Panel Discussion – ‘Brexit & Insurance’

• Dan O’Brien, Economist (Panel MC)
• Rosemary Quinlan, INED
• Sylvia Cronin, Director of Insurance Supervision, Central Bank of Ireland 
• Vincent Sheridan, Chairman, Insurance Ireland INED Council 
• Kieran O’Donoghue, Head of International Financial Services, Corporate Strategy & Public Policy, IDA 

Huw Evans is Director General of the Association of British Insurers, having taken up the position on 1 February 2015. He was previously Deputy Director General and Policy Director, having joined the ABI as Operations Director in 2008. 

Most recently Huw has been at the heart of the industry’s preparations for the Government’s pension reforms and led the ABI’s work on the negotiations with the Government on the future of flood insurance. 

He is the author of the ABI’s future policy blueprint ‘Identifying the Challenges of a Changing World’ and is committed to developing the role of healthy insurance and long-term savings markets in meeting the future needs of customers and the economy. 

Previously he was a senior manager in the Group Strategy team of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group. He served as a special adviser to the Prime Minister, Tony Blair from 2005-6 and to the Home Secretary, David Blunkett from 2001-4. Prior to that he worked in politics and journalism, having read Modern History at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. 

Dan has spent most of his career to date as senior economist and editor at the Economist Intelligence Unit, an arm of The Economist Newspaper Group. Working from London and Geneva over a dozen years, he covered the economics and politics of Europe and global trade and investment issues. Other organisations for which he has worked include the European Commission, the United Nations, the Irish Times, and Forfas. 
During his career, in which he has lived and worked in seven European countries, Dan has commented frequently in the international media, for broadcasters such as CNN and the BBC and in print, for newspapers such as the International Herald Tribune and the Financial Times. His book “Ireland, Europe and the World: Writings on a New Century” was published in October 2009.

Rosemary Quinlan, INED 
Rosemary is an Independent Non-executive director (INED) with a career that spans 27 years in International Financial Services. Rosemary is a Non-executive director since 2006 and an INED since 2013 with Ulster Bank Ltd (UK), Ulster Bank Ireland DAC, Royal Sun Alliance Insurance Ireland Limited, Prudential International Assurance plc and Dodge and Cox Funds Worldwide plc. Rosemary chairs a number of Committees for these boards.

Prior to 2013, Rosemary was a global executive and board level strategic change manager working with global banks – HSBC, ABN Amro and Citi in Ireland, London, Amsterdam and USA, with experience across a broad range of banking products and industry sectors. She is a Member of the Institute of Directors and the Institute of Bankers in Ireland.

Sylvia holds a Masters in Business Administration from DIT and in 2010 was admitted as a Chartered Director to the Institute of Directors in London.

Vincent also serves on a number of Boards including FBD Group Plc, Beazley Plc, Mercer Ireland, Mercer Global Investments Europe, and Canada Life Europe. He is also on the Board of a number of charitable organisations.

Vincent is a past President / Chairman of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland, the Insurance Institute of Ireland, the Insurance Federation of Ireland (now Insurance Ireland ) and the Irish Association of Investment Managers. He was also a Board member of the Financial Reporting Council in the UK.

Kieran Donoghue is Head of International Financial Services, Corporate Strategy and Public Policy at IDA Ireland. He is a member of IDA’s Senior Leadership team (Executive Committee) and Chair of the Agency’s Client Development Committee (CDC) and Brexit Group. He has served overseas in Washington DC where he had responsibility for a number of key policy areas including the International Tax Agenda. He is a graduate of University College Cork (UCC) and has also studied at Boston College, the University of Toronto and at Oxford. He is a member of the Institute of Directors and the Ireland – United States Alumni Association.