Meet a member of our Funds Advisory Board - Paula Kelleher

Name: Paula Kelleher

Job Title: Independent Non-Executive Director

Interests: Walking; Swimming, Reading, particularly crime novels - Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs being top of the list.

Paula is a veteran of the Irish financial services industry having spent more than three decades working in the industry, first as a partner in one of Ireland’s leading financial services law firms and later as the head of Depositary and Branch Manager for one of the largest Depositary firms operating in Ireland.

Paula, tell me something about yourself we might expect:

I am a strong advocate for and supporter of the financial services industry in Ireland which continues to evolve and expand.

And something we might not expect? 

I am a hopeless chocaholic! I am also a proud Cork woman, despite living in Dublin for more than 30 years!

What is your experience of the Funds Advisory Board (“FAB”)?

I was delighted to join IOB Funds Advisory Board (FAB) to contribute to the ongoing skills and education requirements of the Irish financial services industry at a critical time of growth and change in light of continuous regulatory and other developments. These include DORA; Outsourcing and Operational Resilience as well as emerging technologies such as Blockchain and other immersive technologies and new asset classes including crypto and digital assets as well as tokenisation, AI, sustainability requirements to name but a few of the many challenges facing the industry today. It also provides me with the opportunity to learn from other senior industry experts, which I enjoy.

What do you consider are the FAB’s achievements to date?

I believe the collaboration between the members of the FAB and IOB has assisted IOB in creating new programmes and tailoring existing programmes to meet the growing and ever-changing needs of the financial services industry in Ireland and the people who work in it. It has also led to the establishment of “communities” for the alumni of IOB programmes, such as Alumni of the Designated Person in a Fund Management Company programme, to continue to meet and exchange ideas and learn from one another long after completion of the programme.

IOB also listens carefully to feedback and comments from members of the FAB. For example, programmes now refer to “the funds and asset management sector” to reflect the broader membership base and wider range of activities performed in Ireland.

Paula, given your long career in the Irish financial services industry, what are your plans for the future?

That is a very good question! I have recently retired from full time executive employment and embarked on my next chapter as an Independent Non-Executive Director. This is a significant change for me after so many years “behind the desk” but I am enjoying the change so far. Being a member of the FAB has assisted me in the transition from a full-time executive career to a less structured non-executive career as it challenges me to consider issues from a more objective perspective, through new lens and I am enjoying that at the moment.

With that in mind Paula, what achievement are you most proud of in your long and distinguished career to date?

On balance, I think that would have to be my resilience. In Elton John’s inimitable words – “I’m still standing….” And in this ever-changing and increasingly complex world, I think that is an achievement to be proud of!