CFO 100 Index 2023 in association with Sia Partners — Part 1

The Business & Finance CFO 100 Index 2023, in association with Sia Partners, recognises the top 100 Chief Financial Officers working across some of the most innovative companies in Ireland and the UK today.

To launch this Index, Business & Finance hosted a virtual thought leadership panel discussion on the key issues facing the CFO today.

The theme is: CFOs leading the strategic cost challenge. Financial leaders will discuss navigating an unpredictable business landscape while overcoming challenges and finding opportunities for growth. 

Watch the CFO 100 Index Webinar on-demand video

Download the CFO 100 Index 2023 PDF

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Gregor Alexander, Finance Director,
SSE Airtricity

Gregor Alexander joined SSE in 1990 and has been Finance Director on the Board since 2002. Prior to assuming the position of Finance Director, Alexander worked in senior finance roles and led specialist teams including as Group Treasurer and Tax Manager.

He is Chair of the Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution Board. He is a Chartered Accountant and member of the Accounting for Sustainability (A4S) CFO Leadership Network.

David Arnold, Group Chief Financial Officer,
Grafton Group plc

David Arnold joined the Board and the Group as Group Chief Financial Officer on September 9th 2013. He was Group Finance Director of Enterprise plc, the UK Maintenance and Support Services business, from 2010 to 2013 and Finance Director of Redrow plc, the house builder, from 2003 to 2010.

He previously held senior financial positions with Six Continents plc, the hotels group and Tarmac plc, the building materials company. Arnold is currently a Non-Executive Director of Crest Nicholson Holdings plc, a UK housebuilding group.

Michael Behan, Chief Financial Officer,
EirGrid Group

Michael Behan is the Chief Financial Officer of EirGrid Group. He has held this position since January 2022.

Basil Blakeney, Finance Director,
AbbVie

Basil Blakney is a qualified member of both the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Associates of the Irish Tax Institute (AITI). In 2017, Blakeney successfully received his Practitioner Certificate in Data Protection. He is a board member of Allergan Ltd.

Ken Bowles, Group Chief Financial Officer,
Smurfit Kappa

Ken Bowles was appointed Group Chief Financial Officer in April 2016 and was appointed a Director in December 2016. He joined the Group in 1994 and has occupied a number of finance roles in various parts of the Group.

In 2004 he was appointed as the Group’s first Head of Compliance, in 2007 he became the Group’s Head of Tax and in 2010 he was appointed Group Financial Controller.

Bowles is an associate member of the Institute of Chartered Management Accountants and holds a first class MBA from the UCD Graduate School of Business.

Brendan Brennan, Chief Financial Officer,
ICON plc

Brendan Brennan has served as Chief Financial Officer since February 2012. Brennan has developed his career with over twenty years’ experience in various industries.

He joined ICON in 2006 and has served in a number of senior finance roles in the company including the role of Senior Vice President of Corporate Finance. Prior to this, he developed his broad financial experience in Cement Roadstone Holdings, a major Irish building materials organisation.

Brennan spent a number of years in public accounting with PwC prior to this. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland and holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance from Dublin City University.

Over his many years of experience in the CRO industry, Brennan has been involved in many industry organisations and developments including ACRO (Association of Clinical Research Organisations) where he was the founding Chairman of the industry CFO round table group, a group formed to aid CROs dealing with the various industry challenges.

Brennan held the position of Chairman of the round table from its foundation in 2017 to December 31st, 2019.

Pat Brennan, Chief Financial Officer,
Novartis

Pat Brennan is Chief Financial Officer at Novartis. Novartis Ireland business includes the Global Service Centre, Sales and Marketing business units in Dublin and Manufacturing and Services in Cork. Brennan has worked with Novartis for the past eighteen years in various finance and business roles in Switzerland, Turkey, and Ireland.

He gained experience prior to Novartis with ArcelorMittal, as well as in the motor industry, real estate in Chicago, and Sourcing and SCM roles in the food manufacturing industry.

Brennan holds a Master of Science in Global Business Services from Smurfit Business School UCD along with an Accounting degree from the Cork Institute of Technology, and he is a Chartered Management Accountant (ACMA).

Donal Buggy, Chief Financial Officer,
Ornua

Donal Buggy is Chief Financial Officer of Ornua with responsibility for group financial reporting, treasury management, taxation, ICT and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining Ornua, Buggy was Group Chief Financial Officer, Independent News & Media plc (INM).

He joined INM as Group Financial Controller in 1996 and in 2002 he was appointed Group Chief Financial Officer, joining the Group’s Board and Executive Committee. Buggy also served as a Non-Executive Director of APN News & Media Ltd. and several other group companies in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

He was previously audit manager with PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Dublin. A chartered accountant by profession, Buggy holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from University College Dublin.

