Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 30 July 2015

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis

Nexus Phase

Mr. Fintan Drury:

I think partly, Senator, it's hindsight, but only partly. I think that, unlike my answer to the question to Deputy Phelan, I do think that with the wisdom that there was around the board at the time that that decision was taken, there should have been a greater degree of caution, a greater degree of care expressed about the idea that somebody who was the finance director, therefore, overseeing every aspect of the financial management of this organisation, as it was growing, was responsible for a myriad of different tasks; leading the investor relations, but also leading the accounting, leading the audit, all of that - this was his, this is his task - and, obviously, overseeing the drive towards continued growth of the bank, that he would also be charged with the responsibility for overseeing risk. And, as I said in ... and I want to restate, because it would be unfair not to, that is not a reflection on the individual involved who was a very capable person. But those roles should be distinct, in terms of even the optics for an organisation to have somebody who is financial controller, financial director and the chief risk officer, was not the smartest decision, I think, that was made or overseen by the board.

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