Aviva chair appointed president of the Institute of Directors
Aviva Life and Pensions chairwoman Helen Nolan has been appointed president of the Institute of Directors (IoD).
IoD, which is the membership body for directors and business leaders, made the announcement at its annual general meeting on Tuesday.
Ms Nolan replaces John Reynolds who has held the position for the last two years.
Ms Nolan is also a non-executive director of US-listed fresh produce company Dole and of Companjon Insurance, where she chairs the audit committee.
READ MORE
A KPMG-trained chartered accountant, she has held several senior roles with Bank of Ireland, including group secretary, group chief internal auditor, and divisional finance officer for the capital markets division.
'As the commitment of being a director and business leader evolves and expands, with technological advances driving transformational changes in businesses, IoD will be there to support the needs and concerns of its members,' said Ms Nolan.
'Our ambition is for Ireland to be considered an exemplar of corporate governance. We will continue to instil stakeholder trust and confidence in organisations by educating, informing, and supporting directors and business leaders.
'I would also like to acknowledge former president John Reynolds for his leadership and commitment to IoD Ireland over the last two years.
'I look forward to working with the IoD executive and council in supporting our members while we deliver what directors need to lead in times of ceaseless change.
'By championing innovation, lifelong learning, and good governance we can help shape a dynamic future of Irish business from the inside out.'
Mr Reynolds said: 'I would like to express my appreciation of the work and commitment of each of the members of our council and executive during my tenure as president.
'I am delighted to pass on the baton to Helen and watch IoD Ireland continue to go from strength to strength.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
36 minutes ago
- Irish Times
President criticises UK arms investment and US's ‘monstrous attacks' on universities
President Michael D Higgins has called on the United Nations General Assembly to use 'exceptional powers' to 'move past' the impasse at the organisation's Security Council to enable the flow of aid to Gaza. Mr Higgins also criticised a £1.5 billion arms investment, announced earlier this week by UK prime minister Keir Starmer. Mr Higgins claimed the move will 'make drones 10 times more lethal'. He was speaking at the University of Galway to mark the donation of his presidential archive and collection of books to the college. Speaking in the newly renamed Michael D Higgins Auditorium, the President criticised the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an Israeli and US-backed organisation, which has distributed a limited amount of aid in southern Gaza this week. The GHF has been heavily criticised by world figures for politicising the distribution of aid. READ MORE Aid distribution at GHF centres was paused earlier this week following a number of incidents where Israeli soldiers are reported to have fired on people seeking food. 'The entity that is in place [the GHF], and has been described as one that will distribute aid to the people of Gaza, is not acceptable to any of the United Nations agencies,' Mr Higgins said. He said it is 'essential' that food is distributed through non-militarised means. 'What is most important now, is that next week when the General Assembly [of the UN] meets, it uses the exceptional powers that it has to actually act. It has the power to move past the Security Council,' he said. Turning to the UK's arms investment announcement, he said it is 'not moral to be silent' in the current political climate. UK defence secretary John Healey told MPs on Monday that the £1.5 billion investment would make the British army '10 times more lethal'. [ Britain to move closer to 'warfighting readiness' as review calls for defence overhaul Opens in new window ] 'The prime minister next door [Keir Starmer] says: 'We are going to produce drones that are 10 times more lethal.' Think of the morality of that statement,' said Mr Higgins. 'It is necessary to say that we are not going to retreat from new versions of ecological responsibility, social justice and equality,' he said. The president said 'monstrous attacks' are being made against third-level institutions, especially in the United States. He said we are living in the 'worst period' for 'ignorant, ill-informed bullying', with universities put 'under the greatest pressure internationally, but in particular in the United States where they have had monstrous attacks on them', he said. Mr Higgins is a former lecturer and president of the students' union at the University of Galway. He confirmed he intends to return to living in Galway when his presidential term ends.