Yvonne Burke, Chief Financial Officer,
Glen Dimplex

Yvonne Burke is Chief Financial Officer at Glen Dimplex Group, having joined Glen Dimplex in 2020 as Group Finance Director. She is responsible for delivering Glen Dimplex’s ambitious growth plans through organic growth and M&A.

Prior to Glen Dimplex, Burke spent fifteen years in the energy sector, including Chief Financial Officer for Customer Solutions in ESB and held a number of senior roles in the UK and Ireland within SSE plc and Airtricity including heading up the Residential Customer Business.

She qualified as a chartered accountant with PwC and holds a bachelor’s degree in Commerce and Accounting from the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG).

Brian Caniffe, Group Treasurer,
Aercap

Brian Caniffe was appointed Group Treasurer of Aercap in January 2018, previously serving as Head of Investor Relations since joining the company in October 2016.

He has over twenty years’ experience in banking, lending and the capital markets. Prior to joining Aercap, Caniffe served as Managing Director and Head of Global Markets Financing for Bank of America Merrill Lynch in Hong Kong and Tokyo where he led a division that was responsible for providing secured financing, trading, clearing, reporting and various treasury functions in the Asia Pacific region.

In addition, he held roles within the financing divisions at Nomura Securities and Bankers Trust International.

Aaron Carroll, Finance Director,
BT

Aaron Carroll is Finance Director of BT Ireland, a communications services company which employs more than 650 employees and whose services underpin the operations of mid-to-large organisations in every sector in Ireland.

He is a nineteen-year veteran of the BT business and was appointed to the role in April 2016.

Lavanya Chandrashekar, Chief Financial Officer,
Diageo

Lavanya Chandrashekar was appointed Chief Financial Officer and a Director of Diageo plc in July 2021. She previously held the roles of Chief Financial Officer, Diageo North America and Global Head of Investor Relations within Diageo.

Externally, Chandrashekar was Vice President Finance, Global Cost Leadership and Supply Chain at Mondelez International. She worked in various senior finance roles across North America, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa at Mondelez International.

She also led Procter & Gamble teams across India, Asia Pacific, Europe and North America in various senior finance roles.

Padraig Clancy, Executive Director Finance, 
Gilead Sciences Inc.

Padraig Clancy began working at biotechnology company Gilead Sciences Inc. in 2008 as a Director of Finance. He progressed to Senior Director Finance, then Executive Director Finance before being appointed Vice President Finance — Financial Shared Services in 2019.

He has global experience in the pharmaceutical industry across the supply chain from bulk API production, tablet manufacturing and packaging through to distribution and commercial operations.

Clancy is experienced in leading strategic organisational and operational change in complex business environments and has demonstrated ability in working with cross functional management on all areas of business to deliver results including commercial operations, budget and finance management, cost reduction programs, operational excellence initiatives and strategy formulation and planning.

He has proven organisational and motivational skills along with a strong record in staff development to deliver on objectives and targets.

Nigel Clerkin, Chief Financial Officer,
LetsGetChecked

Nigel Clerkin is Chief Financial Officer at LetsGetChecked. He is responsible for all aspects of the company’s financial strategy and objectives. With over twenty years’ experience, Clerkin is renowned for leading team across the healthcare industry. He previously held leadership roles at UDG Healthcare, ConvaTec and Elan Corporation.

Paul Cogan, Chief Financial Officer,
Wisetek

Paul Cogan holds a degree in Business and Accounting from the University of Limerick. With over twenty years’ financial experience, Cogan brings a wealth of financial and managerial expertise which he has gained in various roles across a variety of sectors, operating both nationally and internationally.

Previously, he was the Group CFO with the Irish Times. Prior to that, he held a number of senior finance positions with Diageo, including Commercial Finance Director for the Nordic Region, and Global Sell to Cash Director before relocating home to Ireland.

Neil Corcoran, Chief Financial Officer,
Irish Life Investment Managers

Neil Corcoran joined ILIM as Chief Financial Officer in 2020. Corcoran has over twenty five years’ experience across financial services and has held a variety of senior finance roles covering asset management, banking and asset servicing.

He joined ILIM from Bank of Ireland Group where he was Director of Group Finance. Previous roles within Bank of Ireland included CFO for the Irish Retail Division and Head of Finance for Bank of Ireland Asset Management.

Corcoran is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland and holds a BSc in Management.

Paul Corrigan, Group Chief Financial Officer,
Mainstream Renewable Power

Paul Corrigan was appointed to the role of Group Chief Financial Officer of Mainstream Renewable Power in August 2020. He joined the firm in 2008 and has been a part of its management team and a director of a number of Mainstream group companies since 2014.

