Michael is the Assistant Secretary General with responsibility for the department’s Financial Services Division. His responsibilities include domestic, EU and international policy matters relating to Funds, Markets, Insurance, Pensions, the government’s international financial services strategy. In addition, Michael has policy responsibility for Sustainable Finance and Climate within the Department. He is the Vice-Chair of the EU Financial Services Committee. He has management responsibility for the department’s internal Legal Unit and Chair of the staff/management Departmental Council. He is also a board member of the Irish Pensions Authority.
He has worked in a number of areas of the department – economic, budget, tax, EU and financial. Since March 2007, he has been a member of the department’s Executive Board and held A/Sec roles with responsibility for the Budget and Economic Division (2007 – 2012) and the EU Division (2012 – 2014). Between 2014 and 2017 he was the Alternate Executive Director for Canada, Ireland and 10 Caribbean countries at the International Monetary Fund Executive Board. He also previously served on the National Economic and Social Council, National Statistics Board, and a range of senior EU and OECD economic and fiscal committees.
He has a BA (economics and sociological & political studies); MA (economics); MSc (taxation); Post Graduate Higher Diploma (Statistics); and is a Certified Bank Director.