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 and Member of the Remuneration 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

    Bank of Ireland Appointments

    • Appointed Independent Non-Executive Director in May 2018.

    Committee and other Group Roles

    • Chair of the Group Remuneration Committee.
    • Member of the Group Transformation Oversight Committee and the Nomination & Governance Committee.
    • Non-Executive Director and Member of the Risk Committee of Bank of Ireland (UK) plc.

    Experience

    Ian is a financial services senior advisor and board director with extensive experience in technology, digital, business transformation and customer operations, with over 30 years in executive roles at a number of international retail, commercial and investment banks.

    During his executive career, 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 Board and Group Manufacturing Director of Alliance & Leicester plc. He is a former member of the Executive Committee of Nomura International where he was the Chief Operations and Technology Officer. Ian’s early career was spent at Credit Suisse, Guinness, and BP.

    Ian is currently a Senior Advisor to Cerberus Capital Management and Chairman of Brocc Finance AB. Ian was a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Bank of Ireland (UK) plc from 2018 to 2024. Ian holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from the University of Durham.

  • Emer Finnan

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

    Bank of Ireland Appointments

    • Appointed Independent Non-Executive Director on 9 July 2025.

    Committee Membership

    • Member of the Audit Committee and Risk Committee.

    Experience

    Emer Finnan is a chartered accountant and financial services professional with experience in finance, corporate finance, private equity, and mergers and acquisitions. As a Partner and President of Kildare Europe, Emer has gained extensive experience in private equity throughout Europe. She has substantial financial services experience, having worked in Investec Ireland, EBS Limited, NCB Corporate Finance, ABN AMRO UK and Salomon Brothers UK. Emer qualified as a chartered accountant with KPMG in Dublin and gained accountancy and audit experience in her early career post-qualification. She serves as a Non-Executive Director on the boards of Glenveagh Properties plc and the Ireland Fund of Great Britain. She also serves on the board of Kildare Acquisitions Ireland Limited. Emer previously served as a director on the boards of Britvic plc and C&C Group plc and chaired the Audit Committees in both organisations. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from University College Dublin and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland.

  • Richard Goulding

    Independent 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 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

    Deputy Chair and Senior 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.
    • Appointed Deputy Chair/Deputy Governor and Senior Independent Director in June 2025.
    • Appointed Trustee of the Bank Staff Pension Fund in June 2025.

    Committee Membership

    • Chair of the Risk Committee.
    • Member of Audit Committee, Group Sustainability Committee and the Nomination & Governance 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.

  • Niamh Marshall

    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 June 2025.

    Committee Membership

    • Member of the Audit Committee and Risk Committee.

    Experience

    Throughout her career at KPMG, Niamh gained extensive experience in retail and wholesale banking and investment management. She has a wealth of knowledge across financial services, audit and accountancy, risk management, controls and governance, and has served as audit partner for large domestic banks in Ireland and global investment firms. She was the first female partner at KPMG Ireland, paving the way for greater diversity and inclusion in leadership, and was a member of their board. Niamh is currently a Non-Executive Director on the board of Ulster Bank Ireland DAC, where she is Chair of the Remuneration Committee and a member of the Audit Committee, Risk Committee, and Related Party Lending Committee. She also serves as a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee for Kepak Group and as a Non-Executive Director and Audit Chair of Greencoat Renewables. She previously served as a Director for the Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland and Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies. Niamh is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants of Ireland and has a Batchelor of Commerce degree from University College Dublin.

  • Hans van der Noordaa

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

    Bank of Ireland Appointments

    • Appointed Independent Non-Executive Director in October 2025.

    Committee Membership

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

    Experience

    With a career spanning over 40 years in the financial services industry, Mr van der Noordaa brings over forty years of leadership experience in financial services, spanning retail and commercial banking, IT, payments, insurance and pensions, His career includes leading transformational change and significant international exposure across continental Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.

    He has held several senior executive roles, including member of the Executive Board of ING Group, member of the Executive Board of ING Bank and Chief Executive Officer of Delta Lloyd Group plc. In each of these, he also served on the management and supervisory boards.

    Mr van der Noordaa currently holds multiple non-executive positions: he is Chairman of the supervisory boards of Deloitte Netherlands, War Child Alliance and Johan Cruijff Arena, and serves as an Independent Non-Executive Member of Deloitte’s North South Europe Board.

    He also served as a Senior Advisor with the Authority for the Financial Markets in The Netherlands. Mr van der Noordaa holds a Master of Public Administration from the Technical University Twente, as well as having completed multiple post graduate courses and management courses with Harvard, INSEAD, Columbia Business School, Wharton/CEIBS/IESE, Amro Bank and ING Bank.

  • 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, and as Interim Chair in May 2025

    Committee Membership

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

    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 a UK specialist lender. He has previously served as a non-executive director of ThinCats Group Limited.

    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

    • Chair of the Group Sustainability Committee
    • Member of the Audit Committee, Remuneration Committee and Group Transformation Oversight 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 is Chair of Dublin City University Business School Industry Advisory Board and a non-executive member of the Institute of Directors Ireland Council. 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.