards including Bord Bia and the Irish Trade Board, and was a member of the National Economic and Social Council. She is a barrister and currently a member of the Irish Bar and is also a member of the Panel of Interviewers for the Public Appointments Commission. Margaret was nominated by the Minister for Finance to join the Board under the Government Guarantee Scheme and brings a wide range of economic and social policy experience, as well as extensive administrative and managerial experience, and legal training, to the deliberations of the Board.

Appointed to the board in September 2011. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and has worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers and AXA Insurance. She is currently a Non-Executive Director of Friends Provident International Ltd., based in the Isle of Man, and Chairman of the Board of the Dublin Dental University Hospital. She also lectures in Risk Management in the UCD Graduate Business School. She was previously a Non-Executive Director of Eirgrid plc, a member of the Property Registration Authority and of the Audit Committee of the Department of Justice and Equality.

Appointed Company Secretary in May 2004 and acts as secretary to each of the board committees. An actuary and an employee of Irish Life since 1969, he has held senior executive positions in both the life and pensions businesses and is a former general manager and director of the Corporate Life business. Most of his time with Irish Life has been spent in the pensions area and he is the company appointed trustee in each of the staff pension schemes. Ciarán is a former director of the Retirement Planning Council and is a former member of the Pensions Board.