The Balance Sheet: Reflecting on recent US and European events

Dr. Margaret Cullen

Margaret is a specialist in the areas of corporate and investment fund governance. Margaret holds a PhD in governance from University College Dublin. Her doctoral research explored the role and effectiveness of boards of directors in investment fund governance.

She is a published behavioural researcher with particular interest in board effectiveness, processes, dynamics and decision-making, board and corporate culture, stewardship and corporate social responsibility. Prior to completing her doctoral research, Margaret worked for 12 years in the financial services industry. She has held senior positions at ABN AMRO International Financial Services Company, the Central Bank, JP Morgan Bank Ireland plc and RBC Dexia Investor Services Ireland Limited where she gained significant experience in the areas of treasury management, investment fund regulation, compliance and risk management. Following completion of her doctoral research Margaret joined IOB as Director of Executive Education.

She designed and ran the IOBs Certified Bank Director (CBD) and Certified Investment Fund Director (CIFD) Programmes from 2012. Margaret was the founding CEO and Academic Director of the Certified Investment Fund Director Institute (CIFDI), a specialist institute of IOB which focuses on raising professional standards in investment fund governance through its CIFD Programme. Margaret taught investment fund governance on the programme for eight years up to April 2020.

Margaret has been an assistant professor at the UCD Smurfit Business School for 13 years lecturing on the Professional Diploma in Corporate Governance in the areas of executive remuneration and behavioural aspects of boards and, since 2018, on the MSc in Strategic Management Accounting in Corporate Governance and Business Ethics.

Margaret serves as a non-executive director on the boards of several financial services organisations. She has extensive board and board committee experience. She is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Fund Boards Council in the UK

Kevin McConnell

CFA, CEO GEM Strategic

Kevin, a Chartered Financial Analyst, is an external specialist consultant in the banking and investment sectors with over 30 years of experience in financial markets. Working with banks, regulators and investors in Credit, Capital, Stress Testing and Strategy, Kevin has experience in over a dozen regulatory jurisdictions across Europe, US and Emerging markets.

He has worked through a range of top tier M&A transactions providing stress testing/due diligence consultancy, and transaction advisory. He was a member of the Committee on Collective Investment Governance (CCIG) of Central Bank of Ireland (2014) which supported the development of CP86. Kevin has presented and provided training at European Central Bank, and has delivered expert programs to European and Middle Eastern based regulators on Bank Capital, Credit and IFRS9.

He was a member of the Advisory Committee of the Certified Investment Fund Director Institute for seven years, delivering programs in Investment Management to board directors, and is a Senior Associate of Faculty, Institute of Banking (IOB) Executive Education- Certified Bank Director Program since 2012. He has designed and delivers the Structured Finance/Credit program for the Msc in Finance in Michael Smurfit Business School, University College Dublin, the Graduate Diploma in Alternative Investment, the Professional Certificate in Capital Market Investment & Funds program for the Institute of Banking (IOB-UCD), and the Asset Management/Sustainable Finance program on the Msc. in Finance, Trinity College Dublin (TCD) for over a decade.

Kevin has also delivered programs on Bank Capital, Investments and Credit, in association with the IOB and Cambridge University. Kevin is also an adjunct Professor of Finance with TCD, and Examiner for the Certified Financial Planner examination for Financial Planning & Standards Board in Ireland.

Kevin is also deputy chair of the Irish platform of one of the largest CLO originators in Europe, sits on a range of investment fund boards and is chief executive of GEM Strategic, a specialist banking and investment consultancy firm.