Sharon Donnery appointed as new Deputy Governor of Central Bank

• Portfolios include Economics, Financial Operations and Resolution & Corporate Affairs
• Deputy Governor will act as Alternate at Governing Council and will be an ex-officio  member of the Central Bank Commission

The Central Bank of Ireland has announced the appointment of Sharon Donnery as the new Deputy Governor for Central Banking.

Sharon Donnery is currently Director of Credit Institutions and will be one of two deputy governors in the Central Bank. She will be responsible for central banking functions, including Economics, Financial Operations and Resolution & Corporate Affairs. She succeeds Stefan Gerlach who stepped down from his role as Deputy Governor in December 2015.

Announcing the appointment today, Central Bank Governor, Philip Lane, said: “Sharon’s breadth of experience at the Bank in regulation and central banking, combined with her European experience will serve her well as Deputy Governor”.

Sharon joined the Central Bank in 1996 and is currently Director of Credit Institutions, a position she has held since March 2014. She is the Bank's Alternate Member of the Supervisory Board of the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) and also is the Chair of the ECB SSM High Level Group on Non-performing Loans (NPLs). From February 2013 to August 2014, Sharon held the statutory position of Registrar of Credit Unions. She has held a range of senior positions at the Central Bank including Head of Consumer Information and Head of Consumer Protection.

Sharon has represented the Central Bank on committees of the European Banking Authority, the European Central Bank and the European Commission. She chaired the European Banking Authority’s Sub-Group on Consumer Protection following its establishment in early 2011 until 2013. She is also the former vice-chair of the European Banking Authority’s Standing Committee on Consumer Protection and Financial Innovation. Sharon holds a BA in Economics and Politics and an MA in Economics from University College Dublin.

She will take up her role from 1st March. As Deputy Governor, she will be a member of the Central Bank Commission and the Governor’s Committee, which is the highest-level executive committee in the Bank. She will also serve as Alternate to the Governor in the Governing Council of the European Central Bank.

Sharon Donnery is the first female to be appointed as Deputy Governor since the establishment of the Central Bank. The appointment was made by the Central Bank Commission and confirmed by the Minister for Finance following a competitive process.