Directors

The Board of Directors of Bank of Ireland Group plc

The Court of Directors of The Governor and Company of the Bank of Ireland

• Akshaya Bhargava

  Chair and Independent Non-Executive Director of the Bank of Ireland Group plc Board

  Governor and Independent Non-Executive Director of the Court of The Governor and Company of the Bank of Ireland

  Bank of Ireland Appointments

  • Appointed Independent Non-Executive Director in January 2024.
  • Appointed Chair in January 2025.

  Committee Membership

  • Chair of the Nomination & Governance Committee

  Experience

  Akshaya is a Banking and Wealth Management professional, with extensive experience across fintech, wealth management, broader international financial services, technology innovation and change. Akshaya spent 22 years at Citibank in a variety of senior roles in different countries and more recently, was Global CEO for Barclays Wealth and Investments. He was previously the founding CEO of Infosys BPO (formerly known as Progeon Ltd.) and has founded a number of companies, including Bridgeweave, a fintech firm that uses AI models to provide institutional quality investment ideas to self-directed equity investors, where he currently serves as Executive Chair. Akshaya has previously served as a director on the boards of Wealthify Group Limited, Mindtree Limited, Barclays Asset Management Limited, Vahanna LLC, and Avendus Wealth Management. Akshaya holds an MBA in Finance and Marketing from the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta and BA (Hons) in Economics from Pune University in India.

• Giles Andrews

  Independent Non-Executive Director of the Bank of Ireland Group plc Board and the Court of The Governor and Company of the Bank of Ireland

  Bank of Ireland Appointments

  • Appointed Independent Non-Executive Director in November 2020.

  Committee Membership

  • Chair of the Group Transformation Oversight Committee.
  • Member of the Remuneration Committee, the Risk Committee, and the Sustainability Committee.

  Experience

  Giles possesses in-depth experience in financial technology, investment, and lending, in addition to strong management experience. He received a Master’s Degree in Experimental Psychology from Christ Church at Oxford University and an MBA from INSEAD. Prior to joining Bank of Ireland, Giles co-founded Zopa, the first ever online peer-to-peer lending marketplace. In 2020, Zopa also launched a Digital Bank. Giles held a number of senior positions with Zopa including Chief Executive Officer and Chairman. He currently remains a member of Zopa Group Board and Zopa Bank Board. He was previously Non-Executive Chair of Market Finance Limited, a FinTech platform that provides working capital finance to small businesses in the UK. Giles serves as a Non-Executive Director and Chairman on the board of Carwow Limited, a platform for buying new cars from franchised dealers. He is an Independent Non-Executive Director and Senior Independent Director of C. Hoare & Co, the UK’s oldest privately owned bank. Most recently, he was appointed as a Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Octopus Electric Vehicles Limited. Giles was awarded an OBE in 2015 for his services to financial services. In 2016, Giles was named FinTech leader of the year at the FinTech Innovation Awards. At present, he is an advisor to the fund at Northzone Ventures, a venture capital fund.

• Ian Buchanan

  Independent Non-Executive Director of the Bank of Ireland Group plc Board and the Court of The Governor and Company of the Bank of Ireland

  Bank of Ireland Appointments

  • Appointed Independent Non-Executive Director in May 2018.

  Committee Membership

  • Chair of the Group Remuneration Committee.
  • Member of the Group Transformation Oversight Committee and the Risk Committee.

  Experience

  Ian possesses diverse experience in the areas of technology, digital, business transformation and customer operations gained through his work in a number of international retail, commercial and investment banks. Ian holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from the University of Durham. Prior to his role in Bank of Ireland, Ian held the roles of Group Chief Information Officer for Barclays plc and Chief Operating Officer for Barclaycard. Previously, he was Chief Information Officer for Société Générale Corporate & Investment Banking. He was a member of the Public Board and Group Manufacturing Director of Alliance & Leicester plc. He is a former member of the Executive Committee of Nomura International and was Chief Operations and Technology Officer of Nomura International. Ian’s early career was spent at Credit Suisse, Guinness, and BP. Ian is a Senior Advisor to Cerberus Capital Management. Ian was a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Bank of Ireland (UK) plc from 2018 to 2024.

• Eileen Fitzpatrick

  Independent Non-Executive Director of the Bank of Ireland Group plc Board and the Court of The Governor and Company of the Bank of Ireland

  Bank of Ireland Appointments

  • Appointed Independent Non-Executive Director in May 2019.
  • Appointed Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Risk and Compliance Committee of J & E Davy in June 2022

  Committee Membership

  • Chair of the Group Sustainability Committee.
  • Member of the Audit Committee and Nomination & Governance Committee.
  • Chair of the Risk & Compliance Committee and member of the Audit Committee of J & E Davy.

