05 February 2021 – Fiona Gallagher, CEO Wells Fargo Bank International has been appointed the first female Chair of the Federation of International Banks in Ireland (FIBI), the international banking division of Banking and Payments Federation Ireland. FIBI is the representative body for international banking in Ireland, representing 28 members, comprising many of the world’s leading global banks. Collectively they employ over 12,000 people in Ireland.
Fiona joined WFBI as CEO in October 2019, leading over 400 staff across Dublin, Dusseldorf, and Frankfurt. Prior to this, she was Deutsche Bank’s Head of Global Securities Services and Chief Country Officer for Deutsche Bank Ireland, having held leadership roles with the company for over 15 years. Previously Fiona worked in Debt Capital Markets for both Merrill Lynch and Barclays Capital in New York and London.
Fiona sits on several industry boards including Financial Services Ireland and is on the Financial Services Steering Committee for the 30% Club. A passionate advocate of access to education, she sits on Dublin City University’s Educational Trust, while she is also a board member of the Dublin Enterprise and Technology Center, the #1 University Associated Incubator globally.
Speaking on taking up her new role, Fiona Gallagher said: “I am honoured to be chosen as the Chair of the FIBI during what will be a pivotal year for the Irish financial services industry. Our new reality post-Brexit and hopefully post-COVID will bring some challenges but also a breadth of opportunity for Ireland. We are currently the eighth largest exporter of financial services in the world, and as the only English-speaking country in the EU, there is a tremendous opportunity for our members to make international banking an even stronger force in both the Irish and European landscapes. Crucially FIBI and our member organisations have a considerable role to play working with European and Irish legislators as we adapt to the new playing field”.
The new FIBI Chair continued, “Diversity, equity and inclusion is a real passion of mine, and as the first female chair of the FIBI, I would like to work to attract and retain a more diverse and inclusive workforce, at all levels, into the Irish financial services industry. Ireland is now a multi-racial and multi-cultural country with access to a broader range of skillsets and languages, which makes it an even more attractive proposition for international investment”.
Fiona concluded, “Another area of focus is sustainable investing, with the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance) principles becoming a major factor in investment decision making. The drive to contribute financially towards moving the world to a more sustainable and ethical future brings about positive change to both our economy and our environment. Our members have the opportunity to make Ireland a hub for championing sustainable investments and I will be very much reinforcing Ireland’s global ambitions to be a leader in green finance”.
ENDS