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Setting up your bank account before you arrive in Ireland
On The Money doesn't tend to take too much notice of press releases from banks but something crossed my desk this week that made me stop. It wasn't revolutionary – this is from an Irish bank after all – it was just announcing a simple practical solution to a problem that hasproved intractable. Every year tens of thousands of people arrive in Ireland to study, start a job or return home after an extended period abroad. Getting set up in a new country or back in your homeland throws up all sorts of basic practical issues; housing, setting up utilities, getting paid by your new employer or finding a home for the cash to tide you over for your period of study, almost all of which require you to have details of an account with a local bank. READ MORE Until now, unless you were physically resident in Ireland, you could not set up a current account to manage these basic but necessary functions, never mind about doing it online. Now Bank of Ireland says it is allowing people open accounts in Ireland up to 45 days before they arrive in the State. This allows them to have their financial affairs in order from the day they arrive in the State. I had to check that this was, in fact, new. It seems odd that in 2025 in a world where online banks are eating the lunch of the old traditional players, no one would have thought of this before now. The 'Coming to Ireland' service will even allocate a personal case manager who will get in touch within 48-hours of the application being submitted to guide people through the process. That will be subject of envy from every other bank customer who cannot be sure of ever dealing with the same person twice on their banking affairs. Bank of Ireland's head of retail, Susan Russell, notes that coming to Ireland for the first time or returning home after years abroad 'can be overwhelming'. And it's an experience that affects more people than you might think. Bank of Ireland cites Central Statistics Office figures showing that more than 149,000 people moved to Ireland in the 12 months up to the end of April 2024. Ms Russell says the new service is 'designed to remove barriers', something that will certainly be very welcome. So how does it work? You simply need to follows the steps in an online account application form which you can find here . You'll need photo ID – a passport, driving licence or EU national identity card. You'll also need two proofs of address but, as these will need to be proof of an Irish address, the bank gives you 60 days from your date of arrival to present those. Failure to do so will see the account blocked. The process will also require a selfie of you that is taken as you go through the process. Assuming it works as promised, it will give Bank of Ireland an edge on its rivals. AIB does say that people coming to the State can open an account before they arrive through its website. However, applicants still need to visit a branch on arrival to verify their identity and have the account activated. Once they have all the paperwork, AIB says a customer can expect their new account to be operational within 24 hours. People resident in Ireland over the age of 16 can open an account virtually through the AIB Mobile app, the bank tells me, which is welcome but no good if you're only arriving in the State. AIB is also proud of its translation services which offers service to customers in any one of 150 languages – which sounds helpful for those who do not speak English as a first language – but it still won't allow you to get up and running without trekking into a branch in Ireland. For its part, PTSB requires anyone arriving in Ireland and looking to open an account to present themselves at a branch with all the necessary documentation. People who are already resident here can open an account through PTSB's mobile app. They can even open a joint account if they were not already PTSB customers. However, somewhat ironically, if you are a PTSB customer and wish to open a joint account, you'll have to visit a branch Of course, while all this increased flexibility is welcome, it is worth noting that the banks are only really beginning to make themselves more accommodating because of the threat from the fintechs – like Revolut , N26 and Bunq – who pioneered the concept of online account opening, including scanning of the necessary documents. In a world where banks are making it ever more difficult to actually talk to someone in a branch, people, especially younger potential customers more comfortable with living more of their lives online, increasingly opt for the flexibility and user-friendliness the fintechs offers – despite some of the customer service glitches that have subsequently emerged. Ironically, in a world where traditional banks are looking to reduce branches and branch staff numbers, you would have thought blatant self-interest, if nothing else, would have made them anxious to be at the forefront of flexible, online banking As anyone who regularly battles their way through the stodgy online offerings available from the traditional banks will know, they're far short of offering that sort of cutting edge banking service. Still, at least making it easier for people to get their personal banking arrangements up and running before they land is a small step in the right direction. You can contact us at OnTheMoney@ with personal finance questions you would like to see us address. If you missed last week's newsletter, you can read it here .
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
ICS Medical Devices to create 72 new jobs by 2028
Galway-based catheter designer and manufacturer ICS Medical Devices is to create 72 new jobs by 2028 after winning €1.5 million in funding from Enterprise Ireland. The new roles will come in engineering, human resources, manufacturing and quality. The company currently employs 130 people. ICS, which was founded in 2019, was approved for the funding through a number of Enterprise Ireland supports. It said it will be invested in facilities, capabilities, training and development, digitalisation, as well as in new technologies. The latest accounts filed by the company, which cover the 12 months to the end of June last year, show it generated a turnover of €10.7 million in the year, which was up from €7.8 million the year before. READ MORE It made a profit of €2.6 million over the same period, which was up from €1.8 million. Chief executive Seamus Fahey told The Irish Times he would not disclose specific figures for the most recent 12 month period, but said the company was 'definitely continuing our year-on-year trend of about 20 per cent growth'. Minister of State with responsibility for Employment Alan Dillon said: 'ICS is an Irish company that has experienced impressive growth in the last six years and is leading in the research and development within the medical device space. 'The Government through Enterprise Ireland looks forward to continued engagement with ICS Medical to support their business development in overseas markets.' Jenny Melia, incoming chief executive of Enterprise Ireland, said the company was at the forefront of innovation in the medtech sector, developing 'best in class' catheters. 'Supporting Irish companies with the ambition to scale globally is a key priority for Enterprise Ireland and we will continue to work closely with ICS Medical to optimise their full international growth potential, creating and sustaining jobs here in the Galway region,' she said. She said the company was 'playing a vital role' in strengthening Ireland's medtech sector.
