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Our Team

Banking & Payments Federation Ireland delivers an extensive range of services through its specialist team whose combined knowledge, expertise and commitment drives our ability to advocate and deliver on behalf of our members.

Leadership Team

Brian Hayes

Chief Executive

Jillian Heffernan

Jillian Heffernan

Director of Communications

Gavin Purtill

Gavin Purtill

Director of Regulation & Supervision

Ann Smith

Director, Corporate Services

Richard Walsh

Director of Industry Collaboration & Innovation

Ali Ugur

Chief Economist & Head of Prudential Regulation

Regulation and Supervision Team

Michelle Byrne

Head of Consumer Banking

Bernice Evoy

Solicitor, Head of Legal & Regulatory

Mags Fullen

Mags Fullen

Head of Mortgages & Business Banking

Dermot Hardy

Dermot Hardy

Head of Capital Markets & International Banking

Peter McGuigan

Peter McGuigan

Head of EU Affairs

Eilish Murphy

Eilish Murphy

Principal Policy Officer, EU Affairs

Louise O’Mahony

Head of Sustainable Banking

Ian Murphy

Interim Head of Capital Markets & International Banking

Industry Collaboration and Innovation Team

Sharon Brennan

Head of Technology & Business Change Projects

Gillian Byrne

Gillian Byrne

Head of Payments

Michael Concannon

Head of FPAI Strategy & Development

Niamh Davenport

Head of Financial Crime

Leah Donnelly

Manager, Payment Schemes

Mary D'Arcy

Financial Crime Lead

Public Affairs Team

Niall Faherty 2

Niall Faherty

Policy & Economic Research Lead

Fiona Murphy Web

Fiona Murphy

Head of Communications

Anthony O’Brien

Head of Sector Research & Analysis

Maeve Whooley

Head of Events & Membership Communications

Corporate Services Team

Mary Anne

Mary Anne Barker

Office Manager

Rosaleen Gibson

Executive Assistant to the CEO

Coeva O'Reilly

Head of Finance

Hishgee Yumchin

Receptionist & Corporate Service Administrator

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Annette Kierans

Accounts Adminstrator

Interested in joining us?

Let’s talk. For more information about BPFI membership please contact Ann Smith, Director, Corporate Services via the button below.

Brian Hayes

Chief Executive

Brian studied at Trinity College, Dublin and at St Patrick’s College Maynooth.

Brian served as a member of both houses of the Irish Parliament from 1996 to 2014. In 2011 he was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Finance. During his time as Minister of State, Brian attended Eurogroup, ECOFIN and Budgetary Council meetings on behalf of the Irish Government. He also led on the issues of procurement and public sector reform.

Following his election to the European Parliament in May 2014 Brian was appointed to the European Parliaments Economic & Monetary Affairs (ECON) Committee, and also elected as Vice President of ECON. He was the Vice Coordinator of Econ for the European People’s Party.

Brian was the European Parliaments rapporteur for the IORPS II Directive and shadow rapporteur for the Money Market Funds regulation and the Pan European Pension Proposal (PEPP). He also worked on the EPs first ever report on Fintech and on the subject of Third Country Equivalence.

In 2019 Brian was appointed as CEO of the Banking and Payments Federation of Ireland. He also serves on the board of the European Banking Federation.

Jillian Heffernan

Director, Public Affairs

Jillian Heffernan joined BPFI in 2013 and in her current role of Director of Communications is responsible for the development of BPFI’s public affairs and engagement strategy with a wide range of stakeholders at national and EU level.

With over 20 years of experience across the PR, communications and media sectors, Jillian previously worked as Account Manager with one of Dublin’s leading PR agencies and directed all communications processes on a €24 million government research project in Trinity College Dublin. She began her career as a radio journalist and sub-editor with RTE news.

Jillian graduated from DCU with a BA in Journalism in 2000 and has also received a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Relations from the PRII.

Gavin Purtill

Director of Regulation & Supervision

Gavin joined BPFI in 2011 and has been extensively involved in working with our international banking members in his previous role as the Head of Capital Markets and International Banking. He has over fifteen years of international banking experience with extensive engagement at senior stakeholder level across the European financial services industry.

He has an in-depth understanding of regulatory frameworks and the structures used to influence the shape of future regulations and is an experienced Treasury Dealer and Regulatory Accountant. He has a Masters in Investment Treasury and Banking from DCU.

Ann Smith

Director, Corporate Services

Ann Smith joined BPFI in late 2016 as Director Corporate Services. She has responsibility for financial management, corporate governance, people management and facilities within BPFI and its related entities.

Before moving to BPFI, Ann worked with Chartered Accountants Ireland for 20 years in a variety of education, regulatory and financial roles. Ann trained and worked in Butler Chance & Co/Touche Ross before moving to Irish Life Building Society as financial accountant.

Ann is a Chartered Accountant and fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland.

Richard Walsh

Director of Industry Collaboration & Innovation

Richard joined BPFI in 2017 as Head of Digital and Payments working to formulate positions and responses to Digital and Payment policy and regulation at national, EU, and international level.

Before joining BPFI, Richard was CEO for FinTech & Payments Association of Ireland (FPAI) and managed the merger of the association into BPFI. In the years prior to this Richard provided consultancy in the development of digital commerce strategies for companies such as RBS/NatWest, Telefónica Group, Bank of Ireland, Monitise and Three Ireland.

Richard has a degree in Mathematics from Trinity College Dublin.

Ali Ugar

Chief Economist

Dr Ali Uğur joined the organisation in 2008 and in his current role as Chief Economist is responsible for economic research and commentary within BPFI as well as supervision and regulation files while representing BPFI at the European Banking Federation at high level working groups including SSM Steering Committee and Banking Supervision Committee.

Ali graduated with an economics degree from the Middle East Technical University in Turkey followed by a PhD in economics from Trinity College Dublin in 2003. He started his career as a post graduate researcher and lecturer in the Economics Department in TCD. Ali then joined Forfás as an economist working for the National Competitiveness Council and subsequently became a manager in the enterprise surveys and evaluations department in Forfás. Prior to joining BPFI, Ali was an economist at the Office of the Revenue Commissioners.