  Experience

  Eileen, a Capital Markets professional, has extensive experience at Senior Executive, Board and Governmental level in financial markets. She is a graduate of University College Dublin where she received a PhD in Science. Prior to joining Bank of Ireland, Eileen held multiple Senior Director positions, including as Chief Executive Officer of AIB Investment Managers and Director of the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA), where she oversaw the Alternative Assets Investment Programme for the National Pensions Reserve Fund. Subsequently, she was appointed Director of NewERA at the NTMA, which provides financial advice to Government on the Commercial State sector. In her early career, Eileen held a number of senior roles in stockbroking including Goodbody Stockbrokers. Eileen is a Non-Executive Director with a number of KKR companies in Ireland and serves as Chair of the Remuneration Committee for KKR Credit Advisors (Ireland). Eileen was a Non-Executive Director on the board of Sherry FitzGerald Group Ireland Holdings until August 2024. Eileen previously served as the Chair of the Outside Appointments Board, Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. Eileen held the role of Workforce Engagement Director with Bank of Ireland from January 2020 to February 2024.

• Richard Goulding

  Deputy Chair and Senior Independent Director of the Bank of Ireland Group plc Board

  Deputy Governor and Senior Independent Director of the Court of The Governor and Company of the Bank of Ireland

  Bank of Ireland Appointments

  • Appointed Independent Non-Executive Director in July 2017.
  • Appointed Deputy Chair/Deputy Governor and Senior Independent Director in January 2021.
  • Appointed Trustee of the Bank Staff Pension Fund in January 2021.
  • Appointed Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee of J & E Davy in June 2022.

  Committee Membership

  • Chair of the Audit Committee.
  • Member of the Nomination & Governance Committee, the Risk Committee and the Group Transformation Oversight Committee.
  • Chair of the Remuneration Committee and member of the Nomination and Audit Committees of J & E Davy

  Experience

  Richard is a Chartered Accountant with an extensive international track record of risk management and executive experience. Prior to joining Bank of Ireland, Richard held the role of Group Chief Risk Officer and Director at Standard Chartered Bank, where he was a member of the Group Executive Committee, having previously held the role of Chief Operating Officer, Wholesale Banking Division. Richard is a former Director of Citigroup Global Markets Limited where he served as Chair of its Audit, Remuneration and Nomination committees. He previously held senior executive positions with Old Mutual Financial Services in the U.S., UBS Warburg / SBC Warburg in London and Switzerland, Astra Holding plc, Bankers Trust Company, and the Midland Bank Group. He holds Non-Executive Director positions in Zopa Group Limited and Zopa Bank Limited. Richard is a member of Council and Chair of the Finance and General Purposes Committee in the Royal College of Music. He also is a member of the Business Strategy Committee in the Global Risk Institute.

• Michele Greene

  Independent Non-Executive Director of the Bank of Ireland Group plc Board and the Court of The Governor and Company of the Bank of Ireland

  Bank of Ireland Appointments

  • Appointed Non-Executive Director in December 2019.
  • Appointed Chair of the Risk Committee in January 2024.
  • Appointed Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Nomination Committee of J & E Davy in June 2022.

  Committee Membership

  • Chair of the Risk Committee.
  • Member of Audit Committee, Group Transformation Oversight Committee, and Group Sustainability Committee.
  • Chair of the Nomination Committee and member of the Remuneration and Risk & Compliance Committees of J & E Davy.

  Experience

  Michele is a Chartered Accountant and an experienced business executive and finance professional, operating at executive management and board level. She received a BSc (Mgmt) and MA from Trinity College Dublin. Prior to joining Bank of Ireland, Michele held several senior roles with Virgin Money’s Digital Bank, including Managing Director, prior to which she was Director of Strategic Development, responsible for the bank’s future development. Michele joined Virgin Money, initially, as Director of Banking, with responsibility for building the bank’s new credit card business. She also served as Chief Financial Officer of MBNA Europe, where she held executive positions on the board of MBNA Europe Limited and Premium Credit Finance Limited. Michele’s early career was spent at Goldman Sachs, Credit Lyonnais and KPMG. Michele is currently an Executive Director of Mololo Limited and a Non-Executive Director and Interim Chair of East End Fair Finance Limited. Most recently, Michele has been appointed as Senior Independent Director and Risk Chair with Vanquis Banking Group plc.

• Myles O’Grady

  Group Chief Executive and Executive Director of the Bank of Ireland Group plc Board and the Court of The Governor and Company of the Bank of Ireland

  Bank of Ireland Appointments

  • Appointed Group Chief Executive and Executive Director in November 2022.

