Robert Kelly, Director of Economics and Statistics, Central Bank
Robert Kelly was appointed Director of Economics and Statistics on 1 February 2023. He is responsible for domestic economic forecasts and analysis, contributing to the development of euro area monetary policy and the compiling of Irish financial statistics to inform decision making of the European Central Bank, the Government, financial services firms and the public. He joined the Central Bank in 2009 and prior to this appointment, he was Head of Macro Financial Division and held divisional management roles in the Economics and Statistics Directorate and Financial Stability Directorate. He has represented the Central Bank on a range of Eurosystem and international committees including the ECB’s Financial Stability Committee and the ESRB Advisory Technical Committee. Robert has taught at Maynooth University and Trinity College Dublin and he has published research on credit dynamics, monetary and macroprudential policies in leading peer review publications. Robert holds a B.A., M.A. and Ph.D in Economics and Finance from Maynooth University.
Michael Lohan, CEO, IDA
Michael Lohan is the Chief Executive Officer of IDA Ireland as of April 2023 and is based in IDA Ireland’s headquarters in Dublin, Ireland. A key priority for Michael in his role as Chief Executive Officer is leading on the execution and delivery of IDA Ireland’s organisational strategy: Driving Recovery and Sustainable Growth 2021-2024, which will be delivered through a focus on five pillars: Growth, Transformation, Regions, Sustainability, and Impact. Michael joined IDA Ireland in 2003 and has held various management positions across multiple functions and has represented IDA in several fora including as a Board member on Digital Manufacturing Ireland, a governance member on the SSPC research centre for pharmaceuticals and also The Irish Medical Association (which is the business association within IBEC representing the medical devices and diagnostics sector). Prior to joining IDA Ireland, Michael held several different positions including Manager for New Business Solutions with Nortel’s European Operations in Galway and a management role with IEC Electronics European Operations. Michael is an Engineering graduate with an MSc in Technology Management from the National University of Ireland, Galway and additionally is a graduate of the Berkley Executive Programme.