Previously, he led Mainstream’s corporate finance division responsible for managing company strategy and the funding of the company’s global activities principally through raising equity and debt amounts at the holding company and project company levels working with large international financial institutions and smaller retail or High Net Worth investors in Ireland and the UK.

Corrigan has executed multiple transactions with a value of c.€2.0bn, in project finance, mezzanine finance, trade finance, corporate debt, M&A and more across multiple jurisdictions.

Prior to joining Mainstream, he worked in IBI Corporate Finance and KPMG, qualifying as an Associate of both the Irish Taxation Institute and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants. He holds a Master’s degree in Finance and Economics from the London School of Economics.

Stephen Craig, Chief  Financial Officer,
State Street

Stephen Craig has held the role of CFO for over seven years at State Street, a global provider of financial services to institutional investors. Prior to State Street, Craig worked at Merrill Lynch as Director, Hedge Fund Group where he was overseeing all aspects of Financial and Operational processes.

From 2004 to 20006, he worked as Director, Change Management at Deutsche Bank. He studied Business Economics and Accounting at the University of Southampton.

Conor Curley, Chief Financial Officer,
AMCS

Conor Curley has a proven track record in the finance function and working with high growth companies. Companies where he has held international financial roles include Digicel in Papua New Guinea, China and other locations.

He is a Chartered Accountant with a Masters qualification in Accounting

John Dalton, Chief Financial Officer,
Bord Gáis

John Dalton is Chief Financial Officer at Bord Gáis Energy. He is responsible for the financial leadership of the business which includes reporting, control and planning, ensuring financial statements’ integrity and guiding the business to define and deliver the strategic agenda.

Keith Davies, Chief Financial Officer,
Microsoft Ireland

Keith Davies is CFO of Microsoft Ireland, sitting on both Microsoft Ireland’s Senior Leadership Team and Microsoft Western Europe’s Finance Leadership Team.

In his role, he is committed to driving strong, sustained and compliant business growth in the Irish business with customer success at the core of all activities.

Davies joined Microsoft in 2018 and brings with him extensive leadership experience from a variety of senior positions held in the pharmaceutical, food manufacturing, software development and professional services industries – locally, regionally and globally.

He holds a Bachelor of Business and Law degree from UCD and is a qualified Chartered Accountant as well as a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland.

Jonathan Davies, Finance Director, 
Allergan Aesthetics

Jonathan Davies is the Finance Director of Allergan Aesthetics. He is an experienced finance lead with strong business and commercial focus.

Davies has broad international industry experience and a proven track record of shaping the strategy and direction of businesses to achieve profitable growth.

He adds considerable value and insight to each position he takes with strong commercial, analytical and communication skills.

Paula Deegan, Chief Financial Officer,
Aerospace Dublin

Paula Deegan is the Chief Financial Officer at Dublin Aerospace. She has twelve years of experience with the company, beginning her career in 2009 as a Financial Controller before becoming the Head of Finance and then CFO.

Deegan is skilled in budgeting and working within the aviation industry, having gained previous experience with SR Technics Group as a Component Services Accountant and Manager Controlling, along with FLS Aerospace and Aer Lingus.

She received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Studies from Dublin Institute of Technology in 1991.

Enda Devine, Finance Director and Executive Director,
IPB Insurance

Enda Devine is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, a Fellow of the Institute of Bankers, a member of the Institute of Directors in Ireland and a member of the Insurance Institute of Ireland with a Diploma in Information Systems awarded by Trinity College Dublin.

He has held a number of Senior Executive and Board level positions over the past twenty years in leading financial services organisations.

Jacinta Devine, Chief Financial Officer,
Dole plc

Jacinta Devine was appointed to the Dole plc board on June 30th, 2022 and serves as Chief Financial Officer. Prior to this she served as Corporate Secretary of Dole plc.

Devine was appointed to the role of Company Secretary of Total Produce plc in 2017 having previously held the role of Assistant Company Secretary.

She joined the Group in 1996 and during this time held a number of senior accounting and financial positions including Divisional Finance Director of Ireland and the UK.

Dole plc believe that Devine is qualified to serve on the board of directors due to her long standing experience in leadership positions in Total Produce and Dole plc, her understanding of finance and financial reporting processes, her experience in senior financial positions and her experience and knowledge of corporate governance matters from her time as Company Secretary of a publicly traded company.

She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland.

Download the full list as PDF

Business & Finance CFO 100 (alphabetical by surname):

View part one (A–D)

View part two (D–K)

View part three (L–O)

View part four (P–W)