Bank of Ireland has appointed HSBC's Head of Retail Banking Francesca McDonagh as its new Chief Executive. Ms McDonagh, 42, will succeed Richie Boucher as CEO, who is stepping down later in 2017. She will also take up the position of Executive Director on the Board of the Group on 2 October.

Ms. McDonagh is currently Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management, UK and Europe with HSBC. In this role she is responsible for all aspects of retail customer service, channels, products and segments of HSBC's three brands.