  Experience

  Myles is a highly experienced leader with excellent delivery capabilities. He has extensive local market knowledge and deep experience of working with a range of stakeholders including customers, colleagues, investors and regulatory authorities. His experience encompasses strategy development, business restructuring and recovery, M&A, organisational transformation and investor relations. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Myles has worked nationally and internationally in senior roles in retail, business and investment banking, including Citibank, AIB and Dresdner Kleinwort Benson. Myles was appointed BOI Group Chief Financial Officer in 2019 and was also appointed Group Non-Executive Director of Bank of Ireland (UK) plc and New Ireland Life Assurance Company plc. As Group Chief Financial Officer, Myles played an integral role in the development and execution of the Group’s strategy, including the successful acquisitions of Davy and the KBC Ireland portfolios. Myles is a Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants, an INSEAD certified board director and a member of the Institute of Directors Ireland.

• Steve Pateman

  Independent Non-Executive Director of the Bank of Ireland Group plc Board and the Court of The Governor and Company of the Bank of Ireland

  Bank of Ireland Appointments

  • Appointed Independent Non-Executive Director in September 2018.
  • Appointed Non-Executive Director of Bank of Ireland Mortgage Bank u.c. in December 2023.
  • Appointed Non-Executive Director of Bank of Ireland UK plc in December 2024.

  Committee Membership

  • Member of the Audit Committee and Risk Committee.
  • Member of the Audit Committee in Bank of Ireland Mortgage Bank u.c.
  • Member of the Risk Committee in Bank of Ireland UK plc.

  Experience

  Steve is an experienced banker, advisor and Board Director, with a strong track record of building and rebuilding businesses. Prior to joining Bank of Ireland, Steve led the corporate, commercial and business banking businesses of Royal Bank of Scotland before moving to Santander where he led the UK banking businesses and sat on the Board of Santander in the UK and US as well as Santander Consumer Finance and Santander Asset Management. He subsequently became CEO of Shawbrook, Hodge and StreamBank.

  Steve has chaired the Advisory Board of Arora Group stepping in as CEO for a period and is currently Chair at Recognise Bank and a INED at Thin Cats, both UK specialist lenders.

  Steve was President of the Chartered Banker Institute from 2021 to 2024 and was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Kent for services to banking.

• Mark Spain

  Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director of the Bank of Ireland Group plc Board and the Court of The Governor and Company of the Bank of Ireland

  Bank of Ireland Appointments

  • Appointed Group Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director in March 2022.

  Committee Membership

  • As an Executive Director, Mark does not sit on Board Committees.

  Experience

  Mark has over 30 years of experience as a finance professional, having qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1994. He received a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) Degree and a Diploma in Professional Accounting from University College Dublin. Mark is a strategically adept leader, with a track record of leading multi-functional teams to successfully deliver significant and positive commercial outcomes. He joined the Group in 1998 as a Director in IBI Corporate Finance, an M&A advisory boutique. He became Director of Group Investor Relations in 2013, followed by Director of Group Finance in 2016. In 2019, he was appointed Chief Strategy Officer and member of the Group Executive Committee. Prior to joining the Group, Mark worked in Diageo plc’s M&A team and KPMG. Mark was a Non-executive Director on the Board of Bank of Ireland (UK) plc from 2019 to 2024.

• Margaret Sweeney

  Independent Non-Executive Director of the Bank of Ireland Group plc Board

  Independent Non-Executive Director of the Court of The Governor and Company of the Bank of Ireland

  Bank of Ireland Appointments

  • Appointed Independent Non-Executive Director in October 2023.
  • Appointed Independent Non-Executive Director of New Ireland Assurance Company in January 2025.

  Committee Membership

  • Member of the Audit Committee and Remuneration Committee
  • Member of the New Ireland Assurance Company Audit, Risk and Remuneration Committees

  Experience

  Margaret is a Chartered Accountant and Fellow of the Chartered Accountants of Ireland. She joined the board of IRES REIT plc as a Non-Executive Director in 2016 and was asked to become the Chief Executive Officer in 2017, where she served as an Executive Director until April 2024. She serves as Chair of the Dublin City University Business School. Margaret previously served on the Board of Dalata Hotel Group plc, the Board of Irish Institutional Property, as well as the boards of HSBC Institutional Trust Services (Ireland) DAC, Bramshott Capital Funds, Invention Investment Ireland Funds, and Galway University Foundation, among other board positions. She also served as the President of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce. Currently, Margaret is a Co-opted Trustee of The Chester Beatty Library and a Non-Executive Director of The Dublin Neurological Institute. Margaret is a Senior Advisor for Consello. Margaret has a degree in Commerce from University College Galway (now NUIG) and was awarded the National University of Ireland Galway 2009 Alumni Award for Business, Public Policy and Law.