Bank of Ireland Group plc has announced the appointment of Emer Finnan as an independent non-executive director of the Bank of Ireland and the group’s board with immediate effect.

She will also sit on the audit and risk committees, bringing experience in finance, corporate finance, private equity, and mergers and acquisitions.

Finnan serves as a non-executive director on the boards of Glenveagh Properties plc and the Ireland Fund of Great Britain. She also serves on the board of Kildare Acquisitions Ireland Limited. She was previously a director on the boards of Britvic plc and C&C Group plc and chaired the audit committees in both organisations.

As a partner and president (Europe) with Kildare Partners, Finnan gained extensive experience in private equity throughout the region. She has also worked in Investec Ireland, EBS Limited, NCB Corporate Finance, ABN AMRO UK and Salomon Brothers UK.

Akshaya Bhargava, Bank of Ireland chair, commented: “I am delighted to welcome Emer to Bank of Ireland. Emer has a depth of experience in financial services, gained over a very successful professional career in retail banking, corporate finance and private equity. She will make a strong contribution to the deliberations of the Board, and I look forward to working with her.”