Eamonn Hughes appointed Chief Sustainability & Investor Relations Officer at Bank of Ireland Group

Eamonn Hughes has been appointed Chief Sustainability & Investor Relations Officer at Bank of Ireland Group.

Eamonn is a senior finance professional and market analyst with over 25 years’ capital markets and domestic banking experience. He joins Bank of Ireland from Goodbody Stockbrokers, where he held the role of Irish Banks and Insurance Sector Analyst since 2004. Eamonn also previously served as Head of the European Banks Team in ABN AMRO. He is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Masters in Banking & Finance and a CFA Certificate in ESG Investing.

Commenting on his appointment, Francesca McDonagh, Group CEO, Bank of Ireland said: “I’m delighted to welcome Eamonn as Chief Sustainability & Investor Relations Officer. For Bank of Ireland, sustainability, including the provision of sustainable finance, is integral to our strategy underpinning our support for communities, customers and investors. Climate change is an existential threat to our world, and we believe that banking, and Bank of Ireland, has a major role to play in this battle.

“Last week we welcomed the publication of the Climate Action Plan for Ireland, an ambitious strategy which requires equally ambitious partners. Our Responsible & Sustainable Business Strategy supports this national effort and assists customers and communities on their transition to a net zero economy.

“Ambition and plans are important, but investing in the talent, experience and vision to deliver is crucial to its success. Eamonn will guide and implement our sustainability strategy, while also playing a critical role in managing our global capital markets reputation leading our investor relations activity. Given his strong experience, reputation and track record, I am confident that Eamonn can ensure that Bank of Ireland delivers on our ambitions across these important areas.”

Bank of Ireland’s Responsible & Sustainable Business Strategy 2021 – 2024, “Investing in Tomorrow”, has set science-based targets to align its lending portfolios with the Paris agreement and is embedding climate change into lending and investment decisions. Earlier this year, the Bank announced a €3 billion increase in its Sustainable Finance Fund to bring it to €5 billion by 2024. The fund covers Bank of Ireland’s suite of green loans designed to incentivise home owners and businesses to be more energy efficient. In the 9 months to end-September 2021 the Bank’s green mortgage lending in Ireland increased nearly 30% vs the same period in 2020. The Bank also recently announced improvements to its green mortgage range.